Comic Relief 2026 line-up reveals high-profile sketches and accessibility plans
comic relief 2026 will be staged as Comic Relief: Funny for Money live from MediaCityUK in Salford on Friday 20 March from 7pm, and for the first time will be live streamed on the official YouTube channel. The programming choices and added accessibility features are positioned to widen audience reach and support fundraising for food, shelter and safety.
Comic Relief 2026 on
Comic Relief: Funny for Money names Davina McCall as the main presenter and lists Katherine Ryan, Nick Mohammed, Joel Dommett and Catherine Tate (as Nan) among its comedy talent, with sketches such as ‘The Bank Job’ starring Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary and segments tied to The Traitors and Amandaland. The show will also be live streamed on the official YouTube channel for the first time. The pattern suggests producers are stacking familiar personalities and cross-show sketches to create headline moments that drive viewership for the March 20 broadcast.
Sir Lenny Henry fundraising push
Organisers are also asking the public to take part: Sir Lenny Henry and his team encourage people to “take yourself funny for money” ahead of the main event on March 20. Since launching in 1985 the campaign says it has raised more than £1. 5 billion and supported 35, 000 projects. The figures point to why high-profile presenters and national promotion are central to the programme’s strategy: the scale of past fundraising underpins continued celebrity mobilisation.
Romesh Ranganathan and Two
At 10pm on the night, Romesh Ranganathan will host a special Comic Relief Does The Weakest Link on Two, and a highlights show, Comic Relief: More Funny For Money, will air on Saturday 21 March on iPlayer and One. In addition, a compilation titled Comic Relief’s Hits and Hidden Gems at the will run on iPlayer and Two, featuring archive performances from Adele, One Direction and The Spice Girls alongside rarely-seen moments from Sam Smith, John Legend, Helen Mirren, Robbie Coltrane and Alan Partridge channelling Kate Bush. Accessibility provisions are extensive: an Audio Description will be available on One and iPlayer and Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media, while signing will be offered the Red Button and on iPlayer. This emphasis on accessibility and multiple broadcast slots indicates an explicit effort to widen participation across audiences and platforms.
The next confirmed broadcast event is The One Show’s preview on Thursday 19 March, which will include a behind-the-scenes trip to Amandaland and a live look at rehearsals in Salford; if that preview increases visibility ahead of the March 20 night, the campaign’s historic fundraising totals suggest it could translate into stronger fundraiser engagement and higher donation flows.
