Wikipedia

Sport Relief

Sport Reliefwas abiennialcharity event fromComic Relief,in association withBBC Sport,established in 2002.

Sport Relief
Logo from the 2008 telethon
GenreCharitytelethon
Created byComic Relief
BBC Sport
Presented byGary Lineker
Davina McCall
Claudia Winkleman
Ore Oduba
Freddie Flintoff
Paddy McGuinness
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locations
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running timeVarious
Original release
NetworkBBC One
BBC Two
Release13 July 2002(2002-07-13)–
13 March 2020(2020-03-13)
Related
Children in Need(1980–present)
Comic Relief(1985–present)

It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Education and Communications and went on to become its creative director and CEO. Now joint Honorary Life President with Sir Lenny Henry, Cahill joined having created the Education Department at the National Theatre in London and been its first Head.

In 2021, Comic Relief announced that from 2022 it was changing from alternatingSport Reliefand Red Nose Day campaigns to Red Nose Day becoming annual andSport Reliefevolving into a year-round brand. The annual Red Nose Day telethon would now take place at Dock10, MediaCityUK in Salford.

On television

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Like Red Nose Day, historically theSport Relieftelethon show began after the six o'clock news, with the usual BBC One schedule suspended at 7pm in favour of a live programme, with a break at 10pm for the News. However, whilst the BBCNews at Tenwas aired on BBC One,Sport Reliefcontinued on BBC Two, and then resumed on BBC One at 10:35pm, with each hour overseen by a different celebrity host team. All the celebrity talent who represent Comic Relief's campaigns agree to do so for no fee.

Presenters

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Official singles

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The firstSport Reliefsingle in 2002 was "Your Song",re-recorded as a duet by original artistElton Johnand Italian opera singerAlessandro Safina,reaching number 4 on the chart. In 2004, "Some Girls"byRachel Stevensmade it to number 2 and in 2006, the third everSport Reliefsingle, "Don't Stop Me Now"/"Please, Please"byMcFly,was the first to top theUK Singles Chart,selling 36,496 units in the week ending 29 July 2006. In 2008, theSport Reliefsingle was byLeona Lewiswith her single "Footprints in the Sand",though it was officially released as a double A-side with"Better in Time".[3]In 2010, the single was "Morning Sun",sung by Robbie Williams. In 2012, the song was"Proud",sung byJLSand in 2014 "Word Up!"sung byLittle Mixboth peaking at the 6th position. In 2016, "Running"sung byJames Baypeaked at No. 60.

Release
Date 		Title Artists Peak
Position
15 July 2002 "Your Song" Elton John
Alessandro Safina 		4
12 July 2004 "Some Girls" Rachel Stevens 2
17 July 2006 "Don't Stop Me Now"
"Please, Please" 		McFly 1
9 March 2008 "Better in Time"
"Footprints in the Sand" 		Leona Lewis 2
8 March 2010 "Morning Sun" Robbie Williams 45
19 March 2012 "Proud" JLS 6
16 March 2014 "Word Up!" Little Mix 6
11 March 2016 "Running" James Bay 60

History

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2002 event

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The firstSport Reliefshow was presented byGary Lineker,Ulrika Jonsson,Jamie TheakstonandClare Baldingand includedStephen Fryhosting a special edition ofThey Think It's a Question of Sport,John InverdaleandSuzi Perryresurrecting the classic 1970s seriesSuperstarsand the first ever bout ofCelebrity Bo xingwhenBob MortimerbeatLes Dennis.The first event took place on Saturday 13 July 2002.[4]The final total on the night was £10,072,068.[5]

Other items wereSport in the Squarewhere cast members fromEastEndersandHolby City/Casualtytook part in a series of sporting challenges,Runaround,withJohnny Vegas,music fromGareth GatesandWill Youngand contributions fromNick Hancock,Patrick Kielty,Angus Deayton,Ronni Ancona,Alistair McGowan,Audley Harrison,Alec Stewart,Tanni Grey-ThompsonandSir Steve Redgrave.

One of the highlights of the campaign came at the end of the final of the Stella Artois tennis championship when there was a surprise additional match forSport Reliefbetween the Prime Minister,Tony BlairandPat CashagainstIlie NăstaseandAlistair McGowan.Blair and Cash won the specially reduced set 4–1.Tony Hawkswas the courtside commentator and the game was shown live onSunday Grandstand.

