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Public donates £34,022,590 to Red Nose Day 2025
Howard Lake | 1 April 2025 | News
Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day raised £34,022,590 on the night of its event on 21 March. The sum, as always, will increase over the coming days and weeks.
Individuals, families, workplaces, schools, nurseries, communities and other groups did something funny for money to raise funds “to support millions of people who are being forced to make impossible choices every single day”. Comic Relief grants this money to charities and organisations that are working to tackle some of the most urgent problems facing people in the UK and across the world, including providing food, essential healthcare, and safe shelter.
The Red Nose Day night of entertainment and giving was broadcast live on BBC One, Two and iPlayer from MediaCity UK in Salford.
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The event marked the 40th anniversary of Comic Relief, and therefore featured a number of nostalgia clips of sketches and musical performances from Comic Relief’s four decades of fundraising and grantmaking.
The evening of live performances, star-studded sketches, comedy and fun was presented by AJ Odudu, Alesha Dixon, Alison Hammond, Davina McCall, Joel Dommett, Rylan, Tom Allen, and Jonathan Ross.
Highlights of Red Nose Day 2025
Highlights of the night of entertainment included:
- Inbetweeners stars James Buckley and Joe Thomas appeared in an Oasis parody
- Rachel Parris and Russell Kane became Strictly’s first-ever amateur professional dancers
- Chabuddy G stepped into the Gladiators arena for a Red Nose Day showdown
- A five-minute EastEnders episode with Phil Mitchell aired to raise awareness of mental health and Comic Relief funded projects
- A McLaren MP4 12C supercar, signed by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, was available to bid for, together with tickets to CarFest.
- Musical performances from Sugababes, Carol Decker, Limahl, Roachford, Titanique the musical, and Rock Choir
- Not Going Out and Beyond Paradise came together for a comedy of errors, identity mix-ups and more in Not Going Beyond Paradise
Rylan said: “Tonight has shown the very best of what we, the British public, can do when we come together. There’s been so much love, kindness and compassion – I couldn’t have asked for a better way to make my Red Nose Day presenting debut. Every donation will make such a vital difference to so many people. On behalf of so many incredible people who are helping to change lives every single day – thank you.”
WATCH: Amelia Dimoldenberg meets Joanna Lumley | Red Nose Day 2025
Throughout the Red Nose Day night of TV, viewers saw how their donations could help, and have helped, tackle some of the urgent problems faced by people in the UK and across the world. They saw:
- David Tennant introduce a timely film about hunger and food poverty in the UK;
- Samantha Morton in a film about the potential risks of young people leaving the care system and becoming homeless – with the actor sharing her own experiences;
- Oti Mabuse introduce a film about mothers supporting other mothers living with HIV in South Africa;
- Sir Lenny Henry reflect on Comic Relief’s 40 years of appeals;
- Joel Dommett introduce a film about the support given to children with additional needs or disabilities;
- and Alesha Dixon introduce a powerful film about domestic abuse in the UK.
Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said:
“On behalf of us all, I want to say a heartfelt thank you. Your extraordinary efforts have helped raise £34,022,590 that will help tackle some of the most urgent problems facing millions of people here in the UK and across the world. The kindness we’ve seen is nothing short of incredible, and every donation, big or small reminds us that when we come together, we can help inspire real and meaningful change. Forty years on, the power of laughter to change lives remains as true today as it did in 1985.”
WATCH: Stars of The Traitors reunite for ultimate game of laughter | Red Nose Day 2025
Other fundraising events and initiatives had earlier raised funds for Comic Relief and were featured on the Red Nose Day night of entertainment.
These included:
- Radio 1’s Ultra Marathon Man Jamie Laing raised £2,053,835 for Red Nose Day. Setting off from BBC Broadcasting House in London on Monday, Jamie ran five consecutive ultra-marathons in five days – crossing the finish line in Salford earlier today, surrounded by family, friends and crowds of supporters who had followed his every step
- Billy Monger became the youngest ever double leg amputee to complete an IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, for Red Nose Day. Billy battled his way through a 140.6-mile course featuring a 2.4-mile open water swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile marathon in 14:23:56 – earning two Guinness World Records titles in the process, whilst raising a mammoth £1,287,259 for Red Nose Day
- BBC Morning Live’s Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton kept on skating day and night in a relentless roller-skating endurance test like no other. Their challenge on wheels raised £1,001,305
- Hosted by Charley Marlow, the TikTok LIVE and Instagram LIVE saw viewers treated to behind-the-scenes chats, fun and games with some of the famous faces taking part in the night of TV as well as a group of influencers including Abi Clarke, Fats Timbo, Jack Wells and Steven McKell
- Comic Relief launched its brand-new podcast, IT’S MY PARTY, hosted by comedian Catherine Bohart. The 12-epsiode series saw stars including the likes of Comic Relief co-founder Sir Lenny Henry, Nish Kumar, Gabrielle, Jordan North and more, plan their perfect birthday parties – sharing everything from their dream guest lists to their party playlists, dress codes, themes, and even snack choices.
- Red Noses from the 80s, 90s, noughties and 2010s made their return this Red Nose Day – as well as two brand-new designs, including a celebratory Cupcake Nose and extra-special, Rare Ruby Nose. Noses are available on Amazon, “the official home of the Red Nose”
- Marking 20 years of chari-tees for Comic Relief, TK Maxx brought back seven collaborations. The line-up features Aardman, Charlie Mackesy, Disney, Mr. Men Little Miss, Peter Blake, Rachel Joy and Rankin. T-shirts are still available in TK Maxx stores.
- Omaze Million Pound House Draw helped raise an incredible £4,100,000 to help fund Comic Relief’s ‘Every Step of the Way’ programme, which helps to give young people at risk the support they need to prevent and alleviate the impact of homelessness in their lives
Business and funder partnerships
Comic Relief partnered with a variety of organisations who supported the fundraising campaigns in various ways. These partnerships raised the following contributions:
- The Sainsbury’s Group: £9,150,934
- Amazon: £2,202,456
- TK Maxx & Homesense: £1,501,010
- Omaze: £4,100,000
- British Airways: £1,573,412
- Holland & Barrett: £500,000
- MALTESERS®: £500,000
- Babybel: £150,000
- The LEGO Group: £225,000
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: £1,020,000
- People’s Postcode Lottery: £1,000,000
- Unbound Philanthropy: £200,000
- Linbury Trust: £200,000
Corporate partner contributions
- The Sainsbury’s Group: £9,150,934
- Amazon: £2,202,456
- TK Maxx & Homesense: £1,501,010
- Omaze: £4,100,000
- British Airways: £1,573,412
- Holland & Barrett: £500,000
- MALTESERS®: £500,000
- Babybel: £150,000
- The LEGO Group: £225,000
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: £1,020,000
- People’s Postcode Lottery: £1,000,000
- Unbound Philanthropy: £200,000
- Linbury Trust: £200,000
Some of the highlights of the evening of fundraising, comedy and entertainment were featured in Comic Relief: Even More Funny for Money with comedian Rosie Ramsey on Saturday 22 March, BBC One at 4:30pm. This programme and the whole night of Red Nose Day television is available to stream now via BBC iPlayer.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.