40 years since it started, what's the point of Comic Relief?

We all experience adversity, pain and challenges in our lives. And, in those moments, it’s love, community, and often laughter, that help us through.

In 1985, that thought, in the wake of a global injustice unfolding on television screens across the world, inspired television writer Richard Curtis and up-and-coming comic performer Lenny Henry to bring together a group of chaotic comedians to use laughter to unite the British public, and in doing so, to help provide support to people who needed it. It was simple. And enormously powerful.

Comic Relief was born. Fast forward to today, as we prepare to mark 40 years of Comic Relief and its continuous evolution – listening and responding to a world that looks and feels both different and the same by the day – we see as great a need as ever for that simple premise Comic Relief was founded on. When we consider what the point of Comic Relief is in 2025, we have to hone in on the essence of what we have and continue to stand for, as an antidote to a world of increasing and often provoked division.

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Right now it feels as if there are fewer and fewer spaces that are about togetherness, regardless of where you come from, who you are, or how you vote. There are fewer spaces where lots of people can connect with others, to help each other out, and to let each other in in ways that feel good. Comic Relief is one such place. And as we look to the future, that feels as relevant as ever.

We still believe, with our whole hearts, that the combination of comedy, compassion and community remains a powerful force that unites us in being better humans, together. The evidence of this? Thousands of people who keep coming together to do something funny for money each and every Red Nose Day, and increasingly, on many, many other days.

Yes, Comic Relief has gotten things wrong and will not always get everything right. We’ve been called out in the past for just about everything you can imagine, from white saviourism, to being tone deaf, and for not being funny (awkward!). We understand that when you use entertainment and popular culture to engage people, you are going to be part of the debates and commentary in the world around you, on social media, traditional media and everything in between. Opinions of what or who is entertaining or not will inevitably vary person to person.

But if someone sitting on the sofa and laughing at the telly is also moved to care about someone in another country or situation – their fellow human – then it’s our job to put ourselves out there and go forward with purpose. Because driving empathy and care for others is what humanity is all about. And we’re all for humanity.

Just look at response we saw during Covid to The Big Night In, which was an evening of entertainment from Comic Relief, BBC and Children in Need that was pulled together in a matter of weeks, raising over £74m that went to supporting vulnerable people of all ages and backgrounds across the UK during the Coronavirus crisis. Our Red Nose Day campaign last year raised £40m that is, right now, helping to fund projects desperately needed support to help address everything from homelessness to food insecurity and protecting basic rights.

As a London-based charity that provides funding to organisations both in the UK and internationally, we know that there will be inherent power dynamics to our work. We also recognise that while international aid has always had good intentions, there are valid concerns about whether it has or has not has not always resulted in long-term, sustainable outcomes. We have and continue to take steps to guard against that.

Over the past five years, as we’ve sought to play our part in ensuring development doesn’t happen to people living in the Global South, but with them, Comic Relief has engaged in an ambitious partnership with the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Our Shifting the Power programme is implementing new approaches to funding more equitably, through local decision-making.

This includes working with partners in Ghana, Zambia, and Malawi, who have the deep local expertise and knowledge to co-create programmes of activities, and to ensure funding is distributed to grassroots, truly community-led organisations – those working hand in hand with the people they represent, including on locally-applied solutions to climate justice, the rights and access of women and girls to the services and opportunities they most need, addressing real barriers to community development, and providing access to basic services that underpin the drive for lasting change.

This work, at a time when aid commitments are being rolled back, at rapid pace, has gained even greater urgency in just a matter of weeks. And, it simply cannot stop. We cannot stop. Now is not the time to pipe down.  Instead, it’s time to turn up the volume on the stories that hold enormous power to counter the narratives driving division.

The ways in which Comic Relief raises funds and tells stories has evolved considerably, and continues to as we, and others, have come to better reflect the many aspects of poverty and injustice. There is no singular story of poverty, and we recognise that the intersecting dimensions of poverty demand that we communicate about change, solutions and local changemakers, as well as highlight need and issue areas that may not otherwise reach public consciousness. Over the years, we have listened, taken on board criticisms and made significant changes to our storytelling approach to ensure local communities and individuals are at the forefront of telling their stories, in their own words.

There are some who might believe Comic Relief has had its day. There are some who wish Comic Relief would never show anyone or any community in need or in struggle. There are some who think Comic Relief is an archaic institution representing everything they see wrong about aid and charity in general. There are truths and tensions in all of these viewpoints that we grapple with daily.

We are vulnerable to all sort of accusations, and we’re also acutely vulnerable to the changing conditions around us. A cost of living crisis, a turbulent global economy, changing media consumption habits, younger activist ideals, ongoing conflicts, climate change and a complex geo-political environment that is right now changing at breakneck speed. Comic Relief used to raise twice as much and employ twice as many. It’s hard to do more with less. So why do we keep doing it?

We continue because every year we’re in awe of the generosity and joyfulness we see when communities come together to care about something bigger. Schools, nurseries, workplaces, organisations. Families and communities. People baking cakes, going on runs, concocting wild costumes, telling jokes. Celebrities and social media influencers using their fame, their reach and the trust they’ve nurtured with those they resonate with, often risking ridiculousness to raise awareness and money.

And it is not just on Red Nose Day, but right through the year as more and more people support us in different ways – from ‘being a good sport’ as part of Sport Relief, donating to our winter appeal with the London Standard or taking part in online prize draws, gaming for good initiatives, listening to a podcast and live gifting on social media.

Over four decades, Comic Relief funded projects have supported over 100 million people, all made possible by over £1.6bn raised. That is a staggering amount of money going into a system that continues to see greater demand whilst always needing more and more support. The generosity of the public, our supporters and our partners means brilliant change-makers in the heart of communities in the UK and across the world are filling the shelves of baby banks and community food banks, that funds are available for vital community-led health and youth services, and that safe spaces, a listening ear and a warm smile are on hand for people escaping danger.

What’s more, over the years funds raised have helped Comic Relief shine a light on big issues – often those that have been overlooked, like domestic abuse. Back in 2003 Comic Relief played an important and early role in establishing the UK National Domestic Abuse Helpline in 2003, a massively used service still running to this day. We’ve incubated solutions to big problems like malaria and have been early backers of movements that are now widely funded and supported like mental health, through our support of the Time to Change campaign right back in the 00s – an issue area we still fund to this day.

And, consistently through our history we’ve funded bold grassroots initiatives, led by phenomenal people – like four incredible mothers from Rwanda who survived the genocide in the 1990s. Their organisation AVEGA started in 1994 and today they work with thousands of women and families across their country towards peace, health and justice. The stories and the people that Comic Relief funds have reached are far, wide and varied. And as relevant today as they always were.

This is what’s possible when humans are more united than divided, when comedy and compassion are harnessed to bring people together in joyful community. This is Comic Relief’s DNA, and it always will be has been and always will be. For as long as people need people, we’re going to keep going. Because we may have been around for 40 years, but doing good never gets old.

Samir Patel is CEO of Comic Relief. Red Nose Day 2025 returns on Friday (21 March) on BBC One from 7pm. Visit www.comicrelief.com to find out how you can get involved.

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