Comic Relief 2022: When does Red Nose Day air on BBC One?
The charity telethon is back for its 36th year, with the likes of Sir Lenny Henry, David Tennant and Alesha Dixon hosting.
Red Nose Day 2022 is finally upon us.
For one night only, some of the biggest names from the showbiz world will join forces to raise money for Comic Relief with a huge night of comedy, entertainment, music and much more!
And it certainly looks like it's going to be a night to remember, with highlights including an opera challenge, appearances from Matt Lucas and David Walliams and a very special episode of The Repair Shop featuring comedy double act Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
The majority of this year's fundraiser will be hosted live from Salford’s Media City by Sir Lenny Henry, Paddy McGuinness, Alesha Dixon and David Tennant. Vernon Kay and AJ Odudu take over hosting duties in the second half.
There’ll also be a series of celebs hosting specials on the night.
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Presenter Zoe Ball confirmed on the day of the special that she would not be able to take part in her duties after testing positive for COVID-19.
Sadly, Kylie Minogue, who was previously announced to appear in a Ghosts sketch, will no longer be appearing on Comic Relief as she is recovering from COVID-19.
Ghosts star Mathew Baynton later confirmed on Twitter that the planned sketch will sadly no longer be happening.
Masked Singer presenter Joel Dommett also stepping back from hosting duties after catching the virus.
Taking to Twitter, Kylie wrote: "So sorry to miss my planned visit to #BBCGhosts Button House for #ComicRelief2022 as I’ve been recovering from Covid.
"I WILL, however, be watching @BBCOne 7pm Friday to see what fun @comicrelief has in store for us! Don’t forget to tune in & support the incredible work they do!" she added.
However, the show must go on.
As the Red Nose Day programming commences, here's everything you have to look forward to watching this year, including specials from Glow Up, Jordan North and This Is My House.
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Is it Comic Relief today?
Yes, one of the biggest charity events of the year, Comic Relief, returns for its 19th telethon event tonight (Friday 18th March).
Comic Relief has raised more than £1 billion since its founding in 1985.
There are a number of ways you can donate to Comic Relief – the easiest being to do so on their website: https://donation.comicrelief.com.
For more information see our guide on how to donate to Comic Relief.
What time is Comic Relief on tonight?
Comic Relief begins its telethon at 7pm tonight (18th March), with the first three hours airing on BBC One.
After that, it will move over to BBC Two at 10pm whilst BBC News is broadcast at the same time over on BBC One, before switching back over to BBC One at 10.35pm.
Red Nose Day 2022 will be broadcast from MediaCityUK in Salford as Tom Daley, Jack Whitehall, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Giovanni Pernice, French and Saunders, Jay Blades, Guz Khan and more come together for a night of music and comedy.
How to watch Red Nose Day 2022: TV schedule
The BBC has announced the full entertainment line-up for this year's Red Nose Day, teasing sketches and specials from the likes of Kylie Minogue, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Jude Law and French and Saunders. Here are the full details for the 18th March 2022 broadcast:
- Six celebrities will be learning how to become opera singers in the Comic Opera challenge
- Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne surprise school children at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- David Walliams and Matt Lucas bring back their cult sketch show Rock Profile
- Strictly Come Dancing champions Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice perform
- The Repair Shop's Jay Blades gets a visit from French and Saunders' characters 'The Extras'
- Jack Whitehall takes on Mason Mount and Declan Rice in a game of Mini Golf
- Stephen Fry and other celebrities read a one-off Bedtime Story that's strictly for adults
- The cast of & Juliet perform a medley of hits
- The team behind Magic Goes Wrong performs a hilarious mind-reading routine
- Sandi Toskvig and Alan Davies welcome Jo Brand, Sally Phillips and Guz Khan for a special edition of QI
The fun continues after Red Nose Day airs, with Joel Dommett and AJ Odudu hosting The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon after the news on BBC One. The special will feature live music, comedy sketches and a chance for viewers to win various Text to Win prizes.
In the week leading up to Red Nose Day, there are a number of charity specials set to air – including Tom Daley's Hell of a Homecoming, which starts on Monday 14th March at 9pm on BBC One. The hour-long special will see the Olympic champion head on a 290-mile journey from the Aquatics Centre in London to his hometown of Plymouth whilst tackling four Team GB disciplines – rowing, marathon running, open water swimming and cycling.
