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- Red Nose Day 2005 grand total
- Star Wars night benefits Comic Relief
- Chart lesson #1: Staying Put
- Red Nose total-so-far at £49m
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Red Nose Day 2005 news
Red Nose Day 2005 grand total
2005's grand total came in at an amazing £65,097,610 -- another record-breaking year of fundraising.
One third of the money will be spent helping people in the UK and two-thirds will go to projects in Africa.
Red Nose Day is back on 16th March 2007.
Star Wars night benefits Comic Relief
On May 9th (Monday) the Comedy Store is supporting Comic Relief by playing host to a one-off Star Wars night. Fans including Terry Alderton, 1998 Perrier Nominee Ed Byrne, Hattie Hayridge (Red Dwarf) and 1994 Perrier Best Newcomer Scott Capurro will celebrate the sci-fi saga.
Joe Cornish (Adam and Joe Show) will be introducing several of his popular Star Wars short films and there will be a special musical number by comedian Mitch Benn.
Just days ahead of the release of the final film in the saga there will be special promotional giveaways, movie merchandise and a screening of the latest theatrical trailer.
Of course no such event would be complete without respectable people dressed up as stormtroopers and other Star Wars characters.
At least 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to Comic Relief.
Monday 9th May 2005 - Doors 18.30 for Show 20.00
The Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE
Chart lesson #1: Staying Put
Guess what's number one in the singles chart? Just have a go. No idea? All right then, it's actually Amarillo by Tony Christie. You know, that Comic Relief single!
This is the seventh, count that, seventh week crowning the chart. It's an amazing feat that sets a record for this century. You have to go back seven years to October 1998 to find the last time a song managed seven weeks at number one.
Amarillo has now sold almost a million copies for Comic Relief.
Red Nose total-so-far at £49m
The latest figure for the amount raised has gone up to £49 million. This includes the £37.8m raised on Red Nose Day and cash added so far from public fundraising events. Money is still coming in and the final total will be announced in a few months.
Back in the charts, Amarillo has kept its grip on number one for a incredible sixth week selling 57,810 copies (including 4,401 downloads). After cameoing in the comedy video with Peter Kay for six weeks running, Tony Christie finally made an appearance to sing the song live on Top of the Pops last Friday.
The song has sold no less than 875,974 copies since its release in March.
Amarillo's chart history
Amarillo made history yesterday, becoming the first number one under the new chart format where CD and download charts are merged. The Comic Relief single sold 64,339 physical copies and 4,661 downloads, totalling 69,000 sales.
It's the song's fifth week at number one.
Meanwhile, there were a record 36,017 runners in the London Marathon and, as ever, those running for Comic Relief were there. Indications are that Christopher Parker finished 19,537th in the race while Steve Rider jogged home in 32,160th place.
The great Comic Relief run
Events are still going on for Comic Relief; this year's London Marathon takes place next Sunday (17th March) and those running to raise cash include Jo Brand, Christopher Parker and BBC Sport presenter Steve Rider.
Meanwhile Amarillo's chart run continues with a fourth week at the chart summit, this week selling 99,636 copies. This brings its total sales to a phenomenal 758,226.
As we speak Comic Relief HQ is busy calculating the overall total raised this year, a combination of the amount raised at the end of Red Nose Day, the donations from all the sponsored events around the country and extra events like the Comic Relief singles.
The final figure will be announced later this summer.
Amarillo's hat-trick
Amarillo has claimed a third week at number one selling 130,700 copies -- a figure unheard of in a single's third week of release.
In a statistics frenzy, Tony Christie is top of the singles, albums and download chart, the first time that's ever happened. (Additionally, Amarillo is featured on Now 60, the number one compilation album!)
Congratulations all round then on two hugely successful Comic Relief singles.
Tony Christie stays put
Amarillo couldn't be moved from the chart summit for another week. The second Comic Relief single sold a staggering 261,000 copies in its second week -- five times the sales of the number 2 record. Over half a million copies have now been sold and the profits will go into the Comic Relief pot.
