Sport Relief Weekend is kicking off in the UK with a top class night of star studded TV on BBC 1 and 2 on Friday 23rd March and culminating on Sunday 25th with the nation turning out in force to run the Sport Relief Mile across the country.
Presented by TV favourites including Gary Lineker, Davina McCall, Dermot O'Leary, Claudia Winkleman, Fearne Cotton and Patrick Kielty, the TV extravaganza will feature a whole host of special sketches from the nation’s best loved comedians and sporting personalities, promising to entertain from start to finish.
The one and only Absolutely Fabulous returns for a unique Sport Relief treat with some truly fabulous guest stars joining Edina and Patsy, including Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Emma Bunton, Linford Christie and Colin Jackson to name but a few!
Viewers will also be treated to a one-off Outnumbered, featuring Frank Lampard and Christine Bleakley, as the Brockman family encounter the famous couple on a day out at the football… with disastrous results!
Miranda Hart finds herself playing a game of tennis against one of Britain’s best loved sports personalities at the Royal Albert Hall with outrageous consequences. The sketch is littered with famous sporting faces, including Robbie Savage, Michael Owen, Roberto Mancini, Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic.
Following on from the latest series of the ever successful Strictly Come Dancing, finalists Harry Judd and Chelsee Healey reunite with their partners and take to the dance floor… only this time with a very big twist. The dances will all be performed underwater for the first time in Strictly history.
The cheeky cast of Benidorm find themselves facing the wrath of Simon Cowell and the rest of the Britain’s Got Talent judges as they put together a cringe-worthy boyband routine, and even the royal family are getting involved as equestrian Zara Phillips joins Sir Steve Redgrave and the regular cast in a one-off Twenty Twelve sketch.
Amir Khan and Jermaine Defoe will also do their bit as they add their own touch to a Horrible Histories special and Mo Farah will take on BBC Online’s favourite Misery Bear in their very own take on classic fable The Tortoise and the Hare.
David Walliams, Helen Skelton and John Bishop, who have all taken on epic challenges, will be live in the studio on the night as we hear more of what they went through in the name of Sport Relief. But the celebrity challenges don’t stop there…
Lifelong non-swimmer Frank Skinner will be putting himself to the ultimate test in the name of charity as he tackles his very own Everest… swimming 25 metres, and cricketing legend Freddie Flintoff will be attempting a Guinness World Record live in the studio as part of his Flintoff’s Record Breakers challenge.
The night will also include a unique musical performance from The Rugby Choir, made up of past and present players who were trained by JLS and vocal coach Zoe Tyler and performed live at Twickenham as part of their training in front of thousands. And some familiar faces from The England Football Team will also be taking on an egg-straordinary Saturday Kitchen omelette challenge!
As if all that wasn’t enough, the nation’s favourite panel shows will feature on the night, with the likes of Celebrity Juice, QI, Mock The Week, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 out of 10 Cats and A Question of Sport keeping the donations rolling in!
There’ll also be powerful reminders of the serious side of Sport Relief, with moving appeal films from the likes of Miranda Hart, Billie Piper and Lorraine Kelly, who will report back on how the money raised could help change lives both here in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries.