Daniel Craig and Catherine Tate will be part of this year’s Red Nose Day program as Comic Relief returns to BBC One.
Craig’s James Bond will face Tate’s Nan’s character in a sketch to be aired later as part of this year’s charity fundraiser.
Dawn French will return as Vicar of Dibley in one of the evening comic offerings.
‘What A Smashing Fella’
The money raised will be used to address hunger, homelessness, domestic violence and mental health discrimination.
Bond-themed play will see Nan – now a cleaner on MI6 – taking an unexpected call from 007 while cleaning M’s office.
“What a smashing fella,” said Tate of the fictional secret agent, thanking Craig and the makers of the Bond films for being “great sports”.
Alesha Dixon, Sir Lenny Henry, Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness and David Tennant will host the special three-hour program, which will begin on Friday at 19:00 GMT.
Former Doctor Who Tennant will also appear with Michael Sheen in a special episode of their comedy show based on Zoom Staged.
Various Skits
Sheen will also appear next to Keira Knightley and other stars in 2020: The Movie, a blockbuster film parody based on recent world events.
Jack Whitehall, meanwhile, will have his own battles with Zoom in another star-studded sketch featuring Olivia Colman, Anya Taylor-Joy and others.
McGuinness and his fellow Top Gear broadcasters will address some of the most perplexing questions for kids in the comedy series hosted by Jordan North of Radio 1.
There will also be “mash-up” music featuring stars from BBC Three’s smash hit Fleabag and Normal People and two songs from stage music, Back to the Future.
Throughout the night of Red Nose Day entertainment, viewers will be shown films that explain how their contributions can change lives in the UK and around the world.
They will include a number of films produced in collaboration with local filmmakers in India, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
Last year Comic Relief said it would stop sending celebrities to Africa after criticism that such films promoted a “white saviour” narrative.
Charitable Initiative
Charity co-founder Sir Lenny applauded the move, saying it was “time for young black and black filmmakers to take over”.
Red Nose Day will continue after the BBC News at Ten with The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon, hosted by Jason Manford and Amanda Holden.
The hour-long show will feature more sketches, special guests and the chance for viewers to win a number of once-in-a-lifetime prizes.
This year’s fundraising campaign is already underway with support challenges including Alex Scott, Jermaine Jenas and two-legged Billy Monger.
“Funny Is Power”
One Show stars Scott and Jenas competed in the Red Nose and Spoon Race, while Monger took on a triathlon-inspired challenge that saw him walk, swing on cycle and kayak 140 miles across England.
The theme of this year’s Red Nose Day is Funny Is Power, with the aim of empowering people to do good through humour.
Sketches with the casts of Bodyguard and Four Weddings and a Funeral helped the last Comic Relief fundraiser in March 2019 raise £63m by the end of the evening.
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