Comic Relief is a charity cofounded by Richard Curtis CBE and Sir Lenny Henry in reaction to devastation in Ethiopia and Sudan. Since its launch, the United Kingdom-based charity has raised over £1.6 billion to support projects in the U.K. and across the world. Comic Relief envisions a just world free from poverty, using the power of entertainment and popular culture to drive positive change.

The charity raises money to support organizations that are closest to the communities who can make change happen. Donations to the charity support work that will tackle the impact of poverty, injustice, conflict and climate change in the UK and around the world.

Their most well-known initiative is Red Nose Day, an annual fundraising event that raises money to support people in the UK and across the world who are facing the toughest times of their lives. On Red Nose Day, participants are encouraged to engage in light-hearted fundraising activities, such as charity challenges, bake sales, and tune into a spectacular night of TV — all while wearing the charity’s iconic Red Nose.

Richard Curtis CBE is a television and film writer, director, and philanthropist. A founding member of the Make Poverty History campaign, he also played a key role in Live 8, a series of benefit concerts held across the G8 states and South Africa. In 2015, he helped found Project Everyone, a nonprofit organization that supports the reach and implementation of the Global Goals. Curtis later helped launch Make My Money Matter, a campaign that advocated for sustainable investment in pensions and helped redirect £1.3 trillion toward ethical opportunities. Curtis’ entertainment career spans television shows, such as Blackadder, The Vicar of Dibley, and Mr. Bean, as well as films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, About Time, and Yesterday. His accolades include two Emmy Awards, two BAFTAs, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Sir Lenny Henry began his career as a cult star on children’s television before rising to become one of Great Britain’s best-known television performers, as well as a writer, philanthropist, and stage actor. A passionate advocate for diversity in the arts, he established a media diversity center at Birmingham City University and cohosted the Black British Lives Matter podcast. In 2015, he was knighted for his contributions to drama and charity, and from 2016 to 2023, he served as a National Theatre trustee. He has authored two memoirs with Faber and a series of children’s books with Pan Macmillan. His acting career spans television (The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Broadchurch) and theatre (Fences, The Comedy of Errors, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui). In 2023, his ITV1 drama series Three Little Birds received critical acclaim, as did August in England, a one-man play he wrote and performed. Henry also runs Esmeralda, a drama production company, in partnership with Banijay Entertainment.