Sir Lenny Henry broke down in tears as he looked back at his 39-years of hosting Comic Relief while presenting the show for a final time on Friday night.
It was revealed the comedian, 65, had help raise a whopping £1.5B since his first telethon in 1988 and was joined by A-listers including Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd.
Sir Lenny watched clips of previous families that had been helped by the charity alongside fellow Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis.
Seeing Aberash from Ethiopia who suffered from HIV he said struggling to contain his emotion: ‘I couldn’t bare this’ as he young son came to her bedside in 1995.
Learning the woman was alive and well thanks to the charity, tearful Lenny told viewers: ‘They survived because of everybody, mums, cab drivers, cub scouts all donating’.
Sir Lenny Henry broke down in tears as he looked back at his 39-years of hosting Comic Relief while presenting the show for a final time on Friday night
It was revealed the comedian, 65, had help raise a whopping £1.5B since his first telethon in 1988 and was joined by A-listers including Julia Roberts (L) and Paul Rudd (R)
Sir Lenny watched clips of previous families that had been helped by the charity alongside fellow Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis
Back in the studio he was then left ‘speechless’ when a huge number of the studio audience were revealed to have all been helped by Comic Relief.
Lenny was also shown a video from Aberash alongside her son who was now a grown man, in shock the host threw his hand to his mouth.
He said: ‘I am speechless, thank you so much for organising this’.
Later, a whole host of incredible stars filmed a string of video messages as they bickered over who was the most famous.
Julia and Paul were joined in the skit by fellow Hollywood heavyweights Olivia Colman, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant.
Sir Lenny’s replacement was then searched for in a star-studded and hysterical sketch featuring the characters from BBC sitcom W1A.
Richard Madeley, Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis all arrived to audition for the job, while Lorraine Kelly popped by wanting to use the meeting room for her ‘lunch time yoga’.
Back in the studio he was then left ‘speechless’ when a huge number of the studio audience were revealed to have all been helped by Comic Relief
Lenny was also shown a video from Aberash alongside her son who was now a grown man, in shock the host threw his hand to his mouth
Earlier in the show Lenny was joined by co-hosts Davina McCall and David Tennant he said: ‘It’s been an honour and a joy and despite what McFly say it’s not all about me, it’s about, it’s about the mirth and the money and comedy and compassion’
Later a whole host of incredible stars filmed a string of video messages as they bickered over who was the most famous (Emma Thompson, L, and Olivia Colman, R)
Julia and Paul were joined in the skit by fellow Hollywood heavyweights Olivia Colman, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant (pictured)
The wild sketch saw Richard left seething after seeing Romesh was also up for the job, before phoning wife Judy Finnegan in fury.
Earlier in the show Lenny was joined by co-hosts Davina McCall and David Tennant he said: ‘It’s been an honour and a joy and despite what McFly say it’s not all about me, it’s about, it’s about the mirth and the money and comedy and compassion’.
The show opened with Lenny taking the stage alongside Joel, Davina, Paddy McGuinness, David, Romesh Ranganathan, Maya Jama, and Rosie Ramsey.
The night was packed full of fun with hysterical sketches from Lenny himself, as well as Kate, Alan Partridge and an all-star cast 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 the most famous.
At 8:45pm the presenters were joined by darts star Luke Littler who helped reveal that £21million had been raised so far on Friday night.
Later in the show, Traitors fans were delighted as Mollie Pearce finally got her revenge on Harry Clark as she hit him round the head with a frying pan as the pair returned for a Comic Relief special.
Huge stars, including David Walliams as Paul, Jonathan Bailey as Harry, Katherine Tate portrayed Evie, Ian Sterling as Ross, reenacted the iconic BBC series which aired earlier this year.
The stars acted out some of the most legendary scenes including intense round 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 couldn’t stand back up as he ‘had done his back in’.
Elsewhere Suranne Jones played host Claudia Winkleman and rocked a dark wig with her iconic fringe and a number of eye catching outfits.
