Comic Relief raised £4million less than last year on Red Nose Day – even though the charity was this year marking its milestone 40th anniversary.
The BBC announced £34,022,590 was raised during Friday night’s telethon, which also featured presenter Davina McCall breaking down in tears on live TV as she discussed her recent brain tumour surgery.
Last year the fundraising total was closer to £38million – while in 2011 Comic Relief raised a comparatively whopping £108million.
This represents a significant 69 per cent drop in donations over the last 14 years for the charity, which provides food, healthcare and shelter for children facing poverty in the UK and abroad.
Across the sector, charities have reported a decline in donations partly explained by the public having less disposable income amid a rising cost of living.
The event, hosted last night at Salford’s MediaCity, saw sketches from some of the biggest shows on the BBC, including Strictly Come Dancing, Gladiators and Beyond Paradise.
At the helm of the event were presenters Joel Dommett, Rylan Clark, Alison Hammond, Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Tom Allen, Alesha Dixon and AJ Odudu.
While hosting, McCall became emotional as she reflected on life and ‘what really matters’ after undergoing an operation to remove a colloid cyst four months ago.
Davina McCall breaking down in tears on live TV as she discussed her recent brain tumour surgery during last night’s Comic Relief
Davina struggled to hold back tears, with the crew being forced to step in and ask if she was ok
At the helm of the event were presenters Joel Dommett , Rylan Clark, Alison Hammond , Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Tom Allen, Alesha Dixon and AJ Odudu
Speaking on the programme, she said: ‘Doctors found a brain tumour and after thinking about it for a while I decided it would be best to have it removed.’
Davina struggled to hold back tears, with the camera crew being forced to step in and ask if she was ok.
As her voice cracked, she added: ‘This whole experience, kind of weighing up all the risks and all the positive things about having this tumour removed made me really think deeply about what life is really about and what matters when life gets tough.
‘I needed the brilliance and the skills of lots of experts to make me okay. And oh my goodness, I’ve needed the love and support of friends and my family, and in particular, my Michael to get me through.’
Davina concluded: ‘It really made me think that there are so many people who are in trouble and danger and they don’t have the support that I had. I was really lucky.’
The presenter endured a six-hour operation to remove a 14mmm colloid cyst from her brain on November 15, after a health check discovered the benign tumour.
A colloid cyst is a slow-growing tumour typically found near the center of the brain. The benign growth contains gelatinous material.
Elsewhere on the show, The Inbetweeners stars James Buckley and Joe Thomas recreated the moment Oasis decided to reunite for a tour in one of the featured sketches.
The live fundraising event raised £4million less than last year on Red Nose Day – even though the charity was this year marking its milestone 40th anniversary.
Radio 1 presenter Jamie Laing undertook an ultra marathon challenge for Comic Relief, running 150 miles in five days – and raising more than £2million for the charity
Liam Gallagher, played by Buckley, and Noel Gallagher, played by Thomas, were advised to call each other after their managers told them they were broke.
It comes after the feuding Gallagher brothers announced their long-awaited reunion in August 2024 with a worldwide tour taking place this summer.
The actors also recreated ‘that ticket fiasco’, when fans saw ticket prices soar thanks to the use of dynamic pricing on Ticketmaster.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan played the ‘Ticket Master’ who could be seen meeting the brothers in a dark and spooky castle.
‘Let me reassure you personally, everyone will be treated completely fairly,’ he told them.
Elsewhere, comedy character Chabuddy G from sitcom People Just Do Nothing told the Gladiators he was joining them as a new superhuman member of the show called Girth, Wind And Fire.
The character, played by Asim Chaudhry, managed to win a challenge against Bionic (Matty Campbell) but CCTV confirmed ‘foul play’ and Chabuddy G was banned for life from the show.
Comedians Russell Kane and Rachel Parris portrayed Strictly’s first amateur professional dancers, Melissa and Johnny, in another sketch.
The Inbetweeners stars James Buckley and Joe Thomas recreated the moment Oasis decided to reunite for a tour in one of the featured sketches
The dancing duo had been selected thanks to the BBC One show’s ‘inclusivity rules, which require a certain percentage of professionals to be amateurs’.
During the BBC One programme, popular sketches from across the years were shown, including when James Corden’s Smithy, from Gavin And Stacey, stumbled into an England football meeting.
Also on the show, Rock Choir performed Somewhere Only We Know by Keane while Sugababes sang their hit Stronger.
Former One Direction star Liam Payne and drag queen The Vivienne were among the celebrities remembered in an in memoriam-style segment.
Radio 1 presenter Jamie Laing also made an emotional appearance after he undertook an ultra marathon challenge for Comic Relief, running 150 miles in five days – and raising more than £2million for the charity.
Comic Relief co-founder Sir Lenny Henry, who hosted his final Red Nose Day last year after almost four decades at the helm, reflected on the charity’s 40th anniversary.
‘I can’t believe Comic Relief is turning the big 4-0. In some ways it feels like 1985 was, like, yesterday,’ he said in a pre-recorded video.
He spoke about how the charity had started following ‘a devastating famine in East Africa’ in the 1980s and said the Noughties brought Sport Relief while the 2010s saw money funnelled towards helping those with malaria.
After reviewing the highlights, Sir Lenny added: ‘Please keep doing what you can to help, because doing good never gets old.’
Pictured: Presenters of Red Nose Day in 1989. From left – Mike Smith, Stephen Fry, Robbie Coltrane, Terry Wogan, Griff Rhys-Jones, Hugh Laurie, Lenny Henry, and Dawn French
The idea of Red Nose Day was thought up in 1985 by Richard Curtis and Sir Lenny Henry in response to the famine in Ethiopia (Sir Lenny Henry is pictured in 1989)
Communities, workplaces, schools and families have helped raise more than £1.6 billion over the last 40 years, which has supported more than 100 million people, according to Comic Relief.
Sir Lenny co-founded the charity with Love Actually screenwriter Richard Curtis in 1985.
Samir Patel, chief executive of Comic Relief, said: ‘On behalf of us all, I want to say a heartfelt thank you.
‘Your extraordinary efforts have helped raise £34,022,590 that will help tackle some of the most urgent problems facing millions of people here in the UK and across the world.
‘The kindness we’ve seen is nothing short of incredible, and every donation, big or small reminds us that when we come together, we can help inspire real and meaningful change.
‘Forty years on, the power of laughter to change lives remains as true today as it did in 1985.’