Red Nose Day

I only lasted till about 11.30 but did they actually have any stand up at all during the show?

Nobody cares.

I think Comic Relief is in a tight spot because it is based upon the idea of "You know those incredible funny people you watch on TV all the time?!"
but now nobody does. We now just have fame.
And fame does not equal funny.

— Danny Baker (@prodnose) March 16, 2019

The idea behind these telethons strikes me as being incredibly dated, and I wonder if that's part of the problem.

That's why they've moved on from the traditional telethon type programme. They're increasingly the culmination of the fund raising period rather than being one night when they raise everything fr the viewers.

There are probably more comedians on TV than ever, there no shortage of acts who can appear. The problem is that it's gone from a variety show to a dull spring time Children in Need. Unless they do a filmed bit or are big enough name to anchor an hour of primetime BBC1 then there's no place for them on it


The original Comic Reliefs were based around the 'alternative comedy' generation who are now the old school establishment of the comedy world and dont really do any comedy any more. Yet they still appear and aren't very funny. The current generation of comedians don't really seem to have taken up the baton.

It's looking as tired as the comedians that the 'alternative comedians' replaced in the 80s and 90s

The current generation of comedians mostly dont have the public profile to really appear for long on BBC1 without putting of the Core BBC1 viewers.

When you say current comedians, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan are very skilled and well liked comedians and presented well on the night.

I agree with the previous comment of wanting more live sketches, etc. The magic mike shock with Johnny Vegas reminded me of something very old school comic relief, having something/someone serious and messing around with it. The celebrity phone bank feature worked quite well, as did Lenny being there through the night, some of the best lines and improvisation came from him.

It is only really small changes that are needed - a handful of live on stage sets, a couple of live moments rather than pre-recorded films and some sketches that hit the mark more.

The telethon though is always going to be hit or miss but ultimately does its job. I think the bigger issue for Comic Relief over the next couple of years will be addressing the concerns about its merchandise and how the red nose can develop alongside the campaigns against disposable plastic merchandise.

"Fame does not equal funny" complains Danny Baker.

Talk about pot kettle black.

I can see why they needed the non-comedians presenting and as others have said, it did its job and got the money in.

Alan Partridge aside, though, it did feel a bit thin this year - sadly this is one of the very few outlets for sketch comedy left on television these days so it's a shame they didn't make more of it. Reminds me of how dictionary corner in Cats Do Countdown has somehow become really important because it's one of the only TV spots for circuit comedians who don't fit with Live at the Apollo. Comic Relief is a rare chance to do one-off sketches so I'm surprised there wasn't very much this year. It'd also for example be a great opportunity to do something like a special Taskmaster throughout the night with people who wouldn't be able to commit to a full series.

Saying that, last time around they ticked off a lot of my wish-list (more non-mainstream comedies in the mix, live stand-up) and it bombed.

It's always had non comedians hosting it though, Mike Smith was one of the presenters on the first one. Jonathan Ross too, I don't think you'd pigeon hole him as a comedian.