Red Nose Day loses a million viewers in a year, according to overnight figures

Comic Relief’s charity fundraiser Red Nose Day lost a million TV viewers compared with last year.

An average audience of 2.6 million viewers watched the BBC programme, according to overnight figures, as Comic Relief celebrated its 40th anniversary with comedy sketches on Oasis reforming, Strictly Come Dancing, Gladiators and Beyond Paradise.

Last year, Sir Lenny Henry’s final time co-hosting the star-studded annual appeal programme had an average of 3.6 million viewers, up from 2.9 million in 2023.

The 2025 edition had a peak audience of 3.4 million, down from last year’s 4.3 million, the BBC said. The 2023 show had a peak of 3.4 million.

This year’s Red Nose Day aired from 7pm until 10pm on BBC One, before moving to BBC Two for 40 minutes, and coming back from 10.40pm until 11.40pm.

On ITV1, England’s World Cup football qualifier was on from 7pm until 10.05pm, with the Three Lions securing a 2-0 victory against Albania.

This year, £34,022,590 was announced as the amount raised for Comic Relief, which helps support communities by providing food, healthcare and shelter to those who need it most.

Last year the charity said £38,631,548 had been raised shortly after the night concluded.

More donations are expected as the fundraiser total rises after the airing of Red Nose Day.

At the helm of this year’s event were TV presenters Joel Dommett, Rylan Clark, Alison Hammond, Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Tom Allen, Alesha Dixon and AJ Odudu.

It featured a sketch in which The Inbetweeners stars James Buckley and Joe Thomas reunited to play Oasis bandmates Liam and Noel Gallagher, who are advised to call each other after their managers tell them they are broke.

The actors also recreated “that ticket fiasco”, with former Good Morning Britain star Piers Morgan playing “Ticket Master”. The use of dynamic pricing hit headlines after fans complained of inflated costs when Oasis tour tickets went on sale last year.

Former One Direction star Liam Payne and drag queen The Vivienne were among the celebrities remembered in a memoriam-style segment.

The night also saw McCall become emotional as she reflected on “quite possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever been through”.

“I had a pretty mad year this year. Doctors found a benign brain tumour, by chance, and after a lot of deliberating, I had it removed,” she said.

The 57-year-old began to cry and paused as she reflected on the support she had received from her family and partner Michael Douglas.

Comic Relief co-founder Sir Lenny also reflected on the charity’s 40th anniversary in a pre-recorded video.

He spoke about how the charity had started after “a devastating famine in east Africa” in the 1980s, and said the noughties brought Sport Relief while the 2010s saw money funnelled towards people with malaria.

After reviewing the highlights, Sir Lenny added: “Please keep doing what you can to help, because doing good never gets old.”

Communities, workplaces, schools and families have helped raise more than £1.6 billion over the last 40 years, which has supported more than 100 million people, according to Comic Relief.

Sir Lenny co-founded the charity with Love Actually screenwriter Richard Curtis in 1985.