Talk:Comic Relief

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[edit] Chronology of noses

Can anybody remember all the different noses? There was one with a trunk last time, there was a furry one, and a smelly one. What else, and for what years? Mintguy 22:43 Feb 25, 2003 (UTC)

Let's see: Bagpuss and others have come up with the following 'best guess':
  • 1988 - Normal
  • 1989 - Smiley face etched onto nose
  • 1991 - Arms
  • 1993 - Tomato
  • 1995 - Colour change
  • 1997 - Furry
  • 1999 - Squeaky
  • 2001 - Tongue
  • 2003 - Hair Dos
I have now found references on the web for 1993-2003. Verfication can be found by searching Google for "Red Nose Day 199x"/"Red Nose Day 200x" and looking through pictures! Note there are only 7(!) hits for the 1995 search and you need to look at Alan Cumming's TV biography page to find a picture. These searches are no good for 1988,1989,1991. What we have are strictly speaking guesses, but I am pretty confident about all three. There is an excellent chance that is the only place on the web where this information is collated so I am going to add it to the article Pcb21 16:47 Apr 1, 2003 (UTC)
Heh, two years later... red nose day.com itself put together a history (maybe inspired by this page ... who knows!... and the list is finally undeniably accurate! Pcb21| Pete 23:30, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Is it my imagination, but isn't Children in Need an annual event, so it's not true to say Comic Relief alternates with it? -- Arwel 20:10 Apr 1, 2003 (UTC)

No. According to the BBC on some ago on a programme when talking about charity fundraising on the station they alternate. STÓD/ÉÍRE 21:13 Apr 1, 2003 (UTC)

But they don't children i need happens every year. -fonzy

Children in Need is every year in the autumn. Comic Relief is every other year in the spring. They don't alternate as such. --rbrwr

Just been checking. When originally launched, the plan was to alternate. This however has now been changed because they think two appeals in one year can work. So CIN was moved to later in the year to allow CR run in the previous March slot every two years. STÓD/ÉÍRE 21:34 Apr 1, 2003 (UTC)

[edit] What are the sources of the alleged criticisms of CR?

Re the newly expanded Red Nose Day. I think a lot of it is speculation of combined Wikipedia contributors... has anyone notable come out and actually said anything negative about RND or we are trying to add some criticism for its own sake? Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 13:18, 21 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I found these:
And an associate who works in a Christian NGO told me they don't give funding to faith-based projects. You can remove that until I've found a source or go and look at CR's terms and conditions yourself :-) I've got some other stuff to do today... BTW, I think the version I modified was just criticism for criticism's sake, but I tried to give a bit of balance and context. I do think some people find it boring.
Mr. Jones 16:53, 21 Feb 2004 (UTC)
      • They were just criticized for their involvement with DHL, who support the military government of Burma through financial partnerships. I've added a link to the article. -DropDeadGorgias (talk) 19:10, Oct 5, 2004 (UTC)
        • That's a very good one..

There has been some criticism of Comic Relief, in particular red nose day.

  • Some have suggested that the money the BBC puts towards the event would be better off given straight to charity. However, supporters argue, the money raised is far greater than the cost of the event, and without the telecast it is unlikely anywhere near the same amount would be given to charity.
  • Comic Relief does not give to faith-based organisations. Some would regard this as an endorsement, of course.
  • Conversely Comic Relief has been accused of bowing to pressure from Catholic organisations over funding for contraceptive programmes.
  • Comic Relief's documentary sections have been accused of, amongst other things, colonialist sentimentality when comedians visiting a project in Uganda assisted by Comic Relief criticised the First world's lack of intervention in the genocide there.
  • It has also been said that the show is boring. This is highly subjective, of course, but the event started out as a showcase of Alternative comedy, or alternative comedians, at least. It was seen as a reaction to the Middle of the road entertainment of the BBC Children in Need Appeal. Over time, as the regulars aged, the sharpness and perceived controversy of the comedy declined. Perhaps more problematically, the once original format of the show (comedy with serious bits cut in; see above) changed very little. Also, as the nature of British comedy took on a harsher, less worthy aspect from the mid nineties to the turn of the millennium, the presence of younger comedians (The League of Gentlemen, for instance) seemed somewhat incongruous.
  • Another accusation is that the show is composed of simple reworkings of old ideas.
  • Yet another is that some of the "celebrities" who appear are minor comedians and would not be on such a prime-time slot if it weren't for charity. This is only true insofar as many of the comedians on the show are far less well known than when they (and Red Nose Day) were in their heyday. It's also worth contrasting the evening's programming with the large number of British TV shows based solely on very minor "celebrities".
  • [These are here temporarily, whilst I try to cite them] Pcb21| Pete 19:32, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Terminology

