G&TV: Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Live

2025 marks the fortieth anniversary of Comic Relief, the charity founded by Richard Curtis and Lenny Henry in the aftermath of Band Aid and Live Aid, to raise further funds for the victims of famine in Ethiopia. And today is Red Nose Day, the charity’s now annual fundraising event in aid of various good causes throughout Africa and the UK. There was a time when this was unmissable television, with the greatest names in alternative comedy taking over BBC One for an evening of innovative, subversive and hilarious sketches and stand-up. Nowadays there’s barely a comedian to be seen, with regular big name presenters introducing skits featuring reality stars and VTs about TV personalities taking on endurance events. And yet they seem to be raising more money than ever, with over £1.6 billion donated over the years, so it’s hard to argue really.

But it took a few years for the telethon format to be established, with the charity’s early revenue streams coming from one-off live shows, books, singles, albums and videos. The very first Comic Relief event was held at the Shaftesbury Theatre in April 1986 – a star-studded stage show over three nights, recorded for later broadcast and home release. And the video of said event is what we’re looking at today. I came across it recently and was shocked at just how many Dwarfy names were involved. The unmistakable voice of Chris Barrie is heard in a couple of Spitting Image skits, Howard Goodall is involved as part of Rowan Atkinson’s live troupe, Mike Agnew was the production manager, the editor was Ed Wooden, the producer was Ed Bye, and Paul Jackson is credited as both a director and for co-ordinating the VHS release. Add in Lenny Henry, French & Saunders, Billy Connolly, Stephen Fry, the aforementioned Rowan Atkinson and the entire Young Ones cast to the mix, and this is truly a gathering of all the biggest legends of 1980s comedy, on both sides of the camera.

It’s a strong opening as Rowan Atkinson appears basically as Mr Bean, several years before Mr Bean. Then we’re straight into Chris as Prince Andrew, making jokes about his sexual proclivities. If only they knew. A brilliantly deranged French & Saunders sketch is followed by a mediocre Howard Jones performance, before a classic Rowan sketch where he’s a vicar, with Howard Goodall on the organ. Ben Elton introduces Rik Mayall, dressed as The Young Ones’ Rick, singing a song about his arse, insulting the audience, swearing and doing a lot of one liners, some of which would later be immortalised in Bottom Fluff. The rest of the Young Ones gang then emerge to sing the inaugural Comic Relief single Living Doll, disappointingly with Bob Geldof rather than Cliff.

Bob returns in the next sketch, but with a rubbery face and voiced by Chris Barrie, who swears more in this brief skit than in the entire rest of his career. Then the real Bob pops up again, with Midge Ure and Stephen Fry, performing a Python sketch. Lenny Henry harasses a woman as Theophilus P. Wildebeeste, before Rowan returns to take the school register. Kate Bush is the next musical guest, and she’s followed by Nigel Planer’s Neil introducing Ben Elton, who unfortunately does some of his stand up. Rowan returns to save the day, singing a duet with Kate Bush, as you do, before Christopher Ryan (not as Mike Thecoolperson) introduces Lenny Henry and Frank Bruno performing Romeo & Juliet, obviously. Billy Connolly is the stand-up headliner, as is good and right, before the evening ends with the ensemble singing Do They Know It’s Christmas, despite it being April. You can glimpse several performers there who aren’t featured in the video, such as Angus Deayton, Pamela Stephenson and Rusty Goffe, so who knows what other treats fell foul of Ed Wooden’s scissors.

It’s well worth an hour and a half of your time, as it no doubt contains more laughs than this evening’s five hour telethon will manage.