Over on CBeebies, the CBeebies Bedtime Stories will be introducing five new celebrity readers to mark Red Nose Day, beginning with Sue Perkins reading The Pirate Mums on Monday 14th March.
Tom Daley isn't the only celebrity taking on a huge physical undertaking for Comic Relief as on Tuesday 15th March at 8:30pm, BBC Three is airing Rowing Home with Jordan North – a documentary tracking the BBC Radio 1 DJ's trek across the water from London to Burnley.
On Wednesday 16th March at 8pm on BBC One, This Is My House returns for a celebrity special, with Ricky Hatton, Claire Richards, Deborah Meaden and Robert Rinder trying to convince Chris Eubank, Harry Hill, Claudia Winkleman and Nina Wadia that they're each the owner of a four-bedroom house.
Later this month, Glow Up is returning to BBC Three with a celebrity special as Lady Leshurr, Nikki Lilly, Roman Kemp, Snoochie Shy and The Vivienne become make-up artists.
On CBBC, Blue Peter will be asking its viewers to unleash their inner superhero across two specials on Friday 11th March and Friday 18th March at 5pm, while over on BBC iPlayer, Countryfile's Red Nose Day special is available to stream, having originally aired on BBC One on Sunday 6th March.
Where can you buy Red Noses for Comic Relief 2022?
This year, Red Noses are available from Argos, Sainsbury’s or direct from the Comic Relief website here.
There are eight different types of red noses to collect – all based on different wild animals, including a flamingo, a giraffe and a hippo.
Schools can pre-order a box of noses from the Comic Relief website.
A box of 40 noses costs £60, with at least £30 going directly to the charity.
Where can I buy a Red Nose Day t-shirt?
Of course, like every year, you can also get your hands on red noses, t-shirts and other accessories from the Comic Relief shop to show support, with the proceeds going to charity.
In addition, TK Maxx has teamed up with Comic Relief to launch Red Nose Day t-shirts, designed by 11 artists.
The ‘Red Nose Day charitee’ t-shirts are available in unisex and kids sizes, alongside other merchandise including tote bags, notebooks, prints and art cards.
You can shop the collection at TK Maxx’s website here.
What do we know about French and Saunders’ sketch for Comic Relief?
Comedy double act Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders will make a cameo in a very special episode of The Repair Shop in aid of Comic Relief.
Dawn and Jennifer will reprise their roles ‘The Extras’ for the BBC charity special.
The pair will portray two fame-hungry women trying to get a free fix in the shop.
The comedians, who first started working together in the 1980s, have spoken out about their excitement ahead of the clip airing.
"I don’t think we’ve ever said no to Comic Relief because it just is too important, and because it’s from our community and we were there right at the very beginning," French explained.
She added: "I know that the money is spent correctly, and I know that there are projects that are ongoing that need us to be ongoing and I wouldn’t ever want to let anyone down, so I think the more that we can do to boost and support, the better!"
Saunders said: "As I watched The Repair Shop, I thought all I could ever see was these characters going into The Repair Shop, or me and Dawn, pretending to mend something or imitating the characters."
She added: "You know, I just thought, this is the show for us. Then Comic Relief said we’ve got The Repair Shop and it was like the perfect thing, it was so perfect!"
The Repair Shop host Jay Blades also teased what’s in store for viewers.
"I can’t believe the chaos that those two caused," he teased.
"We’re always surprised by what we see in the barn, but trust me, we’ve not seen anything like this before – you must watch it to see how funny it was."
We can't wait!
What is Red Nose Day?
Red Nose Day is Comic Relief's live telethon that is usually held in March and sees celebrities from across the world of entertainment come together to raise money for charities in the UK.
Hosted by founder Sir Lenny Henry alongside a number of other presenters, the live show has raised over £1 billion over the last 36 years, with money going towards tackling homelessness, hunger, domestic abuse and mental health problems.
Red Nose Day airs on Friday 18th March at 7pm on BBC One. To find out what's on telly tonight, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.
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