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Comic Relief's Lenny Henry is on the cover of this week's Radio Times

Comic Relief's Lenny Henry is on the cover of this week's Radio Times

The star discusses rude comedy, the politics of charity and saying goodbye to Red Nose Day.

Lenny Henry wearing a dark red and black suit jacket, a white shirt and a bright red tie, standing in front of a bright red backdrop and with his mouth wide open as if shouting.

BBC/Comic Relief/Nicky Johnston

Shem Law
, Tom Loxley

Published: Tuesday, 5 March 2024 at 11:33 am

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For those too young to remember, it's hard to explain the extraordinary impact of the first Red Nose Day in 1986. Children in Need had introduced us to the idea of the telethon in 1980, Live Aid had been the music industry's response to the famine in Ethiopia in 1985. Then came the comedians doing their bit for charity.

Lenny Henry was there at the beginning, inspired, like Bob Geldof, by the television pictures coming out of Ethiopia to use his skills and contacts to raise money for famine relief. Now, 39 years on from founding the charity alongside film-maker Richard Curtis, he's preparing to hand over the baton of Red Nose Day host to a new generation.

"Me, Billy Connolly, Victoria Wood, French and Saunders, the Young Ones, we were like a little gang," he tells our writer Jimi Famurewa in this week's Radio Times magazine, recalling the first few years of the raucous telethon, when he once staged a seduction of Delia Smith as Theophilus P Wildebeeste in a "two-tonne codpiece".

Much has changed since then and not just in what we consider good-humoured comedy. The politics of charity has changed, too. In 2017, Comic Relief ran into hot water when it was accused of perpetuating unhelpful stereotypes, summed up by some as "white saviour syndrome". Again, times have changed since.

Sir Lenny addresses all this, plus where his instincts to offer a helping hand come from and why "it's time for a new gang now", in our revealing interview in this issue.

Lenny Henry Radio Times cover

Also in this week's Radio Times:

Daisy Ridley chats about her time filming the Star Wars movies, doing more comedy and romcoms, working with husband Tom Bateman and her issue with WiFi on aeroplanes
AJ Odudu discusses the new Celebrity Big Brother, being told to take elocution lessons due to her Blackburn accent, and the lack of TV opportunities for young people outside of London
Speaking to The Radio Times Podcast: Theo James on the Netflix series The Gentlemen, the current economic and financial climate, the success of HBO's The White Lotus and his favourite type of wine

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You can donate to Comic Relief at comicrelief.com/radiotimes. Red Nose Day 2024 airs at 7pm on Friday 15th March on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Radio Times editor Shem Law wears a shirt, tie and grey jumper. He is sitting at a wooden desk behind a sign saying "Editor" clasping his hands. There are other items on the desk, including a dial telephone and typewriter.

Shem Law

Shem Law is the brand editor of Radio Times, and the 20th person to hold that esteemed position in over 100 years. He wasn't allowed a television growing up, but over the years he has rather overcompensated for that fact.

Tom Loxley

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