2004 event

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The secondSport Reliefwas on Saturday 10 July 2004. The main show was on BBC One from 19.00 to 00.30. The first half was presented byGary LinekerandGabby Loganand the second half byJamie TheakstonandTess Daly.

In the first half of the show (19.00–21.00),Cilla Blackhosted a celebrity version ofInter-Channel Superstarswhere the BBC squad took on teams from ITV, Channel 4 and Five, the stars ofStrictly Come Dancingperformed a special routine to a re-mix of iconic BBC Sport theme tunes,Bruce Forsythwas on hand to present a cheque,Patrick Kieltywas live in the studio to talk about the Indian railway project he had visited,Rachel Stevensperformed theSport Reliefsingle "Some Girls", Dick and Dom introducedRay Stubbsbeing swung from a crane into a giant ball of dung andStephen Fryhosted another edition ofA Question of Sport Relief.

While the News and Lottery were on BBC One, there was a brand new show on BBC Two,Stars in Fast Carswhich featuredAlan Davies,Jodie Kidd,Patrick Kielty,Jimmy CarrandDarren Jordoncompeting in a variety of car related races and stunts.

The second half of the main show was back on BBC One from 21.30 BC to 00.30. BCAngus Deaytonlooked at Sports Stars in adverts,Lionel RichieandBadly Drawn Boyperformed live in the studio,Jon Culshawunveiled his Wayne Rooney impersonation, and Paul Whitehouse's Ron Manager interrogatedDavid Beckhamabout his texting technique.Eamonn Holmeswas the host when Rugby took on Football with teams that includedDion Dublin,Lee Sharpe,Martin OffiahandMatt Dawsonand in this year'sCelebrity Bo xingBen FoglebeatSid Owen.Colin Jackson,Sir Steve RedgraveandAr sắc ne Wengerwere amongst the sporting names who also appeared live on the show.

The show also included highlights of some of theSport ReliefMiles which had attracted 81,000 at giant and local events in all parts of the UK. Jo Brandy was on hand to represent them and talk about her experiences at the Brighton Mile.

Throughout the night, there were also a whole series of appeal films to show where theSport Reliefmoney had already been spent and where the need was greatest. They were made by BBC Bristol and includedNick Knowlesin Africa,Patrick Kieltyin India andVictoria Beckhamin Peru.

The campaign itself involved 253 celebrities and raised £16 million. The final total on the night of the telethon was £11,078,359.[6]

2006 event

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The thirdSport Relieftook place on Saturday 15 July 2006 with a whole day of programming across the BBC that culminated in the main evening show on BBC One at 7pm.Gary Lineker,Chris EvansandDavina McCallwere the hosts for the entire evening.

Once again the programme came live from TC1 at Television Centre and featured its biggest line up of names to date.

The second half was back on BBC One from 22.30 to 01.00. It included golf legendNick Faldocompeting against Lineker and Evans in a comedy pitching competition on the roof of the studio where they had to get their balls into the mouths of giant cut outs ofBruce ForsythandJimmy Tarbuck,the second part ofA Question of Sport Relief,Jon Culshaw's live performance asGeorge W. Bush,Catherine Tatein a new football sketch asJoanie "Nan" TaylorfromThe Catherine Tate ShowandSir Steve RedgraveandColin Jacksontaking part in a live power pint competition. There was also the last ever edition ofFootballer's Wiveswhich had been transferred from ITV for the night and included a guest appearance byGraham Nortonas Brendan Spunk,José Gonzálezperformed in the studio, several members of theSport ReliefRed Socks cricket team were there to talk about their tour to India, includingHarry Judd,Nick Hancock,Nick Knowles,Jack RussellandPhil TufnellwhilstDerek Acorahstarred in a new sketch based in theMatch of the Daystudio. The thirdSport Relief Celebrity Bo xingbout was won byJack Osbournewho defeated the formerS Club 7singerBradley McIntosh.It was presented byMark Durden-SmithwithDave Spikeyas ringmaster.

British pop bandMcFlycovered the hit song "Don't Stop Me Now"originally byQueenas the official single for the event. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.

