Thirty-nine years since he helped to found Comic Relief in response to famine in Ethiopia, and 36 years since he began hosting the charity’s telethons on BBC One, Lenny Henry is hanging up his red suit and packing away his red nose.
This year’s Comic Relief: Funny for Money will be the last Red Nose Day marathon with Henry as host. He says his farewell gig as the host of the 2024 show will be “probably the best night of my life” – although he will remain as the life president of Comic Relief and will continue to work with the charity behind the scenes. He won’t easily be replaced: few comics have embraced the daunting unpredictability of live TV, while bridging the gap between funny and deadly serious, with the skill and charm of the 65-year-old comic. Here are his best bits from nearly four decades of freestyle fundraising.
