Sport Relief

Published: 26 February 2020

A stellar line-up of hilarious sketches including, Line of Duty and a parody of Killing Eve feature in Sport Relief’s Night of TV
New faces Alex Scott, Oti Mabuse, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, Maya Jama and Rylan Clark-Neal join Gary Lineker and Paddy McGuinness on presenting duties
Sir Andy Murray joins comedian Romesh Ranganathan for a round of mini golf
Special documentaries and programming to air in run up to the big night, including Greg James’ look back at some of the best-ever Sport Relief challenges
Sport Relief 2020, live from Salford Friday 13 March, BBC One from 7pm

Live from Salford, the Night of TV will serve up some hilarious sketches giving the Sport Relief take on some of the country’s most loved programmes. A special visit to AC 12 sees Line of Duty’s Arnott, Fleming and Hastings grill corrupt cop Jason Isaacs. Will his famous, yet inept, lawyer be able to bail him out?

Meanwhile, Steves of the UK need to be on guard, as nobody is safe from the mysterious blonde assassin in a special Killing Eve spoof - Killing Steves.

The scenic setting of Salford Quays welcomes back the Clash of the Channels Boat Race - this time with celebrity rowing teams from Channel 4 and Sky in tow to give BBC and ITV a run for their money.

These are just some of the highlights as famous faces come together for sketches and live moments which see them being pushed out of their comfort zones to help raise money to tackle issues such as mental health stigma, domestic abuse, homelessness and child poverty, both in the UK and around the world.

Hosting the live show from 7pm will be newcomers Alex Scott, Oti Mabuse, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, Maya Jama and Rylan Clark-Neal as they join Gary Lineker and Paddy McGuinness for an evening filled with fun and fundraising.

Throughout the night, there will be a look into how money raised through Sport Relief can help vulnerable people in the UK and across the world live happier, healthier, safer lives, through a series of appeal films.

Outside the Night of TV, a number of special programmes are sure to whet the appetite; Greg James looks back at some of the most inspiring celebrity Sport Relief challenges to date in Greg James’ Sporting Heroes, Sport Relief: The Heat Is On follows a team of brave celebrities on a gruelling four-day 100-mile expedition across the Namib Desert, and a 30-minute special looks back at Gareth Thomas’ incredible cycling challenge as he cycled 500 miles to deliver the BBC Sports Personality of the Year trophy to 2019 winner Ben Stokes to raise money for Sport Relief.

For information on how to make a donation, please visit: https://www.sportrelief.com/pay-in-your-money

Night of TV

Clash Of The Channels 2020

The Celebrity Boat Race returns for 2020, and this time it’s bigger and better! Joining BBC and ITV this year are teams from Channel 4 and Sky. All will be looking to claim the title of the fastest channel on water.

Under the wings of Olympic champions James Cracknell OBE and Helen Glover MBE, all four teams will once again battle it out on the challenging waters of Salford Quays.

Team BBC

Louise Minchin
Steve Backshall
Maya Jama
Michael Stevenson
Jay Blades
Rachel Parris

Team ITV

Matt Evers
Colson Smith
Isabel Hodgins
Dr Ranj Singh
Andrea Mclean
Romilly Weeks

Team Channel 4

Jamie Laing
Cathy Newman
Chelsee Healey
Amanda Byram
Tom Read Wilson
Ed Jackson

Team Sky

Dermot Murnaghan
Natalie Pinkham
Hayley McQueen
Lloyd Griffith
Nazaneen Ghaffar
Carl Froch

Line Of Duty

Mother of God! DS Arnott, DI Fleming and Superintendent Hastings are back and only interested in one thing, catching bent coppers.

In an exclusive ‘deleted’ scene from series five, all three can be seen interrogating DC Taylor, an accused corrupt copper (played by Jason Isaacs) who they suspect knows the identity of the real ‘H’. Unfortunately for DC Taylor, his representation comes in the form of ineffective lawyer David Rickman (played by Lee Mack).

Killing Steves

Hit BBC drama Killing Eve undergoes a Sport Relief makeover. A mysterious blonde assassin is on a killing spree, and targeting victims all with the first name Steve. In this Sport Relief special famous Steve’s from across the UK including snooker legend Steve Davis, Coronation Street favourite Steve McDonald, sporting icon Steve Redgrave and presenter and magician Stephen Mulhern meet their comedic deaths, but who is Killing Steves?