The final total raised duringSport Relief2006 was £18 million.[7]

2008 event

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Sport Reliefmoved to March in 2008.BBC One's night of fundraising was held on Friday 14 March and theSport ReliefMiles took place all around the UK on Sunday 16 March. It was presented on stage byRichard Hammond,Gary Lineker&Davina McCall.Bruce Forsyth&Tess DalypresentedSport Relief Does Strictly Come Dancing.Richard Hammond,Jeremy Clarkson&James MaypresentedTop Ground Gear Force.Jimmy CarrpresentedA Question of Sport Reliefwith the team captainsSue BarkerandGary Lineker.Sir Alan SugarpresentedSport Relief Does the Apprentice.There were occasional appearances byJonathan Ross,Jimmy Carr,Michael Parkinson,Patrick Kielty,Claudia Winkleman&Tess Daly.

The BBC presented another version ofSport Relief Does the Apprenticewith 10 celebrities. Also, new for this year, a special episode ofStrictly Come Dancingwas shown.

That year'sCelebrity Bo xingsawBen ShephardofGMTVbeatLemaron judge's vote.

The final total raised on the television broadcast was £19,640,321. During the telethon, a mystery donor donated £5.5million to the charity.[8]

2010 event

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Main article:Sport Relief 2010

Sport Reliefwas broadcast on 19–21 March 2010. The appeal show was aired as usual onBBC OneandBBC Twoon 19 March from 19:00 to 01:30. A special ofStrictly Come Dancing(filmed onThe Live Touron Saturday 6 February) aired as well asLet's Dance for Sport Relief.

On CBBC there were special shows dedicated toSport Reliefincluding a special edition ofDani's Houseand Paddy McGuiness hosted a new series,Sport Relief doesWe Are the Champions.

The total raised on the night of broadcast was £31,633,091.

James Cordenalso performed various comedy sketches with British athletes like Andy Murray (tennis), David Beckham (football) and Tom Daley (diving).

Lawrence Dallaglioembarked on a gruelling cycle from Rome to Edinburgh during theRBS 6 Nations Championshipto raise money forSport Reliefand the Dallaglio Foundation. The Dallaglio Cycle Slam took place over the course of a month, seeing a team cycling through all of theRBS 6 Nationscountries, taking in each of the international rugby stadia along the way. The aim was to raise £1million and £1.14 million was raised with 50% going toSport Relief2010.

2012 event

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Main article:Sport Relief 2012

The 2012 event appeal ran from 23 to 25 March 2012, with the television show airing on 23 March 2012.

On the night, there were specials fromOutnumberedwithFrank LampardandChristine Bleakley,Miranda atRoyal Albert HallTennis Tournament with many sports stars,Twenty TwelvewithZara PhillipsandSir Steve Redgravetalking about how they should advertise theOlympicsonSport Relief,Strictly Come DancingUnderwaterwithChelsee HealeyandHarry Judd,Horrible HistoriesandStephen FrywithAmir KhanandJermain Defoe,BenidormmeetsBritain's Got Talentwith the new judges,Saturday Kitchenwith the English football teamQI,A Question of Sportwith Sue Barker as you have never seen her before,Celebrity Juice,Mo Farahtakes on the race of his life against Misery Bear,8 out of 10 Cats,Mock the Week,Kate Moss,Stella McCartney,Colin JacksonandLinford Christieare among the star names appearing withJennifer SaundersandJoanna Lumleyin a special edition ofAbsolutely FabulousandJake Humphreypresents a specialNever Mind the BuzzcockswithLouise RedknappandMelanie Calongside the regulars.

On the night, there were performances fromLMFAO,Snow Patrol,andJLSwho performed theSport Reliefsingle withEmeli Sandéand rugby players in the chorus. JLS also did a concert forSport Relief.

The total raised on the night of broadcast was £50,447,197.

Before the main event

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In January 2012, there was a series calledThe Great Sport Relief Bake Off,which had celebrities competing.Anita Raniwon the series, which also featuredAngela Griffin,Arlene Phillips,Sarah Hadland,James Wong,Saira Khan,Pearl Lowe,Joe SwiftandFi Gloveramongst the other contestants who took part. Another series ofLet's Dance for Sport Reliefran up to the telethon weekend for five weeks. It was won byRowland Rivronwho danced to "Weapon of Choice"byFatboy Slim.A new series ofSport Relief DoesGlee Clubstarted on Monday 12 March running with one episode each weekday. The first eight episodes were 30 minutes long then there was a live semi-final and final, onSport Reliefday, which were 45 minutes long.