Comic Relief single Part I, McFly's All About You, is still strong at number three. It has sold more in the download chart than any other number one since that chart began in September 2004.
Strictly raising money
Strictly Dance Fever, Graham Norton's new dance competition series is helping this year's Comic Relief. While the contestants are cutting a rug votes placed by the public are raising money. At least 12p from every call and 11p from every text goes to Comic Relief.
This follows the success of the TV voting format in Comic Relief Does Fame Academy when over £1.3m was raised. Strictly Dance Fever is on Saturdays, BBC One.
All About You still most downloaded
Here's an update on the state of play in this very musical Comic Relief year: McFly are number one in the official UK download chart for a second week. Amarillo is a new entry at number 3.
Looking ahead it looks like Tony Christie will stay afloat at number one in the singles chart for another week. In its first week at number one Amarillo sold an amazing 266,844 copies, far and away the biggest seller this year.
Amarillo at Number One
Amarillo, by Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay is this week's new number one. It's a 34-year-old classic re-released unchanged, but with a bit of Comic Relief magic and a crazy video behind it shops have struggled all week to meet demand.
Now Comic Relief singles occupy the top two positions in the singles chart as McFly's All About You moves to number two.
On hearing the news Peter Kay told Radio 1, "That's nice, innit? My first number one, my only number one." Tony Christie added, "I feel brilliant... great news."
Peter Kay explained how the single came about: "It were a toss-up between Green Door or Amarillo. We got to edit and decided Amarillo. We said do you want to do it for Comic Relief and he said yes."
This record will raise even money for Comic Relief. Plus there's a second version, this time as a DVD single, on sale from tomorrow (Monday).
Chart attack!
As well as making it comfortably to the singles chart summit, All About You by McFly has entered the official UK download chart at number one.
Now it's likely Peter Kay's authentically mimed Amarillo will make it two Comic Relief singles at number one in consecutive weeks. The single has been difficult to get hold of all week as shops have sold out of the classic track, which includes the comedy video on the CD.
Tony Christie recorded the song in 1971 when it got to number 18, but told Sky News he is "over the moon" at the single's new success.
"I just think it's fantastic. I've got to thank him [Peter Kay] for a hell of a lot. He picked up on the song, he did the video, got a lot of people on it and it's making a lot of money for the charity, which is the main object of it."
All About Being Number One
All About You, the official Comic Relief single by McFly, has rushed to the top of the charts, crowning another extraordinary Red Nose Day campaign. It's also the fastest and biggest selling single so far this year with first-week sales of nearly 158,000 copies.
McFly, who won a Brit Award in February, wrote and performed the song specially for Comic Relief.
Radio 1 spoke to Danny from the band who celebrated his birthday yesterday with Chris Moyles and Fame Academy winner Edith Bowman. On getting to number one he said, "It's amazing... a great birthday present.
"I'm so pleased people have gone out and bought this."
The band will play themselves in a movie next. They leave for New York on Thursday to film Just My Luck with Lindsey Lohan.
New records
Thanks to a promise fulfilled to release Peter Kay's video version of Tony Christie's (Is This the Way To) Amarillo if a million pounds was released within an hour, that very song will be out in shops on Monday.
The brilliantly random video, in which Peter Kay parades along with various celebrities, will first appear on an enhanced CD, then a week later on a DVD single.
In 2003 Red Nose Day made £35m, rising to £61m once sponsorship money was collected. That grand total should be beaten again after all this year's donations are in.
Edith speaks
Edith Bowman has described herself as "gobsmacked" and "shattered" after her Fame Academy win.
Radio 1's Sara Cox asked her if we can expect a Christmas number one this year:
"No way! I'm hanging up my microphone and looking forward to getting back to my day job."
Edith will be a guest on the Radio 1 Chart Show from 4pm on Sunday.
