================================== B R I T C O M E D Y D I G E S T ================================== VOL. I Special issue: HAPPY RED NOSE DAY! MARCH 17, 1995 No. 10 A monthly electronic newsletter on British comedies. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE ADJUST YOUR NOSES Everyone knows that comedians are great at earning laughs and raising smiles, but today they are out to prove that they are equally good at raising lots of cold, hard cash. Friday, March 17th is Comic Relief Red Nose Day 5, so don't be alarmed if people are walking around looking like they have that virus from the new Dustin Hoffman thriller Outbreak. It's all for a laugh, but more importantly, it's all for a good cause. And since it comes along only once every two years, we here at Britcomedy Digest would like to add our voice to the many others supporting and celebrating Red Nose Day 1995. FOR THE CLUELESS: WHAT IS COMIC RELIEF RED NOSE DAY? Comic Relief was started a decade ago, and has sold over 16,000,000 plastic red noses since then (though this year they're apparently selling one which changes colour). The noses are worn on -- you got it -- Red Nose Day. The money raised from the sales, along with funds raised various other events, goes to help the needy in the UK and Africa. WHAT COMIC RELIEF HAS DONE Since its inception in 1985, Comic Relief has raised more than 92 million pounds, all of which has gone to help those in need. The wonderful thing about the Comic Relief program is that it not only supports charities which help people with their immediate needs, but also gives a high priority to programs which foster self-reliance. It's about helping people and teaching people how to help themselves. Every county in the UK has a program which has been funded by Comic Relief. Among these are PANDA (People's Alternatives To Narcotics, Drugs, and Alcohol) and numerous shelters which provide accommodation 2,000+ homeless young people each evening. In Africa, which contains eight out the ten poorest countries in the world, Comic Relief has supported land mine education for refugees in war-torn Rwanda and has funded a peace conference in strife-ridden Burundi. Another exciting and promising aspect of the Comic Relief program is its commitment to education. Teachers in the UK have been given access to the RIOTOUS ASSEMBLY pack, which includes a videocassette starring Ben Elton and Tony Robinson. These tapes give students a greater understanding of the issues which Comic Relief addresses. HIGHLIGHTS FOR TODAY As if having an excuse to wear a red nose in public isn't fun enough, some of the biggest names in British comedy will perform live. Past highlights: Cliff Richard and The Young Ones doing a version of Living Doll, Blackadder: The Cavalier Years and The New Statesman At Number 10 skits. BBC1 has scheduled "A Night Of Comic Relief," which will include, among others, Lenny Henry, French and Saunders, Reeves and Mortimer, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, Harry Enfield, Jonathan Ross. This special evening of programming will run from 1900 to 0250. Some highlights will be: * Rowan Atkinson and Jayne Torvill skating together as "Torvill and Bean." * Dawn French in a skit written specifically for her by Victoria Wood. This is the first time the two women have ever worked together. * The Dickens spoof "Oliver 2: Let's Twist Again" written by Richard Curtis and starring Dame Diana Rigg, Michael Palin, Stephen Fry, Oliver Reed, Ron Moody, Jeremy Irons, Angus Deayton, and others. This will be shown in three parts throughout the evening. * Lenny Henry Presents Belfast Live, which not only celebrates Red Nose Day but St. Patrick's Day. Among the performers scheduled to appear live from the Belfast Opera House are Jo Brand, Ben Elton, Julian Clary. (Henry will be doing a Phil Collins Live Aid type thing by appearing first in London and then going by helicopter to Belfast.) * Wax On A Rampage, during which Ruby Wax uses whatever means possible to raise a million pounds. (And if anyone can do it, Ruby can...) With this line-up, it might be very easy to get involved in the laughter and forget what the cause is all about. However, several films during the course of the evening (including reports from Richard Wilson in Uganda, Victoria Wood in Zimbawbwe, and Billy Connolly in Mozambique) will show how Comic Relief has helped change lives. PARTICIPATE IN RED NOSE DAY 5! More than 5,000 phone lines are set up to take donations Friday night; with your help, Comic Relief will pass the 100 million pound mark. So remember the key words: Donate early! Donate often! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the public: DONATION line: LO CALL 0345 910910 Info hotline: 0891 405060 More information is available from: http://www.worldserver.pipex.com/comic.relief/ Email: red.nose@pipex.com Address: Comic Relief/Charity Projects 1st Floor, 74 New Oxford Street London WC1A 1EF Telephone: +44 (0)171-436-1122 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End