However it was Traitors star Mollie, who was an innocent on the series and missed out on the huge cash price to traitor Harry, that got her payback in the clip.
Mollie was seen reliving her mistakes from the BBC series as she wrote down Harry’s (Jonathon) name on the chalk board before looking up to him and changing her mind when he said he was an innocent.
Sir Lenny’s replacement was then searched for in a star-studded and hysterical sketch featuring the characters from BBC sitcom W1A (pictured)
Richard Madeley (L) Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis (R) all arrived to audition for the job, while Lorraine Kelly popped by wanting to use the meeting room for her ‘lunch time yoga’.
The show opened with Lenny taking the stage alongside Joel Dommett , Davina McCall , Paddy McGuinness, Maya Jama , David Tennant, Romesh Ranganathan and Rosie Ramsey
At 8:45pm the presenters were joined by darts star Luke Littler who helped reveal that £21million had been raised so far on Friday night
Later in the show, Traitors fans were delighted as Mollie Pearce finally got her revenge on Harry Clark as she hit him round the head with a frying pan as the pair returned for the special
Huge stars, including David Walliams (middle) as Paul, Jonathan Bailey as Harry, Katherine Tate portrayed Evie (L and R), Ian Sterling as Ross, reenacted the iconic BBC series which aired earlier this year
The stars acted out some of the most legendary scenes including intense round tables, banishments and chats (pictured Jonathan Bailey as winner Harry Clark)
Sir Lenny later transformed into Ryan Gosling as he performed his own version of, I’m Just Ken from the iconic Barbie film
The clip ended with Mollie hitting actual Harry round the head with a frying pan as he gushed he is ‘the greatest traitor’.
Following the sketch, Kate Winslet read a very X rated Cbeebies bedtime story which involved an awful amount of swear words.
Sir Lenny later transformed into Ryan Gosling as he performed his own version of, I’m Just Ken from the iconic Barbie film.
Wearing an eye catching blonde wig, a black bandana and a long white fur jacket, Sir Lenny sang the catchy tune.
At 10pm, the presenters were left shocked as Sir Lenny revealed BBC viewers had raised £37million for the incredible charity.
Viewers were also treated to a glimpse of the muscle-bound Gladiators as they paid a visit to a primary school in London.
The athletes battled the children in a string of sports day games before bursting into the studio to carry off hosts Ramish and Joel Dommett, after the pair claimed they could beat any of the Gladiators.
The night started off to a good start after former Saturday’s singer and Radio 1 DJ Mollie King finished her incredible 310-mile bike ride and smashed her £1million target.
Emotional Mollie received a hero’s welcome from fiancé Stuart Broad and their 16-month old daughter Annabella as she finished her marathon Red Nose Day charity bike ride on Friday afternoon.
Following the sketch, Kate Winslet read a very X rated Cbeebies bedtime story which involved an awful amount of swear words
Viewers were then treated to a glimpse of the muscle-bound Gladiators as they paid a visit to a primary school in London
The athletes battled the children in a string of sports day games before bursting into the studio to carry off hosts Ramish and Joel Dommett, after the pair claimed they could beat any of the Gladiators
Paloma Faith wowed the audience as she performed with an incredible choir during the evening
At 10pm, the presenters were left shocked as Sir Lenny revealed BBC viewers had raised £37million for the incredible charity
Having broken down in tears as she prepared to finish the ride in her late father’s hometown of Hull, Mollie was overwhelmed as crowds cheered her over the finish line.
The mother-of-one took on the epic journey from London to the East Riding of Yorkshire in memory of her late father Stephen, who died of a brain tumour in 2022.
As a result, Mollie raised a staggering £1million for Comic Relief and said after the challenge: ‘Oh my goodness, thank you everyone for coming down.
‘I am completely overwhelmed… I can’t believe we have raised £1million. It was time for me to think about my dad and to know he was doing the journey with me.’
With just hours to go until the end of the challenge and as she approached the final destination of Hull – her late father’s hometown – Mollie became overcome with emotion.