Segments of this and pastSport Reliefevents aired as part ofSport Relief Goes Globalweeks after the event, in which parts of the program could be viewed in other countries including sketches fromMiranda,Outnumbered,Smithy,and "David Walliams Swims the Thames".

2014 event

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Main article:Sport Relief 2014

Sport Relief2014 took place from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 March 2014. The official campaign launch took place on Tuesday 21 January 2014. TheAnnual Live Telethonwas broadcast live from theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Parkfor the first time, on Friday 21 March. It was hosted byGary Lineker,David Walliams,Davina McCall,Fearne Cotton,Jack WhitehallandClaudia Winkleman.TheClash of the Titanswas hosted byGabby LoganandClare Balding.

In January 2014, theBBCannounced that the 2014 edition of itsSport Reliefbroadcast on 21 March 2014 would feature a newOnly Fools and Horsessketch.[9]

During the three weeks before the telethon,Sport Relief's Top Dogaired onBBC TwowithGaby Roslinas host.

TheSport ReliefMile was joined by three major cycling events (in London, Manchester and Glasgow) and over 600Swimathons,under the umbrella title of "The Sport Relief Games". The main public faces of the three sections of the "games" wereJessica Ennis-Hill,Ellie SimmondsandChris Hoy.Advance entry opened on 24 September 2013, nearly four months ahead of the official campaign launch.

John BishopandSebastian Coecompeted against each other for theClash of the Titansevent at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park along with their celebrity teams.

The total raised on the night of broadcast was £51,242,186.

2016 event

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Main article:Sport Relief 2016

Sport Relief2016 took place from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 March 2016. TheSport ReliefMile and Swimathon both returned.John Bishop,Gary Lineker,David Walliams,Claudia Winkleman,Davina McCall,Greg JamesandAlesha Dixonhosted.[10]Ore OdubaandDan WalkerhostedClash of the Titanstaking over from Logan and Balding.

The total raised on the night of broadcast was £55,444,906.

2018 event

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Sport Relief2018 took place from Saturday 17 to Friday 23 March 2018 and was broadcast live fromdock10 studios.The total raised on the night of broadcast was £38,195,278.[11]

2020 event

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Sport Relief2020 was held from Monday 9 to Friday 13 March 2020. Gary Lineker and Paddy McGuinness returned as hosts for theSport Reliefnight of TV from thedock10 studios,which aired on BBC One on 13 March. The total raised on the night of broadcast was £40,540,355.[12]

Sport ReliefMile

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TheSport ReliefMile was created to give the campaign a focus with an event that was open to anyone to run, walk, jog, wheel, bounce or crawl, regardless of ability or age. It was also designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary ofSir Roger Bannister'sfirstsub-four-minute mile.Participants could also choose to cover 3 miles or 6 miles (close to, but slightly shorter than, the5Kand10Kdistances more commonly used in mass runs).

81,000 people took part in the firstSport ReliefMile, sponsored byFitness First,in 2004. Sainsbury's was the official sponsor of the Mile.

In 2006, more than 423,000 people took part in theSport ReliefMile, making it one of the biggest mass participation events in history. TheSport Relief Mile ShowonBBC Oneon the morning of Saturday 15 July was presented byJohn InverdaleandColin Jacksonand drew an audience of almost a million with an 18% share.

Among the 20,000 participants who took part at London's Embankment wereLord Coe,Dame Kelly Holmes,Sportacus,McFly,Michael Watson,Tessa Sanderson,G4,Jamie OliverandSadie Frost.

Televised Miles were also held in Brighton, Southampton, Plymouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle/Gateshead, Leeds, Hull, Nottingham, Birmingham and Ipswich.

Children fromAmsterdam,Netherlands(The British School of Amsterdam) took part in 2008 and along with children fromVoorschoten,Netherlands (The British School in the Netherlands) again in 2010.

John Inverdale has hosted everySport Relief Mile Show,initially with Colin Jackson in 2004 and 2006, withJake Humphreyin 2008, withChris Hollins,Fern Britton&Helen Skeltonin 2010 and from 2012 alongsideThe One ShowpresentersMatt Baker&Alex Jones.