Total of the night
£18,159,692... £21,910,926... £30,503,394... £35,325,862... £37,809,564.
That's the way the RND05's success shaped up, £2.5 million being raised in the last hour alone as the night grew more and more festive.
Chris Evans announced the final figure at 2.20am before leading a chorus of Is This the Way To Amarillo and letting the entire audience shimmy out of the studio doors and into the night.
The Night's story so far...
Red Nose Day 2005 has raised £36,357,093, beating its own record. Chris Evans announced the figure in a packed, hectic and intoxicated studio at 1.30am -- during the "midnight hour".
Earlier on at 12.45am the amount raised had reached £35,325,862 beating RND03's total by some �150,000.
Chris Moyles' Breakfast Show team joined Lenny Henry on stage to announce Radio 1's Red Nose Rally final total was £583,278.
Little Britain's special DVD has raised over £1.6 million.
Post-midnight antics included Drunken Fame Academy Karaoke, inviting students to sing songs completely unprepared and to confess secrets of Academy life.
Edith wins!
Edith is crowned winner of Comic Relief Fame Academy beating Kim Medcalf in the grand final. Adrian Edmondson finished in third place earlier in the evening.
Dawn French arrived to present Edith with her prize -- an envelope and the honour of revealing the total of the number of votes cast and the amount raised: 8.25 million votes making £1,322,970.69p!
Red Nose Day Live approaches
It's Red Nose Day and from here on in everything counts down to the live BBC One extravaganza.
The Radio 1 Red Nose Rally has broken the half-million pound barrier as Chris Moyles and the team leave Plymouth, their last port of call on the tour. Tonight they make a fashionably late return to London to gatecrash the Red Nose Night party.
Last night the Fame Academy students sang "You've Got A Friend" live with McFly. The total raised reached the magic £1million mark as viewers voted Kim into the final. Edith was saved by the judges which set the stage for a shock reunion, as all the former students returned en masse to vote for Adrian as the third finalist and expel Reggie.
More moolah
Radio 1 has raised an astonishing £419,880 since the Chris Moyles Red Nose Rally began last Thursday. Since then other DJs including Scott Mills have joined in the fundraising by hiring themselves out for cash and by publicising the Radio 1 Truck of Luck.
Meanwhile over at the Fame Academy the total raised from public votes has reached £900,000 overtaking 2003's total by some £150,000.
Speaking of Fame Academy we've now lost Gina, Nick, Chris, Debra and Dawn. Reggie still manages to defy the judges, and tonight's show decides the semi-final.
More good news -- McFly's Comic Relief single is on course to be a big-selling number one on Sunday.
Record time
The official Comic Relief single, All About You by McFly is out in shops everywhere from today and all the profits from the record go to the appeal.
As well as recording the song McFly paid a visit to Uganda to see how Comic Relief cash makes a difference there. Their report will be shown on Red Nose Night.
The single is a double A-side with McFly's version of You've Got A Friend. There's a whole load of opportunities to see the group supporting Comic Relief over the next week:
- Monday 7th March Scott Mills on Radio 1 (4-7pm) - guests on the show
- Tuesday 8th March Richard & Judy - performing All About You
- Wednesday 9th March Comic Relief in Da Bungalow - guests on the show
- Thursday 10th March Fame Academy - performing All About You and You've Got A Friend
- Friday 11th March
Blue Peter - performing All About You
Top of the Pops - performing All About You
Red Nose Night - performing All About You - Saturday 12th March
TOTP Saturday - performing All About You
CD:UK - performing You've Got A Friend
Ministry of Mayhem - performing All About You - Friday 18th March TOTP - performing You've Got A Friend
The Red Nose Night line-up
Here's a look at what's coming up this Red Nose Night from 7pm on BBC One.
7.00 Jonathan Ross starts the night's presenting duties. Harry Hill takes a look at the last 12 months of TV in his own unique style and Ant and Dec referee a Shepherd's Bush Tucker Trial.
