Comic Relief unveils Red Nose Day’s ‘Take Yourself Funny for Money’ campaign
Howard Lake | 6 February 2026 | News
Comic Relief has launched its Red Nose Day 2026 campaign, set to culminate on Friday 20th March 20th, with a powerful call for the nation to unite through laughter to raise funds.
Under the theme ‘Take Yourself Funny for Money’, the campaign encourages the British public to embrace self-deprecating humour and everyday silliness to make a serious difference for people in the UK and around the world who are struggling to access basic essentials.
The charity’s CEO, Samir Patel, explained the urgent focus of this year’s appeal. He said:
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“For millions of people, the foundations that should be guaranteed in life are no longer there. Increasingly more and more people in our local neighbourhoods and across the world are suffering hunger, homelessness and harm. We’ve reached a critical point in society, and it just can’t go on like this anymore.”
Funds raised on Red Nose Day will help provide people with food, shelter, and safety.
Red Nose Day 2026 celebrity line-up
The launch features, as usual, a wide range celebrity supporters to fundraise themselves or to help maximize public engagement. Stars including Alison Hammond, Davina McCall, Jodie Whittaker, Joe Lycett, Joe Marler, Jill Scott, Miranda Hart, Nick Mohammed and Tia Kofi are all backing the initiative, with many featuring in the campaign’s launch content.
The launch features a farcical short film starring former England rugby player Joe Marler, Lioness Jill Scott, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World winner Tia Kofi, who all embrace the campaign’s self-deprecating spirit.
Joe Marler said: “I absolutely love the theme of this year’s Red Nose Day – I couldn’t agree more that we all just need to have a good laugh, and why not let it be at our own expense?”
On Friday 20th March the traditional Red Nose Day night of TV will air on BBC One from 7pm, live from MediaCity UK. The presenting line-up is set to include Davina McCall, Joel Dommett, Katherine Ryan, Nick Mohammed, and, in a Red Nose Day first, Catherine Tate appearing as her legendary character ‘Nan’. Early sketch teasers include ‘The Bank Job’, featuring Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
The wider Red Nose Day campaign
In the run-up to the TV event the campaign is rolling out new fundraising products and initiatives.
Available now on Amazon, “the official home of the Red Nose”, this year’s new Red Nose collection introduces the first-ever ‘Design-Yer Nose’, a blank canvas allowing people to customise their own. In addition humorous artist Mr Doodle has collaborated with Comic Relief to create five unique doodle-style Noses.
“There’s something really special about turning art into something that can genuinely help people, and the best bit is anyone can do it,” said Mr Doodle.
Corporate partnerships include TK Maxx and Comic Relief partnering with ‘Disney Winnie The Pooh’ [sic] for a new range of T-shirts, tote ags, and accessories, full of themes of kindness and friendship, with all purchases supporting the charity.
The call to action
With the campaign theme centred on lighthearted self-deprecation, the Red Nose Day message is clear: silly acts can achieve serious good.
“I think that what is always so important to remember, is that every single person can do something. It doesn’t matter the size, and it doesn’t matter how grand or how small,” commented Jodie Whittaker.
Comic Relief is inviting the nation to get involved by running a marathon in a silly costume, creating a self-portrait in bake form, sharing their ‘best worst photo’ on social media, or simply buying a Red Nose or t-shirt. The charity emphasizes that this year, it’s a vital chance for the public to turn a much-needed day of laughter into crucial support for those needing the basics to survive.
- Comic Relief announces move away from celebrity-led appeal films (28 October 2020)
- Public donates £34,022,590 to Red Nose Day 2025 (1 April 2025)
- Wapple enables Red Nose Day mobile website (11 March 2011)
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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.