QI

The popular comedy quiz show returns with a Sport Relief twist for this special one-off. Joining regulars Sandi Toksvig and Alan Davies on the panel will be Tom Allen, Johnny Vegas, Phill Jupitus, Aisling Bea and John Barrowman. How obscure and interesting can our guests be when answering sport-related questions to secure the points?

A Round With Rom

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan invites Sir Andy Murray to join him in their own unique version of golf’s Open Championship - but at a mini golf course! Unlike professional golf tournaments, the loser will be subjected to a personal forfeit.

A Question Of Sport Relief

Sue Barker hosts a special A Question Of Sport Relief with sports captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell taking on team Sport Relief; Paddy McGuinness, Chris Kamara, Mel Giedroyc and Tom Davis. The teams will battle it out to take home the victory, but not before they take part in the Celebrity Squares round and successfully guess a mystery guest.

Dance Along With AJ And Curtis Pritchard

Dancing stars AJ and Curtis Pritchard are out to get the nation dancing for Sport Relief. The pair will front a series of fun, easy to follow dance routines made available on the Sport Relief social media channels in the lead up to the big night of TV.

Whether at home, work or school the nation can join AJ and Curtis in doing the routines. If they film themselves and share on social media they may even end up on the Sport Relief Night of TV itself as the boys show off their routine live on BBC One.

Beat Beethoven

Beat Beethoven invites everyone from complete beginners to seasoned sprinters to run 5k in the time it takes to listen to the composer’s infamous Fifth Symphony around Salford’s MediaCityUK. Participants will be lucky enough to listen to a live performance by the BBC Philharmonic as they run, conducted by Principal Chief Conductor, Ben Gernon. BBC news presenter Sophie Raworth will also don her trainers and take part in the race on 13 March with the soothing sounds helping every step.

Greatest Sport Relief Sketch Of All Time

Celebrating the very best of Sport Relief over the years, in the lead up to and on the night a live poll will be running to allow viewers the to vote for their favourite Sport Relief sketch, with the winner being announced later in the night. Nominees are: Beckham in Peckham, Smithy (James Corden’s character from Gavin & Stacey) at SPOTY, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and Luther.

All-Star Netball For Sport Relief

Two teams of celebrity players and sporting legends came together last summer to battle it out in the first ever All-Star Netball For Sport Relief. Carrying out a childhood dream of lifting a sporting trophy, huge netball fan and comedy legend Jennifer Saunders captained one of the all-star teams. She faced tough competition from a team led by Strictly Come Dancing’s Oti Mabuse, who grew up playing netball in South Africa.

Other programming

Sport Relief: The Heat Is On

A team of celebrities including Frankie Bridge, Karim Zeroual, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Louise Minchin, Nick Grimshaw, Rob Rinder and Samantha Womack will undertake a gruelling four-day 100-mile expedition across the Namib Desert.

Greg James’ Sport Relief Heroes

Airing on 6 March on BBC One, Greg James hosts documentary Greg James’ Sport Relief Heroes looking back at some of the most incredible challenges celebrities have completed to raise money for Sport Relief.

Featuring challenges undertaken by Davina McCall, Zoe Ball, David Walliams, Eddie Izzard, John Bishop and of course Greg himself, this one hour special shows how these big hearted celebrities pushed themselves to the absolute mental and physical limits to raise millions for causes they care deeply about.

Gareth Thomas’ Tour de Trophy For Sport Relief

This documentary, airing on BBC One on 7 March, will look back at the remarkable Sport Relief challenge that rugby legend Gareth Thomas completed in December 2019 to coincide with BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Gareth cycled a whopping 500 miles across three nations in just seven days from Cardiff to Aberdeen, with the challenge to deliver the SPOTY trophy in time for the big night.

Throughout his seven-day challenge Gareth allowed cameras to record every minute of his struggle in the hope that this film would help change our attitudes to people either living in isolation or burdened by a social stigma, issues close to Gareth’s heart.

Whilst raising life-changing cash for Sport Relief, he also successfully delivered the BBC Sport Personality of the Year trophy to the 2019 winner, Ben Stokes, in front of a live audience of over 10,000 and millions watching on BBC One as he made it to the finish line on stage.

Viewers can also enjoy a series of other Sport Relief themed TV shows, including BBC’s Catchpoint, Blue Peter, Bargain Hunt which will pit Olympians against sports TV presenters, and a Sport Relief special of Football Stars in Bad Cars is available to view on BBC Three, featuring Chris Stark and Peter Crouch.