7.30 The Fame Academy semi-final takes place with the final three students. There's a special episode of My Family with guests Dermot Murnaghan, Anthony Head and Nell McAndrew. Dick and Dom bring guest Rupert Grint to a museum for cult game Pro Celebrity Bogies. McFly join the party with live music.
8.00 Rowan Atkinson's latest alter-ego, Spider-Plant Man lands with a flourish in a feature starring Rowan Atkinson, Rachel Stevens, Jim Broadbent, Simon Pegg, Mackenzie Crook and Tony Robinson.
8.30 The eagerly awaited Little Britain specials featuring Geroge Michael, Elton John and Robbie Williams make their debut, plus Big Impressions from Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona.
9.00-10.00 The final two square up in the Fame Academy Grand Final. Spider-Pant Man faces his arch-nemesis in part two of the feature. Plus the Antiques Roadshow comes to the village in a Vicar of Dibley special.
10.35 Graham Norton takes over the presenting patrol and introduces Ricky Gervais in America. Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley return to announce the Fame Academy winner. Little Btitain's Vicky Pollard is an unsuspecting guest on Trisha.
11.30 The Absolutely Fabulous team try to get the Spice Girls back together in a special mini-episode and Keane play live.
12.00 Chris Evans wraps up the live event with an hour of Little Britain, Smith and Jones, stand-up comedy and guest Eric Clapton and Pauline Calf.
1.30-3.05 Johnny Vaughan and Keira Knightley present an assortment of Comic Relief's best moments from 20 years of Red Nose Days.
Dawn French on Radio 1
Dawn French is lending her voice to a series of short updates on BBC Radio 1, giving the latest news on the station's Comic Relief activities.
For the purposes of the clip she is not Dawn French, but Kylie Minogue (or sometimes Jennifer Lopez) and speaks about Chris Moyles' Red Nose Rally, Edith "Still In Fame Academy" Bowman and Jo Whiley, who reports how Comic Relief cash is spent.
The item continues into Red Nose week.
Something for the weekend
Comic Relief splashes red on the TV schedules this weekend. There's no holiday for the Comic Relief Does Fame Academy team -- as usual there will be more live performances and more students delivered to BBC Three for post-expulsion interviews. Jon Culshaw left the house on Friday when the student vote went 6-2 in Reggie Yates's favour.
Saturday's Eurovision Making Your Mind Up show is donating 2p from every phone vote to Comic Relief. 5.45pm/8.20pm BBC One.
Sunday's edition of Panorama investigates how unfair trade practices keep people in the developing world poor. 'The Dollar a Day Dress', Sunday 6th March 10.15pm BBC One.
Next week Dick and Dom host some very special editions of Comic Relief in Da Bungalow, breaking Bungalow tradition by inviting celebrity guests to participate in the madness. Those up for the challenge include McFly on Wednesday 9th March. Comic Relief in Da Bungalow, from Monday 7th March 4.30pm BBC One, 6pm BBC Two.
Huq's away
Konnie Huq became the latest student to be expelled from Comic Relief Does Fame Academy. Despite a brave and charismatic performance the nerves still got the better part of her and in the student vote she lost to Chris Colquhoun by six votes to three.
Konnie urged the Blue Peter viewers to keep voting, "But ask permission!"
Elsewhere you can get more Comic Relief in this week's Radio Times, available in four special Comic Relief covers featuring Little Britain characters Dafydd and Sebastian, the Laydees with Jonathan Ross, Vicky Pollard and Lou and Andy.
The magazine also goes behind the scenes of this year's event in a photo special and features a guide to the night itself.
And they're off
Chris Moyles and his Radio 1 Breakfast Show team set off on their Red Nose Rally tomorrow (Friday). They'll travel from John o' Groats to Land's End, stopping along the way to collect prizes and perform tasks for members of the public. They'll do just about anything in exchange for Comic Relief donations.
