Best Comic Relief sketch ever? James Corden, George Michael, Justin Bieber and Gordon Brown with JLS is Red Nose Day highlight

By JODY THOMPSON

Quality! James Corden, playing Gavin And Stacey star Smithy, sings along with George Michael to Wham's I'm Your Man in the brilliant Red Nose Day sketch


The most star-studded - and arguably funniest - sketch ever on Comic Relief saw Gordon Brown duetting with JLS as the show smashed its 23-year fund-raising total in the early hours of this morning.

Starring James Corden as Gavin and Stacey favourite Smithy, the hysterical spoof helped raise more than £74million at the end of the show at 2am - the highest figure ever to be reached on the night in Red Nose Day’s history.

Packed with top celebrities including George Michael, Keira Knightley, Rio Ferdinand, and Harry Potter stars Rupert Grint and Tom Felton, it climaxed with Sir Paul McCartney telling Corden that he was 'too fat' to go to Africa.


Totally fab: Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney joked on the sketch that Smithy couldn't go to Africa for Comic Relief as he was 'too tubby' as Justin Bieber popped up on keyboards


The former Beatle quipped: 'People don’t like seeing tubby people over in Africa. If they hadn’t eaten so much, no one would be starving.'

It also incredibly included former Prime Minister Gordon Brown dancing and singing along with JLS - as Justin Bieber backed them playing keyboards.

It started with Richard Curtis and Lenny Henry decide they need the help of Gavin and Stacey's Smithy to save the day and give him a ring.


Round table: Marvin Humes, Dermot O'Leary, James Corden, Aston Merrygold, Rupert Grint and Tom Felton were more than happy to send themselves up for charity


Fighting it out: Keira Knightley and Clare Balding were among the celebrities in the sketch where stars were battling for the chance to go to Africa for Comic Relief


Henry gets through to Smithy - played by Corden - who's tootling along in his Volvo with George Michael sat in the passenger seats, but he retorts: 'I'm spending the day with a mate, he's been away for a while.'

However, once Smithy agrees to help out, he won't let George go to the Comic Relief HQ with him and makes him stay in the car - but cheers him up by playing Wham's I'm Your Man to him and they end up singing along.

Smithy then tries to marshal a meeting of stars arguing over who should go to Africa to make a film for Comic Relief.


No tears: Rio Ferdinand was told he couldn't go to Africa as he was unable to 'cry on demand' and the footballer was rejected after his failed attempt to muster some tears


Game for a laugh: Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown - called 'big dog' by James Corden - was a brilliant sport in the sketch with JLS


Odd trio: Richard Madeley, Tom Daley and Lord Coe were all funny for money last night


Other stars lining up to be funny for money were Olympic diver Tom Daley, Lord Sebastian Coe and Lord Robert Winston, as well as all apparently in the same meeting room.

Keira was told she couldn't do the film as she was too beautiful and Rio banned as he couldn't cry on order - though it wasn't for the lack of trying.

Thousands took to Twitter afterwards to hail the sketch, with This Morning host Philip Schofield declaring it 'genius'.


Funny for money: Take That and Fake That on the Red Nose Day extravaganza last night


Tribute band: After watching several auditions the real Take That approved of their alter egos


Getting into the spirit: The boys joined Fake That for a performance


Earlier, Red Nose Day had pulled out all the stops for one of the best line-ups the fund-raiser has seen for years.

Starting at 7pm on BBC1, the first presenters were Claudia Winkleman and Michael McIntyre, with the second leg helmed by Graham Norton and Davina McCall.

Within moments of Graham and Davina appearing on screen, they had engaged in a swooning kiss that ended with both of them rolling around on the stage, to whoops and laughter from the studio audience.

There was also a special mini-episode of Doctor Who, an acoustic performance by McFly, minus Dougie Poynter, who's in rehab, and The Wanted singing the official Comic Relief single Gold Forever live.


Future in pop? Miranda Hart joined JLS on stage


Hitmakers: JLS performed their new single Eyes Wide Shut

Class act: The brilliantly observed Jennifer Saunders spoof Uptown Downstairs Abbey was another favourite on the night


Chefs Aloud: Famous chefs got together to sing a choral rendition of Never Gonna Give You Up


Another highlight of the evening though was undoubtedly Jennifer Saunders's spoof of Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs.

Called Downstairs Upstairs Abbey and also starring Harry Enfield, Kim Cattrall, Joanna Lumley, Dale Winton, Victoria Wood and Simon Callow, it was one of Saunder's best spoofs yet.

Another performance to draw the biggest screams from the studio audience however was from reformed manband Take That, who performed their new single Happy Now live for the first time.

Frontman Gary Barlow also confessed that he'd been impressed by the earlier Fake That, saying: 'Best lookalike? It was Catherine Tate. She's got Jay's legs!'


Moving: Adele's heartfelt performance of Someone Like You helped viewers at home put their hands in their pockets too to help raise money for good causes in the UK and Africa


As previously reported by Mail Online, Susan Boyle also duetted I Know Him So Well with Peter Kay in his Geraldine incarnation from Britain's Got The Pop Factor...On Ice.

Adele also sang a moving version of her Number One Someone Like You to heartwerneching footage from children ill with malaria being visited by David Tennant which apparently left the phonelines in meltdown as people tried to donate.

Lenny Henry and Fearne Cotton took over proceedings just before the 10 o'clock news where the total to date was a massive £41,873,505.


No pain no gain: In addition to hosting, Lenny Henry walked across hot coals to raise money


As Comic Relief swapped to BBC2 while the news was on, when Lenny Henry did a firewalk across hot coals - and dropped the 'F' word.

He wasn't the last either - Jonathan Ross was one of the evening's last guest presenters - the first time he's presented for BBC1 on a Friday night after he was forced to quit over the Sachsgate scandal.

He joked that he'd almost not been let into the building, adding: 'For f***'s sake!' - then joked: 'They can't touch me now!' to laughs from the studio audience.


Smithy saves Red Nose Day 2011!



source: dailymail