TheSport ReliefMile was changed for 2014 where participants can run, swim or cycle 1 mile or indeed do all three. TheSport Relief Gameswere broadcast on Sunday 23 March 2014 on BBC One and were hosted from London by John Inverdale, Alex Jones and Matt Baker with reporters in Cardiff, Glasgow & Belfast. The secondSport Relief Gameswas shown on Sunday 20 March 2016 on BBC One.

The lastSport ReliefMile was held in 2016, with the campaign's focus moving back to individual challenges instead of mass events from 2018 onwards.

Other events

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Sport Reliefprovides material for the BBC and is part of a UK registered charity 326568 called Charity Projects.[13]

In 2009, the charity awarded a total of £36m in grants with net assets of £120m, of which £97m is in fixed asset investments such as funds in equities and bonds. The charity reported staff costs of £6m plus agency staff costs of £6m. The charity will also be receiving a UK government grant of £5m in 2010.

In 2006,David Walliamsswam theEnglish Channelto raise money forSport Relief.He trained for 9 months with Professor Greg Whyte of theEnglish Institute for Sportand was also helped by the "King of the Channel", Mike Read, chairman of the Channel Swimming Association. Walliams' feat was documented for a BBC programme calledLittle Britain's Big Swim.Walliams also swam theGibraltar Straitfor the 2008 campaign.

In 2006, the BBC staged a celebrity eliminationshow jumpingcompetition calledOnly Fools on Horses,which raised over £250,000.

On 26 July 2009,Eddie Izzardbegan running a series of 43 marathons over 51 days forSport Relief.On 15 September, Izzard arrived inTrafalgar Square,marking the end of his 43rd marathon in only 51 days. He ran 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) a day, 6 days a week for 7 weeks straight, covering 1,166 miles (1,876 km) across the UK. Izzard raised over £1,152,510 forSport Relief.[14]On 23 February 2016, Izzard began a series of 27 marathons in 27 days running acrossSouth AfricaforSport Relief;the number 27 refers to the number of years spent in prison byNelson Mandela.He completed the last marathon on 20 March, arriving at the statue of Mandela outside theUnion BuildingsinPretoria,covering 1,134 kilometres (705 mi), in temperatures in excess of 40 °C (104 °F), and raising £1,648,087.[15]He had attempted this effort in 2012, but was forced to back out due to health concerns.[16]

In 2014,Davina McCalltook on aSport Reliefchallenge to raise money for the appeal. This was calledDavina: Beyond Breaking Point,which saw the presenter tackle bike riding, running and swimming for seven days as she travelled from the north of the country (outsideEdinburgh Castle) to the end (inCentral London).Alex Jonesalso took part in aSport Reliefchallenge which saw her climb up a rock inUtah,United States. Extensive coverage of this event was shown onThe One Show.

Partners

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Salford gets sporty as BBC One's Sport Relief comes to dock10".Dock10.Retrieved20 September2021.
  2. ^"Sport Relief returns to BBC One for 2020 live from dock10 studios".Dock10.Retrieved20 September2021.
  3. ^Star-studded launch for Sport ReliefBBC Sport, 15 January 2008
  4. ^"Sport Relief is here".BBC Sport. 13 July 2002.Retrieved11 March2014.
  5. ^"BBC – Press Office – Sport Relief raises £10 million".BBC. 14 July 2002.Retrieved24 March2018.
  6. ^"BBC SPORT – Sport Relief 2004 – A great night in".9 July 2004.
  7. ^"Sport Relief History | Comic Relief".
  8. ^£5m mystery gift to Sport ReliefBBC News,15 March 2008
  9. ^"Only Fools and Horses sketch to appear on Sport Relief".BBC News. 4 January 2014.
  10. ^"Programme Information for Sport Relief 2016".BBC Media Centre.
  11. ^"Sport Relief raises more than £38m for charities".BBC News. 24 March 2018.
  12. ^"Sport Relief appeal raises more than £40m for charities".BBC News. 14 March 2020.
  13. ^"Register Home Page".Archived fromthe originalon 12 July 2011.Retrieved21 March2010.
  14. ^Sport Relief
  15. ^"Sport Relief 2020 | Comic Relief".
  16. ^"Eddie Izzard completes first of 27 marathons for Sport Relief – BBC News".BBC. 15 February 2016.Retrieved25 February2016.
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