Comic Relief 2024: Sir Lenny Henry hosts his closing Red Nose Day

Sir Lenny Henry tearfully took his closing bow after internet hosting his Comic Relief for the final time after 39-years on Friday. 

The comic, 65, was left speechless as he was honoured through the reside telethon which raised a whopping £38,631,548M.

After being branded ‘irreplaceable’ by his co-hosts Lenny mentioned: ‘Its been unimaginable. Utterly unimaginable it’s individuals at residence that do that, I’m moved and discovering it tough to carry it collectively so thanks’.

After thanking fellow based Richard Curtis he continued: ‘I’m truly speechless thanks all a lot and thanks, by no means surrender caring or giving, I ship my like to all of you, you may have been sensible goodnight’.

Earlier within the present Sir Lenny once more broke down in tears as he appeared again at his 39-years of internet hosting the annual fundraiser.

It was revealed he’d had assist elevate a whopping £1.5B since his first telethon in 1988 and was joined by A-listers together with Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd.

Sir Lenny watched clips of earlier households that had been helped by the charity alongside Richard Curtis. 

Seeing Aberash from Ethiopia who battled HIV he mentioned, struggling to comprise his emotion: ‘I could not naked this’ as he younger son got here to her bedside in 1995.

Learning the lady was alive and effectively due to the charity, tearful Lenny advised viewers: ‘They survived due to all people, mums, cab drivers, cub scouts all donating’.

Back within the studio he was then left ‘speechless’ when an enormous variety of the studio viewers have been revealed to have all been helped by Comic Relief. 

Lenny was additionally proven a video from Aberash alongside her son who was now a grown man, in shock the host threw his hand to his mouth.

He mentioned: ‘I’m speechless, thanks a lot for organising this’. 

Later, a complete host of unimaginable stars filmed a string of video messages as they bickered over who was essentially the most well-known. 

Julia and Paul have been joined within the skit by fellow Hollywood heavyweights Olivia Colman, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant.  

Sir Lenny’s alternative was then looked for in a star-studded and hysterical sketch that includes the characters from BBC sitcom W1A. 

Richard Madeley, Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis all arrived to audition for the job, whereas Lorraine Kelly popped by wanting to make use of the assembly room for her ‘lunch time yoga’.

The wild sketch noticed Richard left seething after seeing Romesh was additionally up for the job, earlier than phoning spouse Judy Finnegan in fury. 

Earlier within the present Lenny was joined by co-hosts Davina McCall and David Tennant he mentioned: ‘It’s been an honour and a pleasure and regardless of what McFly say it isn’t all about me, it is about, it is concerning the mirth and the cash and comedy and compassion’. 

The present opened with Lenny taking the stage alongside Joel, Davina, Paddy McGuinness, David, Romesh Ranganathan, Maya Jama, and Rosie Ramsey.

The evening was packed filled with enjoyable with hysterical sketches from Lenny himself, in addition to Kate, Alan Partridge and an all-star solid bringing to life The Traitors: The Movie.

The star-studded line up kicked off with a string of video messages from Hollywood A-Listers as they playfully bickered over who was essentially the most well-known. 

At 8:45pm the presenters have been joined by darts star Luke Littler who helped reveal that £21million had been raised to this point on Friday evening. 

Later within the present, Traitors followers have been delighted as Mollie Pearce lastly obtained her revenge on Harry Clark as she hit him spherical the top with a frying pan because the pair returned for a Comic Relief particular.

Huge stars, together with David Walliams as Paul, Jonathan Bailey as Harry, Katherine Tate portrayed Evie, Ian Sterling as Ross, reenacted the enduring BBC collection which aired earlier this yr. 

The stars acted out a few of the most legendary scenes together with intense spherical tables, banishments and chats. 

In one clip, David, who sported an auburn wig and beard, bowed as he was outed as a traitor and joked he could not stand again up as he ‘had completed his again in’. 

Elsewhere Suranne Jones performed host Claudia Winkleman and rocked a darkish wig along with her iconic fringe and numerous eye catching outfits. 

However it was Traitors star Mollie, who was an harmless on the collection and missed out on the large money value to traitor Harry, that obtained her payback within the clip. 

Mollie was seen reliving her errors from the BBC collection as she wrote down Harry’s (Jonathon) title on the chalk board earlier than trying as much as him and altering her thoughts when he mentioned he was an harmless. 

The clip ended with Mollie hitting precise Harry spherical the top with a frying pan as he gushed he’s ‘the best traitor’.

Following the sketch, Kate Winslet learn a really X rated Cbeebies bedtime story which concerned an terrible quantity of swear phrases. 

Sir Lenny later reworked into Ryan Gosling as he carried out his personal model of, I’m Just Ken from the enduring Barbie movie. 

Wearing an eye fixed catching blonde wig, a black bandana and a protracted white fur jacket, Sir Lenny sang the catchy tune. 

At 10pm, the presenters have been left shocked as Sir Lenny revealed BBC viewers had raised £37million for the unimaginable charity. 

