Comic Relief 2021: when is Red Nose Day and who will be performing on the night?

Not even a global pandemic can stop the mighty (biannual) force that is Comic Relief - the Red Nose Day charity telethon returns on Friday 19 March.

Covid-19 regulations have made big celebrations and stunts trickier this year, but the venerable charity fundraiser has adapted to bring us a night of star-studded thrils and spills. As ever, Red Nose Day – now in its 36th year – has an enviable ability to attract comic talent.

And this year is no different with everyone from old familiars like Lenny Henry and Jack Whitehall to David Tennant and Phoebe Waller-Bridge onboard for a cracking night of watching.

But what time does Comic Relief 2021 air? And what can we expect?

When is it on?

Comic Relief 2021 culminates with a special night of TV on 19 March, airing from 7pm on BBC One.

But it will be preceded by other one-off shows like a celebrity edition of Gordon Ramsay's Bank Balance with Gino D'Acompo (13 March, 6pm, BBC One), and it will be followed by Later...with Jools Holland (19 March, 10pm, BBC One) where other guests from the night will be appearing.

What will be showing?

As usual, the evening will be a mix of comedy, music, live performances, sketches and updates from Comic Relief's fundraising efforts from around the world. Last year, for instance, their other annual fundraising push Sports Relief 2020 raised £40,540,355 for charity projects in the UK and further afield.

Comic Relief supports a number of initiatives including the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, Make Poverty History and Covid-19 emergency support measures. So expect updates on this work in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and India.

Overseeing this night of giggles and more sobering watching will be presenters Alesha Dixon, David Tennant, Davina McCall and Paddy McGuiness. And, of course, the master of revels himself, Lenny Henry, will be on hand to steer the evening safely through.

Here's a few highlights to watch out for.

Vicar of Dibley

It wouldn't be Comic Relief without a Dawn French turn as hapless do-gooder Geraldine Granger. Fresh from taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter, don't expect so much Middle England-baiting this time around. Instead, the Vicar will be lip-syncing along to Juice by Lizzo, accompanied by an actual priest, Reverend Kate Bottley.

2020: The Movie

Death to 2020, Netflix and Charlie Brooker's satirical swipe at the year that most people would choose to forget was – fittingly – a dumpster-fire disaster. Fingers crossed this less-effortful attempt, starring among others Keira Knightley, Michael Sheen and Youtuber KSI, won't send the cringe-o-meter skywards. Billed as "part biopic, part disaster film" time, as they say, will tell. Or at the very least, heal.

Jack Whitehall's Zoom Meeting

Do we need reminding of the inhuman, soul-abrading realities of virtual meetings? Yes, the BBC controllers in their bountiful wisdom think we do. Still, with A-listers like Olivia Colman, Anya Taylor-Joy and Guz Khan on the call, we can at least comfort ourselves by ogling their decor.

Staged

Fresh from its second season, Michael Sheen and David Tennant's lockdown comedy was one of the few original successes of Covid-19 programming. Perhaps because we recognised something of our own plight in their gleefully petty bickering. Or maybe it was the pleasure of watching Sheen's beard transform from scruffy Hemingway to full-blown Messiah. Either way, this special, featuring Lenny Henry, looks set to be as tightly written and squirm-inducing as we've come to expect.

Back To The Future: The Musical

"When you can't leave the house, who needs roads?" as Doc almost told Marty. Robert Zemeckis's 1985 original, and its subsequent two sequels, are firecrackers of wish fulfilment, nostalgia and anarchic energy. If this sketch, penned by one of the trilogy's creators, Bob Gale, has half the fun of films, then it will be one of the best things of the night.

James Bond and Catherine Tate's Nan

Need we say more? In this special sketch, Britain's best-loved and pottiest-mouthed OAP is cleaning the offices of 'M' when she meets the spy, presumably twiddling his thumbs waiting for No Time to Die to come out like the rest of us. Are we bothered? Well, yes, if it can capture any of magic of Tate's original sketch show.

Normal People vs Fleabag

Originally seen on RTE Does Comic Relief, this meeting of BBC Three's two biggest shows is a huge treat for fans. We won't say too much about it, in case you're yet to see it, but suffice to say it involves shocking confessions and a certain priest...

Comic Relief 2021 will air on BBC One at 7pm on 19 March