Paint the town RED!

Comic Relief original Jonathan Ross leads the charity’s 40th- birthday celebrations

- ELAINE REILLY ALISON SLADE, VICTORIA WILSON

It’s 40 years since comedian Sir Lenny Henry and comedy screenwriter Richard Curtis founded Comic Relief to raise money for good causes in the UK and around the world, with Red Nose Day making its debut on BBC1 three years later. This Friday, the annual live event celebrates four decades of Comic Relief with a star-studded birthday bash, featuring hilarious sketches involving Strictly Come Dancing, Gladiators, Not Going Out and Beyond Paradise, plus a special musical surprise. At the helm is original co-presenter Jonathan Ross, who’s joined from 7pm on BBC1 by Davina McCall, Joel Dommett, Alison Hammond, Rylan Clark and Alesha Dixon, while Tom Allen and AJ Odudu take over from 10pm on BBC2. Here, Ross, 64, tells us more…