Joel Dommett fights back tears minutes into start of Comic Relief

The show kicked off at 7pm as McFly opened with a medley of songs including Walk This Way by Run-DMC featuring Aerosmith, One Way Or Another by Blondie, Uptown Girl by Billy Joel and their hit song All About You.

Jodie Whittaker then narrated a film about an inspirational little girl called Nila who is supported by a charity – Dingley’s Promise – that receives donations from Comic Relief. 

Nila was born in a serious condition and spent the first year of her life in hospital.

Broadcasting live from Media City in Salford Quays, Joel told how he is a dad to a six-month-old baby and the film really hit home. 

Choking up, he said: “I’m a new dad, our son is just six months old so that film really, really hits me hard. No one knows what life will throw at you but the money you donate now can give families a vital lifeline when things are tough. Please give now if you can.”

Viewers were quick to take to X with one writing: “Crying at #ComicRelief already @joeldommett set me off.”

Another said: “Oh, watching Joel Dommett well up just started me off. I’m watching with my little girl so she can appreciate how lucky she is & why helping others is so important x #RedNoseDay2024”

On Friday, Sir Lenny will host his last show of the BBC night of entertainment and fundraising.

It included a sketch on the search for his replacement, featuring well-known faces and Sir Lenny performing I’m Just Len, his own version of the Oscar-nominated song I’m Just Ken from the Barbie blockbuster film.

Sir Lenny told BBC News: “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”.

Love Island presenter Jama, Doctor Who star Tennant, actor and comedian Ranganathan, The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett, former Big Brother presenter Davina McCall, Take Me Out star Paddy McGuinness, and podcaster Rosie Ramsey will be hosting the 2024 BBC show.

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.”

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.

There will also be 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.

This year’s edition also sees 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.