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.
Before gushing: ‘I am speechless, thank you so much for organising this’.
At 8:45pm the presenters were joined by darts star Luke Littler who helped reveal that £21million had been raised so far tonight.
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.
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.
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 Winslet, 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.
Julia and Paul were joined in the skit by fellow Hollywood heavyweights Olivia Colman, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant.
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 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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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’.
It comes after Sir Lenny revealed he is ’emotional’ ahead of his final Comic Relief after almost four decades at the helm
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.’
This years show there will also see tributes to Sir Lenny from singer Jerub, while the cast of spoof comedy series W1A – including Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville and Spaced actress Jessica Hynes – will reunite on the night to search for a new host.
BBC viewers will also see Hollywood actors including Julia Roberts, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson make a special appearance to argue among each other to be named the most famous in a comedy sketch for the fundraising programme.
Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan and Catherine Tate will also provide entertainment on the night while pop rock band McFly will open the show with a medley of some of the most-loved Comic Relief singles from the last few years.
Titanic star Winslet will treat viewers to a late-night CBeebies Bedtime Story catered to parents as she reads F***, Now There Are Two Of You by Adam Mansbach.
Actor Jack Black will also issue a musical call to action and singer Paloma Faith will perform her new single, Enjoy Yourself (The Red Nose Day Edition) while Doctor Who star Tate will be among the stars in a spin-off of the BBC’s hit reality game show The Traitors, entitled The Traitors: The Movie.
