Jackson Booth-Millard
Comic Relief was going slightly down in recent years for me, this was a good comeback, a great charity event and comedy extravaganza with something for everyone. Presenters were Lenny Henry, Michael McIntyre, Claudia Winkleman, Graham Norton, Davina McCall, Dermot O'Leary, Fearne Cotton, Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Carr and Alan Carr. Outnumbered starring Hugh Dennis, Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche, Ramona Marquez and special guest Andy Murray. Doctor Who starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill. Autumnwatch starring Harry Hill, Kate Humble, Chris Packham, The Wanted, Olly Murs, Ronnie Corbett, Bill Oddie and Alex Jones. Celebrity MasterChef where Miranda Hart (the eventual winner), Ruby Wax and Claudia Winkleman, watched by Gregg Wallace, John Torode and Michel Roux Jr., cook starter, main and dessert for Prime Minister David Cameron, Monica Galetti and India Fisher, and the best wins. Uptown Downstairs Abbey (spoofing recently remade Upstairs Downstairs and Downtown Abbey) starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Simon Callow, Victoria Wood, Harry Enfield, Kim Cattrall, Dale Winton and Kim Woodburn. EastEnders showing the serious issue of sexual exploitation, with Whitney (Shona McCarthy), also starring Charlie Brooks. The Graham Norton Show's Chair Game, with special guest telling short anecdote style stories, and if boring the lever is pulled to throw them off the chair, starring Kirstie Allsopp, Thandie Newton and Richard Bacon. Ant and Dec's Big Red Nose Broadcast, where Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly had 24 hours to get on as many TV shows as possible, featuring Christine Bleakley, Adrian Chiles, Kate Garraway, Holly Willoughby, Phillip Schofield, Phil Vickery, Alan Titchmarsh, Kate Thornton, Jenny Eclair and Johnny Vaughan. Miranda where they take over Pineapple Dance Studios, starring Hart again, Patricia Hodge, Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis, with special guests Louie Spence, Andrew Stone, Heather Small and JLS. The Choir starring TV chefs singing a choral version of "Never Gonna Give You Up", featuring Gareth Malone, Rick Astley, Ainsley Harriott, Antony Worrall Thompson, Nancy Lam, Rosemary Shrager, Gary Rhodes and Rusty Lee. Smithy called to save Red Nose Day, starring James Corden as Smithy, George Michael, Lenny Henry, Richard Curtis, Rupert Grint, Claire Balding, JLS, Dermot O'Leary, Sir Paul McCartney, Davina McCall, Lord Sebastian Coe, Tom Felton, Gordon Brown, Roger Lloyd Pack, Rio Ferdinand, Keira Knightley, Richard Madeley, Tom Daley, Justin Bieber, Ringo Starr and Robert Winston. The Inbetweeners Rude Road Trip, where the stars Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison go around Britain finding the 50 rudest place names, e.g. Bush Lane, Bell End, Cock Lane etc. An Idiot's Appeal from Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. An Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller Blue Peter spoof. Rude Tube, a spoof version of "Empire State of Mind" about Newport, featuring Steve Jones, boxer Joe Calzaghe, Ruth Madoc, Sian Lloyd, Bonnie Tyler, Alex Jones, Paul Whitehouse, John Humphrys, Colin Jackson, Anneka Rice, Goldie Lookin Chain, Josie D'Arby, Big Brother's Helen Adams, Big Brother's Imogen Thomas, Matthew Pritchard, Lee Dainton, Tim Vincent, page 3 model Lacey Banghard and others, and Alex Zane showing the most popular recent clips on YouTube. Highlights from 24 Hour Panel People, where David Walliams stayed awake for 24 hours going on comedy panel shows, such as Would I Lie To You, 8 out of 10 Cats, Just a Minute, It's Only TV...But I Like It, The Generation Game, Through the Keyhole, Blankety Blank, Mock the Week, Celebrity Juice, Argumental, QI, They Think It's All Over, Call My Bluff, Give Us a Clue, What's My Line?, Mastermind, Have I Got News for You, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, starring Stephen K. Amos, Clive Anderson, Christopher Biggins, Lionel Blair, Jo Brand, Marcus Brigstocke, Charlie Brooker, Rob Brydon, Jimmy Carr, Sarah Cawood, Alexa Chung, Sara Cox, Angus Deayton, Jack Dee, Jenni Falconer, Sir David Frost, Stephen Fry, Germaine Greer, Nick Grimshaw, Nick Hancock, Sheila Hancock, Keith Harris and Orville, Rufus Hound, Lee Hurst, Jamelia, Duncan James, Jedward, Griff Rhys Jones, Ulrika Jonsson, Walliams' mother Kathleen, Vernon Kay, Patrick Kielty, Shappi Khorsandi, George Lamb, Lauren Laverne, Keith Lemon (Leigh Francis), Sean Lock, Gabby Logan, Lee Mack, Andrew Maxwell, David Mitchell, Neil Mullarkey, Dara O'Briain, Chris O'Dowd, Paul O'Grady, Lembit Opik,Andy Parsons, Nicholas Parsons, Sue Perkins, Dawn Porter, Jon Richardson, Fay Ripley, Lee Ryan, Daniel Sloss, Stacey Solomon, Penny Smith, Una Stubbs, David Tennant, Neil Tennant, Russell Tovey, Phil Tufnell, Danny Wallace, Holly Walsh, Robert Webb, Ann Widdecombe, Josh Widdicombe, Barbara Windsor, Claudia Winkleman and Adam Woodyatt. A day in the life of teddy bear, Misery Bear, who meets Kate Moss who seems to love him, but it is revealed she is his stalker, and after breaking his leg it turns into a spoof of Misery with the sledgehammer. Musical performances include: "Gold Forever" by The Wanted, "Happy Now" by Take That, the music video version with Fake That starring the real Take That - Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Jason Orange, and their lookalikes, James Corden as Gary, John Bishop as Robbie, Alan Carr as Mark, David Walliams as Howard and Catherine Tate as Jason; the music video for "I Know Him So Well" by Susan Boyle and Peter Kay as Geraldine McQueen, "Someone Like You" by Adele, "Eyes Wide Shut" by JLS featuring dancing by Miranda Hart and company, "Universal Child" by Annie Lennox, the music video for "True Faith" by George Michael, and The Axis of Awesome singing the "Four Cords" song. Finally there was the closing show, Jack and Kevin's Comic Relief Lock-In, starring Jack Whitehall and Kevin Bridges, featuring comedy show clips, e.g. The Morgana Show, The One Ronnie, Miranda, The Inbetweeners, Newswipe, Armstrong and Miller, and an appearance by Big Brother's Peter Dickson (and apparently Marcus Akin). Very good!