They'll make the trip in a variety of famous automobiles including the Back to the Future DeLorean, KITT from Knight Rider and the A-Team van and will arrive at their destination just in time for Red Nose Day.
The team spent the day travelling up to Inverness. Tune in to BBC Radio 1 from 7am to join the Rally.
Oh my God! They killed Jenny!
She may have brought a sense of the absurd to proceedings at the Academy but Jenny Eclair is going home. The crowd favourite, who tonight sang All That Jazz, lost out 6 votes to four in the student vote.
While she preps her footwear for her debut in Chicago, fellow finalist Reggie Yates and the other students had their induction from headmaster Richard Park. Will Reggie last till the final or be out in time to present this Friday's Top of the Pops?
Take heart and see yourself through to the next round with some new pictures in the gallery.
Back to School
Education begins proper tonight when the celebrities enter the Fame Academy for full-time classes. Plus another student leaves for good in the live show at 8pm, BBC One.
The rest of them will sing again tomorrow as the daily live shows continue. From now on it's sudden death, as every night the celebrities lose one of their number until the grand final on Red Nose Night.
Last year Comic Relief Does Fame Academy raised over �750,000 and this year this year the celebrities have gone from eight to 13 in number and the series doubles to two weeks.
If you want more Fame Academy there's further coverage each night on BBC Three plus from Thursday there are extra 15-minute helpings on CBBC on BBC Two and the CBBC Channel from 7.40 am.
That's it. In fact no, because if you press the red button you can watch coverage from 9am-12am every day.
Celebrity Fame Academy begins
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy kicked off tonight and time was called on Al Murray's stay at the house. He was the first of the thirteen celebrities to leave after a final student vote between him and impressionist Jon Culshaw. Jennifer Saunders was present in the Academy to support husband Adrian Edmondson.
From Wednesday 2 March one student will be voted out every night until the live final on Red Nose night itself.
Kim Medcalf is the 2/1 favourite to win, but it's not just about the singing. Jenny Eclair was saved by the judges' vote and her and Gina Yashere's lunacy could make them this year's Ruby Wax and Jo Brand.
Click here to see how to vote for your favourite celebrity and raise money for Comic Relief.
Red Nose Day launches
Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis were on hand to launch Red Nose Day '05 on BBC Radio One this morning.
The station aired the first play of the official Comic Relief single, All About You by McFly. The band themselves visited Africa in January and their reports will be shown on Red Nose night.
Chris Moyles revealed his breakfast show team's own fundraising effort -- The Red Nose Rally. They will tour the country's football grounds collecting prizes and offering their services to the nation in exchange for cash.
Also coming up: Little Britain specials featuring Robbie Williams, Elton John and George Michael plus a new series of Celebrity Fame Academy.
The theme of this year's appeal is 'Big Hair and Beyond' -- changing the way you look to make a big difference to people's lives.
Stand by for the frenchandsaunders.com Red Nose Day '05 feature site coming soon.
McFly do-do-do-do-do-DO! Comic Relief single
Comic Relief has announced that McFly will sing the official single of Red Nose Day 2005. All About You will be released on 7 March 2005. Penned by Tom from the band, the song is part of a double a-side single with another yet-to-be-announced track. It was recorded last week at the famous Abbey Road studios with a full 60-piece orchestra.
McFly's star has risen high in 2004. In less than a year they've released four top-five singles from their debut album, including two number ones.
Kevin Cahill, CEO of Comic Relief said, "McFly are at the top of their game and we are delighted that they are supporting the campaign, we are sure to have a hit on our hands and hope to raise as much money as possible to help people in real trouble at home in the UK and in Africa."
The theme of 2005's Red Nose Day is Big Hair and Beyond. It's also a big anniversary year, being 20 years since Comic Relief was formed and the tenth Red Nose Day.
Red Nose Day 2005 is on Friday 11 March 2005.