by Helen Abbott

Created on: March 21, 2009

Monday, 16 March 2009

Red Nose Day 2009 - Review

It is the biggest night on British television. The BBC hosts a massive 7 hours long, 100% LIVE night of comedy. It makes us laugh, cringe, cry, think, love, giggle and give. Every RND is bigger and better than the last and this year was no exception. Beating the final RND count from 07 by over 17.5 million, this year's total at the end of the evening stood at a whopping 57,809,938. And as of today (March 16th 09) it stands at 59,187, 065.

So what is it that makes RND so successful? It is time to find out. (I have titled the sections because I do realise how long this is!)

There is a good summary video with this BBC article.

Yeah... but what is Red Nose Day?

Red Nose Day is the most popular Comic Relief fundraising event in the UK (not the only there is also year round projects and Sport Relief. Find out more here). It happens mid-March every 2 years and it gets its name from the fact that people celebrate the day by sporting a red nose. The event is supported by a huge range of celebrities and companies.

Comic Relief and Red Nose Day were started by writer/director Richard Curtis (4 Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Blackadder etc) as a result of Michael Burke's famous news report on the Ethiopian famine in 1985. 60% of the money raised by Comic Relief goes to projects in Africa while 40% is spent here at home in the UK. The charity has to date raised over 600million.

The two unique things about the charity are firstly; the pound for pound scheme whereby every single penny of what people donate is exactly what the charity receives, and secondly; the sustainable and long-lasting projects it funds. Comic Relief provides long term support to the places that need it most. It is not a fad' charity that supports one cause at a time and then moves on when another becomes the fashion.

There are two sides to every story and Red Nose Day is no exception. Comic Relief is a charity that is based on comedy and laughter. But yet the causes that it funds are truly harrowing. In a nutshell (Help, help - I'm in a nutshell) I personally believe the success of RND is down to the clever balance of humour with heart-wrenching truths. The sad side of the story...

Interspersed throughout the night are appeal videos; tales of broken homes, people dying from AIDs, young carers, domestic abuse, poverty, survivors of genocide and more. I like these videos because they are not afraid to show the truth. The images are shocking and harrowing but

• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 8
• Next Page >>