Look To The Stars News: Richard Curtis

British Stars Back Robin Hood Tax For Charity

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:30:00 -0000

British actor Bill Nighy is fronting a campaign to introduce a global tax on banks’ financial transactions to fight poverty.

The Robin Hood Tax is backed by charities such as Oxfam and UNICEF, and is led by writer/director Richard Curtis (Notting Hill).

“You could ignore the big problems facing the world … or you can work to find an innovative, modern, regular way of accumulating a fund of money,” the campaign wrote in an open letter to the leaders of the country’s political parties. “We would ask you to seriously consider the Robin Hood Tax as that radical new option – a small tax on bankers that would make a huge difference to the UK, to the poorest countries and to our planet. Let’s turn the crisis for the banks into an opportunity for Britain and the world.”

The campaign calls on banks to pay a levy of 0.005% on every transaction on international markets. The tax would raise over US$175 billion for charities.

To find out more, and watch a promotional video featuring Bill Nighy, visit RobinHoodTax.org.uk.

British Celebrity Show Benefits Malaria No More

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Malaria No More has revealed that it will be the sole benefactor of the current season of “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here” screening on the UK’s ITV.

The show features a group of celebrities as they try to survive living in the Australian jungle, and the new season includes famous faces such as former model and singer Samantha Fox and Dynasty star George Hamilton. Ex-EastEnder Lucy Benjamin and snooker ace Jimmy White are also taking part in the show.

Malaria No More will benefit from every phone vote made by members of the public as they choose their favorite celebrities on the show. And it is an initiative that is backed by the show’s contestants.

“I’ve travelled a lot and seen malaria first hand, like when I was in Kenya,” said Sam Fox. “I’ve had friends who suffered really badly from malaria and it’s so important that Brits educate themselves before they go away on holiday. I always make sure I take my malaria pills and use a spray, but not everyone does. I hope and pray we can save lives by supporting Malaria No More UK.”

15p from every 50p phone vote on the show will go towards buying mosquito nets. It costs £5 to deliver a net to an African family and each net can last for up to five years.

“It’s tremendous news that ITV’s ’I’m a Celebrity…’ is joining the fight against malaria,” said Richard Curtis, co-founder of Comic Relief. “It’s a huge issue – 800, 000 people still dying every year because of the bite of a mosquito – but it’s an issue where every individual can really believe in the difference they are making – it costs just £5 to buy a net that can protect a whole family. The battle against malaria can be won, and the more money and publicity the cause gets, the sooner it will be won.”

“The series has always raised money for good causes but never for a single charity,” added Peter Fincham, ITV director of television. “This is a unique collaboration, and I hope that the funds raised will help Malaria No More UK towards their goal, which is to end malaria deaths by 2015.”

Eddie Izzard Completes 43 Marathons For Charity

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British comedian and actor Eddie Izzard has completed his massive charity marathon challenge.

The actor set out in August to run 1000 miles and raise money for Sport Relief – a part of Comic Relief – and the 47-year-old finished his odyssey across Britain on Tuesday when he crossed the finish line at London’s Trafalgar Square.

“I feel dead!” he said as the London rain fell around him.

The challenge saw Izzard run 43 marathons in 52 days, a feat that Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis described as “amazing.”

“What I so admire is the length of it,” said Curtis. “He’s been doing it for so long, every single day. [These celebrities] are really putting themselves on the line for these issues. People in schools and at home think ‘Well, if Eddie can do that, then I can certainly do something to raise money and help people’.”

Red Nose Day TV Special Breaks Records

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

BBC’s Red Nose Day television extravaganza, Funny For Money, raised over £57 million (US$80 million) on Friday night, breaking the previous record of £40 million set in 2007.

Presented by David Tennant, Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and others, Funny For Money aired on March 13 on BBC One and Two and featured comedy items performed by Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Robbie Williams, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Ricky Gervais, Harry Enfield, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, Ronnie Corbett, Sadie Frost, and Kate Moss.

A special version of Top Of The Pops featuring performances by U2, James Morrison and Oasis – as well as Tom Jones and Rob Brydon singing the official Comic Relief single, Islands In The Stream – also aired as part of the extravaganza. The Islands In The Stream single has just topped the UK charts, which will bring in more cash for the cause.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s – which sold the official Comic Relief merchandise – handed over a cheque for over £9 million to the show’s presenters during the evening, the single largest donation ever made in the event’s 11 year history. Another £20 million as donations keep coming in.

Celebrity Kilimanjaro climbers Alesha Dixon, Ben Shephard, Cheryl Cole, Chris Moyles, Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Kimberley Walsh and Ronan Keating also made an appearance, and it was revealed that their efforts had raised £3,326,142 for Comic Relief.

‘It is just incredible to see such a huge amount of money given by the public again on Red Nose Day," said Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis. "Red Nose Day is 21 years old this year and its success is down to the unrelenting support and ingenuity of our supporters – it belongs not to the comedians, but to the people who give. It’s wonderful that, in more difficult times, people seem to understand that the need increases for people whose lives were impossibly tough in the first place. The work this money funds helps change and save lives all over Africa and the United Kingdom. A huge heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped to make this year’s Red Nose Day such a memorable and brilliant campaign."

The evening also featured appearances from Annie Lennox and Take That.

The Spy Who Loved Me For Charity

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Ever fancy a kiss with James Bond? Or a cuddle with Hugh Grant? One lucky bidder did on Tuesday night, when they won the chance to do exactly that at a charity auction in London.

The Great British Movie Event, a dinner and auction to raise cash for the National Film and Television School, attracted a host of famous faces, including Richard Attenborough, Christopher Lee, Rowan Atkinson, Honor Blackman, Bill Nighy, and Richard Curtis. Hosted by Jonathan Ross, the evening raised over $800,000 for the school, which specializes in high-end media training.

The chance to kiss three living legends – Hugh Grant, James Bond actor Daniel Craig, and Harry Potter’s Robbie Coltrane – sold for a whopping $39,000, with the honor going to Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond film franchise.

And although they didn’t have to fight over the girl, Craig and Grant did enter into a bidding war over some Harry Potter memorabilia, with Craig eventually paying $36,000 for the chance to own some of the famous wizard’s belongings. Hugh Grant was later outbid again, this time for two walk-on parts in one of his own films…

Other items up for auction on the night included the dinner jacket worn by Daniel Craig in the most recent Bond film ‘Casino Royale’, which sold for almost $20,000, and a signed copy of JK Rowling's ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, which fetched $39,000.

Look To The Stars News: Richard Curtis

British Stars Back Robin Hood Tax For Charity

Related past articles

British Celebrity Show Benefits Malaria No More

Related past articles

Eddie Izzard Completes 43 Marathons For Charity

Related past articles

Red Nose Day TV Special Breaks Records

Related past articles

The Spy Who Loved Me For Charity

Related past articles