Sitting in the back of a car, Mollie sobbed: ‘It’s the first time in ages I’ve really felt proud of myself and I’m quite tough on myself generally but this is so beyond what I’m capable of physically.
‘I’m not a strong person but to have got to day five, I was thinking, “Mol, you should be proud of yourself here”. This is mad.’
Mollie lost her beloved father Stephen to a brain tumour in November 2022, just days after she welcomed her baby daughter Annabella with fiancé Stuart.
The night is already off to a good start after former Saturday’s singer and Radio 1 DJ Mollie King finished her incredible 310-mile bike ride and smashed her £1million target
Mollie broke down in tears moments before she finished her marathon ride attempt and heard the amount she has raised
Mollie looked very glam in a red dress as she later joined the presenters in the Salford studio to reveal she raised over £1.1million for her bike challenge
His death came as a huge shock after Mollie explained he had been fit and healthy prior to his diagnosis and had even completed the London Marathon.
On Wednesday morning, Mollie’s retired cricketer fiancé Stuart acknowledged her remarkable achievement.
Taking to Instagram, the former Nottinghamshire and England fast bowler, 37, posted a tribute, ostensibly from their daughter Annabella.
It read: ‘To my amazing mummy, good luck on your cycling challenge! I am so proud of you! I can’t wait to see you at the finish line for a big cuddle.’
The message also included a picture of Annabella, cut and pasted onto a miniature bicycle made from cardboard and lollipop sticks.
Mollie’s co-host and friend Matt Edmondson accompanied her throughout the cycle and by the end of day three, on Wednesday evening, she had made it to Manchester.
Greeted by fellow BBC radio 1 DJ Greg James and two friends dressed as a ‘fajita cuddle’, Mollie later took to the studio to find out how much money she had raised so far.
‘Mollie, as of a few minutes ago… Pedal Power for Red Nose Day has raised £256,114,’ Greg announced on Wednesday, leaving the TV personality in total shock.
‘Oh my gosh I have no words,’ Mollie exclaimed. ‘I have no words, thank you! I literally could not do this… I couldn’t do it without you guys, your support.
‘Oh my god I’m completely lost for words. I cannot tell you how important this money is.’
Getting choked up, Mollie said: ‘I have seen where the money goes. I have met people who have benefitted so much from this money and it changes lives.
‘It means people can have longer with their families. People can see their friends for longer. It is completely life-changing.’
Money raised by Red Nose Day goes towards organisations helping to tackle homelessness, poverty and mental health along with other causes in the UK and throughout the world.
Davina looked incredible as she showed off her amazing figure in a red strapless jumpsuit as she posed for photos ahead of the event
David looked dapper in a black and red edged double breasted blazer ahead of hosting
Meanwhile Joel jumped with joy ahead of the charity BBC show
Paddy beamed as he went on to host the show on BBC2 at 10pm
It comes after Sir Lenny revealed he is ’emotional’ ahead of his final Comic Relief after almost four decades at the helm
It comes after Sir Lenny revealed he is ’emotional’ ahead of his final Comic Relief after almost four decades at the helm.
The comedian and actor, 65, co-founded Comic Relief in 1985 alongside Love Actually screenwriter Richard Curtis and will continue to serve as life president.
Sir Lenny told BBC News ahead of the evening: ‘I think I’ll be incredibly proud because it’s been a large part of my life and to see a new generation of people taking it forwards – we’ve got Maya Jama, David Tennant, Romesh Ranganathan – there’s such a huge amount of people coming up.
‘It’ll be fantastic to leave knowing that there’s – I’m getting emotional now – a new group of people taking over and treating it the way we did.’
He also said: ‘This is a good time to part ways and to allow a new generation to take the baton and move the whole thing on a bit’.
Sir Lenny said: ‘The money that people have sent in repeatedly, every single time, has helped over 100 million people.
‘That’s a lot of people and there aren’t many organisations that can say that.’
He added: ‘If you’ve helped to do that, thank you and it’s not about numbers any more.
‘It’s about what you feel you can give because we know that there’s a struggle going on at the moment. People are having hard times.’
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