Appeal films

Throughout the Sport Relief night of entertainment, viewers will be shown how their donations can change lives in the UK and around the world. Films shown during the evening will feature powerful personal stories of those supported by the work funded by Comic Relief, and will highlight a range of issues, from homelessness, to mental health, from poverty, to the vital work that enables children to survive and thrive.

More from Sport Relief

After a change in location due to travel restrictions, a group of brave celebrities are switching the ice for the desert to take part in Sport Relief: The Heat is On, a gruelling four-day 100-mile expedition across the Namib Desert towards the end of February, instead of a trek across a frozen lake in Mongolia. The team is made up of BBC Radio 1 legend Nick Grimshaw, presenter Louise Minchin, singer Frankie Bridge, barrister and TV personality Rob Rinder, news presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, actress Samantha Womack and Strictly Come Dancing finalist and CBBC star Karim Zeroual. Joining the team on their epic journey will be doctor and TV presenter Dr Zoe Williams.

The team will start at the source of the Kuiseb River and travel towards the Skeleton Coast, scaling the highest sand dunes in the world in temperatures reaching as high as 35 degrees Celsius. The challenge aims to break the silence and stigma surrounding mental health issues, a cause close to the hearts of the celebrities, so more people can access the support and practical tools they need. An hour-long BBC One documentary will chart the physical and emotional turmoil, and triumphs of the challenge, and air in the run up to Sport Relief, during the week of 9 March.

Max Whitlock MBE, double Olympic gold medallist and 2019 gymnastics World Champion, will be visiting one lucky school in the country, in a brand-new competition for Sport Relief in collaboration with BTEC Sport. Schools can enter simply sending their fundraising plans to Sport Relief and the winner will be picked based on imagination, creativity, inclusivity and enthusiasm.

Max has also joined forces with sports stars Ellie Simmonds, Harry Kane and Jessica Ennis-Hill to launch this year’s official Sport Relief range, sold exclusively in Sainsbury’s and selected Argos stores. This year’s fundraising merchandise includes everything from colourful T-shirts to pin badges, as well as a limited-edition tote bag, designed in collaboration with Dina Asher-Smith. The fundraising merchandise is available in store and online at sportelief.com now.

BBC Radio 1 will be giving their listeners a helping hand with their Sport Relief fundraising activity by ‘supersizing’ an event to help make it even bigger.

On Friday 13 March, the day of Sport Relief, the BBC Philharmonic orchestra will play Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony live at MediaCityUK as part of a race like no other. The BBC Radio 3 Beat Beethoven challenge will see hundreds of people, including BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth, challenging themselves to run 5km and 'beat' the music, which lasts between 30-35 minutes.

This year’s Sport Relief also sees the return of Prize-a-thon, which will give the public a chance to win a range of exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. From scoring a behind the scenes Match of the Day experience to walking among wrestling royalty at the WWE live 2020 show - there’s something for every sports fan. With more prizes still to be revealed between now and the night of TV, fans can still enter the prize draw and raise funds that will help people facing difficult circumstances such as homelessness, mental health stigma, homelessness and poverty.

Quotes

This will be your tenth time presenting Sport Relief. What is it that keeps you coming back?

Firstly, Sport Relief is an important driving force that brings the nation together to get active and raise life changing amounts of money through the power of sport. Secondly, I’m a huge fan of the sport and entertainment collaborations that happen on the night. Where else could you find one of our most successful tennis players taking part in a round of mini golf with a comedian or a gold medal winning Olympic rower being killed off by a mysterious blonde assassin?!

The Clash Of The Channels boat race has gone bigger by including Channel 4 and Sky this year, how do you think they’ll get on against BBC and ITV?

I spend most Saturdays at Salford Quays for Match Of The Day and I can tell you it won’t be easy. It’s a windy place and if it’s against them on race day then there’s definitely some extra effort in the arms and legs required from the teams. I’ve got plenty of respect for all of those involved who have signed up to increase awareness of Sport Relief and work done. I wish everyone best of luck but obviously I’ll be keeping a close eye on Team BBC and their defence of their title!

We’ve seen you wrestle with McFly’s Harry Judd and present the night of TV for Sport Relief, which do you prefer, the challenges or presenting?

I’ll have a crack at anything for Sport Relief. Whether it be in a suit or spandex! Money raised is used to help people living tough lives in the UK and around the world. Anything I can do to help, I’m there. I really enjoyed the wrestling challenge, but those young hunky boy band members are a crafty bunch!