The "Red Nose Day" section includes this sentence: "The TV programming begins in the afternoon, with Children's BBC having various related reports, money-raising events and a celebrity gungeing."

I don't believe I've ever encountered the word "gungeing" before. This may be because I live in the United States. For the benefit of us non-Britons, can some sort of explanation be provided? Thanks. -- Pat Berry 22:15, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Dropping some form of (usually brightly-coloured) "gunge" onto a person, often as a forfeit or for just slapstick laughs. Sometimes it involves the person going into a booth whereby the gunge is then dropped on them from above. It's mainly for the kids. violet/riga (t) 23:35, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Just to clarify what 'gunge' means in this context. It is a form of viscous liguid designed to look and, presumably, feel unpleasant. A rough, US-friendly analogy might be 'slime', although for Brits the word conjures up a very specific consistency and look. Hippopotaman 08:47, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Australia

Has the "Comic Relief is coming to Australia in November 2005!" section come straight from a press release? It certainly reads like it. Teflon 21:23, 30 October 2005 (UTC)

Exactly what I came to this talk page to ask. After a quick hunt around the web, I am going to be bold and update. --Telsa 11:28, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Harry Potter?

Should there be some mention of the books J.K. Rowling wrote for Comic Relief? If memory serves, the profits made through the sale of Quiddditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will go towards Comic Relief. Micahbrwn 04:55, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Inclusion of The Apprentice template

Regarding the repeated inclusion of {{The Apprentice UK}} template by User:Dalejenkins - I see no good reason for that template to be included in this page. The template should be about connecting articles directly related with The Apprentice UK - of which Comic Relief is not. This article is about Comic Relief as a charity organisation. The role of the Apprentice in that has only been one special edition show in 2007. Imagine if every TV programme, which had ever made a Comic Relief special, were to include Comic Relief somewhere on their template - this article would be unusable! Let's not start a precedent... └UkPaolo/talk┐ 09:11, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Table Of Donations

I Think A Table Of Total Donations Each Year Would Be Helpful To Chart Its Sucess, I Always Wonder If They Set A New Record Every Year Or Not, I Mostly Worry It Bob Geldof and Bono Will Go Off The Rails If They Dont

[edit] Borat Complaints

"The 2007 event also caused massive controversy when Borat (played by Jewish actor Sascha Baron Cohen made a joke about buying "three chocolate boys". Many thousands of complaints were recorded within minutes of the airing. The BBC are expected to make a press release on Saturday the 17th of March stating that they will seek legal action against Cohen and his production team, as well as supporting a ban on him appearing on BBC shows for the next five years."

There is no way this can be known already; the event in question happened less than 12 hours before the time of posting. I am removing until confirmation is supplied. Hippopotaman 07:30, 17 March 2007 (UTC)


I removed this claim : It has also been criticised on how the show makes the donation money. Some people refuse to donate at all because of the amount of money spent on organising the event itself. AS it is misleading and untrue, see http://www.rednoseday.com/faqs/#comicrelief —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 172.142.83.4 (talk • contribs) 17:34, 17 March 2007.

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