Paint the town RED!

DAVINA McCALL on Comic Relief turning 40, plus this year’s Red Nose Day hosts reveal their top skits…

- ELAINE REILLY, VICTORIA WILSON

Don your red noses and prepare to party like it’s 1985! With Comic Relief, which was co-founded by comedian Sir Lenny Henry and screenwriter Richard Curtis to raise money for charitable causes, turning the big 4-0 this year, Friday’s Red Nose Day campaign will see a nostalgia-filled birthday bash at the heart of its annual TV extravaganza. Airing live on BBC1 and BBC2 from Media City UK in Salford,

Comic Relief: Funny for Money and Comic Relief: More Funny for Money will feature special sketches from BBC shows including Beyond Paradise, Gladiators, Not Going Out and Strictly Come Dancing, as well as a surprise musical performance.

Meanwhile, on the presenting rota are Davina McCall, Rylan Clark, AJ Odudu, Joel Dommett, Alesha Dixon and Tom Allen, along with Jonathan Ross, who helmed the very first Red Nose Day fundraiser in 1988, and new recruit Alison Hammond.

‘I’ve done a lot of Red Nose Days, but every single time I host, it’s the best night ever,’ enthuses Davina, 57. ‘It’s a feeling of everybody coming together for such a positive cause while having such a laugh.