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Thursday, January 8, 2026
CharityHollywood heroes join Comic Relief in star-studded send-off for Sir Lenny Henry

Hollywood heroes join Comic Relief in star-studded send-off for Sir Lenny Henry

Some of Hollywood’s finest have come together to put on a star-studded show to send off Sir Lenny Henry, as he hosts his final Red Nose Day, today.

The programme is on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 7pm.

In a brand-new multi-celebrity sketch, Julia Roberts, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson make special appearances in a sketch to argue it out to be named the most famous face.

Kate Winslet takes to story corner with a late night CBeebies Bedtime Story especially for parents as she reads F***, Now There Are Two of You.

Elliott Stanley, played by Jamie Dornan in BBC One’s The Tourist, finds himself face to face with the steely Clive Myrie in the iconic Mastermind chair. Faced with a torrent of questions he will need to rack his brain to try to remember… well anything!

Following Ryan Gosling’s performance at the Oscars this week, Sir Lenny Henry will take on his own version of the Oscar-nominated song from the Barbie film, I’m Just Len.

Suranne Jones (pictured as Claudia Winkleman), Jonathan Bailey, Catherine Tate and Sally Phillips are among the cast for The Traitors: The Movie. The W1A cast reunite in a bid to find Sir Lenny’s replacement as host, and North Norfolk Digital’s most prolific radio host, Alan Partridge will be riding the regional airwaves all the way from his studio joined by Sidekick Simon.

McFly will open the show with a special medley of some of the most loved Comic Relief singles from the last few years, including Walk This Way and, of course, All About You.

Singing sensation JERUB will take to the stage with a moving song to celebrate Sir Lenny Henry’s last year of hosting while Jack Black will issue a musical call to action. Paloma Faith will perform her new single, Enjoy yourself (The Red Nose Day Edition).

Exciting prizes will be on offer too, including the same Aston Martin V12 Vanquish model made famous by James Bond in ‘Die Another Day’ donated by Chris Evans and CarFest, and the most sought after prize in pop, six hospitality tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour at Wembley Stadium are up for grabs.

Money raised by Red Nose Day will go towards organisations helping to tackle some of the urgent problems faced by people here in the UK and around the world. This could include helping provide shelter for those that need it, putting food on plates, filling the shelves of baby banks, offering someone to talk to, or somewhere to be safe.

Helen Greaney
Helen Greaney
I'm a journalist with more than 18 years' experience on local, regional and national newspapers, as well as PR and digital marketing. Crime and the courts is my specialist area but I'm also keen to hear your stories concerning Manchester and the greater North West region.
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