Will you have any time to catch any of the sketches on the night? Anything you’ll keep an eye out for?

On the day it’s really busy but I’ll do my best to keep an eye on how the Twitter Poll goes. There’s been some classics over the years like Beckham in Peckham and Smithy at SPOTY so it’ll be interesting to see what the public want to see again on the night. If it was up to me I’d stick them all on the show so you didn’t have to put up with me banging on!

From the rowing boat to presenting the Sport Relief night of TV, are you ready for the challenge?

How exciting is this?! This is a big challenge but I’m more than ready for it. I’m so pleased to play a part in Sport Relief, so when the offer of joining Team BBC for the rowing race and presenting on the night came along, I didn’t hesitate. Sport Relief plays such an important role in helping those that need it and I’m super proud to be associated with this.

You always seem like you’re up for a laugh. Any sketches you wish you could feature in?

I’m very jealous of the Andy Murray and Romesh Ranganathan sketch with them playing golf… It looks hilarious and I bet was super fun for everyone involved with it on the day.

This is your first time presenting Sport Relief, how are you feeling about the big night?

I’m just really, really excited! Sport is such a massive part of my life so I understand the power it has to transform lives and how much it impacts mental as well as physical health, so for me this is the perfect role and I just hope we raise lots of money for the amazing causes we have this year.

You have taken part in Sport Relief yourself in 2018 when you walked away with the Sport Relief Strictly Come Dancing trophy. What was your favourite part about taking part?

Trying something new and going out of my comfort zone was a fantastic challenge and I really enjoyed myself once I got past the nerves and worrying about getting a bit of the routine wrong. The audience really give you that extra boost as well, which makes all the hours spent rehearsing completely worth it.

This is your first stint as a Sport Relief presenter. What made you sign up?

I was thrilled at the opportunity to take part. I’ve been dancing since I was a child and that ignited a passion in me for sport and physical activity - it’s never too late to try something new and to get more active and when it’s to raise money for great causes, then even better!

What are you most looking forward to on this year’s night of TV?

There is so much happening for Sport Relief this year, it’s genuinely hard to pick out just one thing. I’m going to have to go ahead and support my boys here, AJ and Curtis are doing some dance tutorials to get people on their feet and dancing, as well as a special performance on the night so I can’t wait to see them in action.

You’re no stranger to presenting big TV shows but this is your first time doing Sport Relief, was it a big decision?

Absolutely not, there was no hesitation when I heard the words Sport Relief. I’ve been involved in plenty of things for Comic Relief so I know how important this is and the massive impact they have on people’s lives across the country and overseas. In fact, I’m really looking forward to joining Emma and Oti, we’re going to have a lot of fun on the night - we’ll also do our job properly, too!

We’ve seen you on Celebrity Gogglebox with your mum, what would you both be tuning into on the night if you both at home watching on TV?

All of it, of course. But if we had to pick a couple of things, I reckon we’d see how everyone got on in the rowing - I can imagine how nervous but excited they’d be on the day. Doing it in March, too! I don’t even want to know how cold that water must be. Also, Line Of Duty is fantastic, so to see them in a less serious role for Sport Relief should be entertaining.

You’re a new face this year to Sport Relief, what made you join the team?

I’m as surprised as you are! I’m terrible at sport and once, at the gym, I got stuck under a bar bell. A cleaner had to get me out. I think they asked me to do the show as the relief, from the sport. I’m honoured to be involved. It’ll be a brilliant night and anyone pushing themselves physically and striving to do their best for charity is a hero in my book. As a comedian I know that a live audience adds that extra something so I’ll be bouncing off that energy all night.

What are you most looking forward to watching on the show?

I’m actually really looking forward to the special Sport Relief QI. I’m a big fan of the show anyway and funnily enough I was just on it in January, but we’re not talking about me. I know they’ll have an absolute ball - if they can handle how loud the klaxons are when you get the answer wrong. But if they’re into sport they’ll be used to loudness anyway, right?

You have presented Comic Relief in the past, what motivated you to sign up for Sport Relief?

I have indeed and it was so much fun - it’s great to be reunited with my Comic Relief sidekick Mr Paddy McGuinness. I wanted to get involved as there are truly some amazing causes to support this year and the Namibia challenge in particular looks like it will be absolutely epic.

What sketch are you most looking forward to watching on the night?

I'm really excited about the Line Of Duty sketch! I adore Vicky McClure so can't wait to see her reunite with the rest of the team for Sport Relief.

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