Does anyone really watch Comic Relief anymore?

[girlfriend44]

Who actually donates to this? I never hear anyone talk about it in RL and never watch it myself? Becoming a bit tired now?

Watched the old bit when it first came out but it’s so tired and boring now!

I’ll donate and buy Red Noses though.

I remember the Mr Bean cover of 'Elected' in 1992 - played loads on the radio because there was a GE coming up that May.

Didn't Flo and Joan get tons of hate on here after a Nationwide ad. MN is a fickle place.

I don't think a lot of people got their irony at first - in the same way that some people thought that Les Dawson really was a terrible piano player.

Oh, to be 18 again and back in a pre-digital world.

I wonder why the BBC have shortened the CR and CIN telethons these days? They used to be on BBC1 until 10, then something a bit different on BBC2 whilst the news was on, then back to BBC1 for another three or four hours for the main grown-up-orientated part - as Flo & Joan cleverly pointed out!

They also seemed to severely tone down the sections showing the people and programmes that they support. Maybe they think that this information is much more available nowadays, with the internet and greater BBC news coverage in general?

I don't know if CR are on the 'woke' bandwagon or not. I'm guessing that people in desperately deprived countries, with starvation and no access to clean water, have no time for the luxury of navel-gazing as to what new identity that might want to adopt this week. You can't really magically solve 'he/she has no clean water to drink' by changing it to 'THEY have no clean water'.

There was the debacle with CR importing loads of mosquito nets for villages and then inadvertently impoverishing the local net-makers by destroying their livelihoods. Wasn't there something else as well involving them investing donations in seriously questionable schemes?

Never did - can't bear all those BBC luvvie types, French and Saunders, Lenny Henry, etc ... shudder (and the least funny 'comedians' in the world).
I think it's probably past its sell by date now, great to raise money for charity but there are so many other ways now.

I wonder why the BBC have shortened the CR and CIN telethons these days?

Do you remember ITV's rival 'Telethon' which only lasted a few years?

I think the heyday of telethons passed when it stopped being usual for TV watching to be a communal activity; or for live TV to be what people mostly watched.

Aside from being dreadful plastic-mountain wastes, those red noses were always so horribly uncomfortable. It really put me off it as a kid, before I realised that nobody could actually make you wear them!

Things like branded water bottles and key rings are a much better idea - and also keep the charity name in people's minds as they use the products every day, instead of just shoving them straight into a drawer/bin after one day.

Do you remember ITV's rival 'Telethon' which only lasted a few years?

Vaguely, but I can't remember what charities they were for. They also had that Text Santa thing for a few years, more recently, didn't they.

The internet and on-demand TV - from numerous platforms - has definitely impacted the idea of an hours-long telethon. So many alternatives out there, that can be tailored to exactly what you want to watch, rather than having to choose the best of the worst that is scheduled for you.

When you realise that YouTube alone - never mind all the other online TV platforms (and general web content, of course) - has enough content that it would take you hundreds if not thousands of lifetimes to watch in its entirety, it kind of makes you resentful of the idea of wasting your precious time watching something a bit naff that somebody else has chosen for you!

So many alternatives out there, that can be tailored to exactly what you want to watch, rather than having to choose the best of the worst that is scheduled for you.

Yes - telethons thrived in the era of a limited number of channels, I think. And the idea of putting on a red nose and wearing it to school or work or the supermarket was quite novel and daring 30 years ago, but now 'dressing up' has become more mainstream via social media.

Lenny Henry Killed Red Nose Day for me.. and his mates.. French Saunders etc etc..

Eh? Lenny Henry co-founded it. Unless you mean you hated it from the very start.

I don't watch that, or Children In Need anymore. Although I did used to when I was younger.
What puts me off nowadays is the jarring contrast between "funny skit, hahaha!" and "here's a cute little kid dying of cancer". It's just not my idea of a relaxing Friday night. Plus, with the cost of living these days... charity starts at home.

Other than the duet and Traitors skit, it was dire. Too many presenters, one of which stood permanently with her ankles crossed and another with awful fake teeth and David T looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.

I encouraged my young DC to watch it, but soon switched it off. It’s just not funny:

Yeah David T really isn't a good live presenter is he? Really awkward.

We haven't watched it for years.
We only ever contributed via the school on Mufti day but that was at least 10 years ago.

When it was revealed that there were very strict criteria to access the funds and that a very small amount was given to good causes , we stopped giving altogether.

We have three charities that we donate to, directly , so we don't bother with Comic Relief or CIN.

I do donate to Comic Relief but I haven't watched it since I was about 12 because it's about as funny as anal fissures!

Eh? Lenny Henry co-founded it. Unless you mean you hated it from the very start.

It's possible for people to start something but then continue to dominate rather than letting it develop naturally and branch out to other people's skills and more contemporary points of interest.

In the mid 80s, Lenny was quite justifiably all over it, as he was on telly loads; but I think he should maybe have gradually stepped back a little more and let the new generations of TV stars take over the spotlight.

If they're really after raising as much money as possible from people watching their favourite celebs doing special performances, there's a whole demographic of the under 30s who will barely know who he is, except for on CR. It's good to appeal to us older viewers too, but if you don't keep it relevant for the youngsters as well, you're signing its death warrant prematurely.

I would rather sandapaper my eyeballs than watch CR, same with CIN or any other XXX Relief/Aid. I've always hated the tugging on yer heartstrings guilt tripping aspect of them. I'll donate to charities of my own choosing thankyou.

I found myself wondering is Comic Relief was still a thing because I hadn't noticed it in years -and I have a child at primary school.

It was always a massive thing when I was ar primary school but obviously not now!

No.
I dislike the BBC.
The donations have, in the past, gone to some questionable organisations.
I prefer to donate to causes of my own choosing.

I struggle with this and Children in Need etc, wildly swinging between comedy and trauma. It's horrible to watch

i remember Daniel Craig and Catherine Tate doing a sketch where he was her besotted bf. That was funny.

As for children in need I once turned up to a clinic where I worked on Fridays and the nurse was wearing Pudsey pyjamas. She looked awful and I felt it was totally inappropriate. All these elderly people coming in to have blood taken by her and a collection box shaken under their noses. Cringeworthy.

Maybe I'm a hypocrite, as I happily watch and enjoy some of the better comedy offerings, but don't donate.

I do give to other charities, but I will not give to a charity that I don't have faith in to do as much good and as little harm as possible with my money; and neither CIN nor CR meet those criteria for me - by a long chalk.