Viewers have been additionally handled to a glimpse of the muscle-bound Gladiators as they paid a go to to a main faculty in London. 

The athletes battled the kids in a string of sports activities day video games earlier than bursting into the studio to hold off hosts Ramish and Joel Dommett, after the pair claimed they might beat any of the Gladiators. 

The evening began off to a superb begin after former Saturday’s singer and Radio 1 DJ Mollie King completed her unimaginable 310-mile bike experience and smashed her £1million goal. 

Emotional Mollie acquired a hero’s welcome from fiancé Stuart Broad and their 16-month previous daughter Annabella as she completed her marathon Red Nose Day charity bike experience on Friday afternoon.

Having damaged down in tears as she ready to complete the experience in her late father’s hometown of Hull, Mollie was overwhelmed as crowds cheered her over the end line.

The mother-of-one took on the epic journey from London to the East Riding of Yorkshire in reminiscence of her late father Stephen, who died of a mind tumour in 2022. 

As a end result, Mollie raised a staggering £1million for Comic Relief and mentioned after the problem: ‘Oh my goodness, thanks everybody for coming down.

‘I’m fully overwhelmed… I can not imagine we have now raised £1million. It was time for me to consider my dad and to know he was doing the journey with me.’

 With simply hours to go till the top of the problem and as she approached the ultimate vacation spot of Hull – her late father’s hometown – Mollie grew to become overcome with emotion. 

Sitting at the back of a automobile, Mollie sobbed: ‘It’s the primary time in ages I’ve actually felt pleased with myself and I’m fairly robust on myself usually however that is so past what I’m able to bodily.

‘I’m not a powerful individual however to have gotten to day 5, I used to be considering, “Mol, you should be proud of yourself here”. This is mad.’

Mollie misplaced her beloved father Stephen to a mind tumour in November 2022,  simply days after she welcomed her child daughter Annabella with fiancé Stuart.

His dying got here as an enormous shock after Mollie defined he had been match and wholesome previous to his prognosis and had even accomplished the London Marathon. 

On Wednesday morning, Mollie’s retired cricketer fiancé Stuart acknowledged her outstanding achievement. 

Taking to Instagram, the previous Nottinghamshire and England quick bowler, 37, posted a tribute, ostensibly from their daughter Annabella. 

It learn: ‘To my superb mummy, good luck in your biking problem! I’m so pleased with you! I can not wait to see you on the end line for an enormous cuddle.’ 

The message additionally included an image of Annabella, reduce and pasted onto a miniature bicycle comprised of cardboard and lollipop sticks. 

Mollie’s co-host and buddy Matt Edmondson accompanied her all through the cycle and by the top of day three, on Wednesday night, she had made it to Manchester.

Greeted by fellow BBC radio 1 DJ Greg James and two pals dressed as a ‘fajita cuddle’, Mollie later took to the studio to learn the way a lot cash she had raised to this point. 

‘Mollie, as of some minutes in the past… Pedal Power for Red Nose Day has raised £256,114,’ Greg introduced on Wednesday, leaving the TV character in whole shock.

‘Oh my gosh I’ve no phrases,’ Mollie exclaimed. ‘I’ve no phrases, thanks! I actually couldn’t do that… I couldn’t do it with out you guys, your help. 

‘Oh my god I’m fully misplaced for phrases. I can’t let you know how essential this cash is.’

Getting choked up, Mollie mentioned: ‘I’ve seen the place the cash goes. I’ve met individuals who have benefitted a lot from this cash and it adjustments lives.

‘It means individuals can have longer with their households. People can see their pals for longer. It is totally life-changing.’ 

Money raised by Red Nose Day goes in the direction of organisations serving to to deal with homelessness, poverty and psychological well being together with different causes within the UK and all through the world. 

It comes after Sir Lenny revealed he’s ’emotional’ forward of his closing Comic Relief after nearly 4 many years on the helm.

The comic and actor co-founded Comic Relief in 1985 alongside Love Actually screenwriter Richard Curtis and can proceed to function life president.

Sir Lenny advised BBC News forward of the night: ‘I feel I’ll be extremely proud as a result of it has been a big a part of my life and to see a brand new era of individuals taking it forwards – we have got Maya Jama, David Tennant, Romesh Ranganathan – there’s such an enormous quantity of individuals arising.

‘It’ll be improbable to go away figuring out that there is – I’m getting emotional now – a brand new group of individuals taking up and treating it the way in which we did.’

He additionally mentioned: ‘This is an effective time to half methods and to permit a brand new era to take the baton and transfer the entire thing on a bit’.

Sir Lenny mentioned: ‘The cash that folks have despatched in repeatedly, each single time, has helped over 100 million individuals.

‘That’s lots of people and there aren’t many organisations that may say that.’

He added: ‘If you have helped to try this, thanks and it isn’t about numbers any extra.

‘It’s about what you are feeling you can provide as a result of we all know that there is a wrestle occurring in the intervening time. People are having laborious instances.’