Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to fight poverty in the UK and Africa. At the heart of the campaign is the Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. ... The current BBC Sport logo BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. ... J Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsburys, which is a chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. ...

Sport Relief History

In 2002, Comic Relief and BBC Sport teamed up to create a new initiative, aiming to unite the sporting community and culminate in a night of sport, entertainment and fundraising on BBC One. The idea initially came from Peter Salmon, the then Director of Sport at the BBC, and Kevin Cahill, the Chief Executive of Comic Relief. The campaign deliberately alternates with Red Nose Day, Comic Relief's flagship event. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. ... The current BBC Sport logo BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the primary channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... For a description of the origin of the term comic relief see comic relief. ... Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. ...

Sport Relief 2002

The first Sport Relief show was presented by Gary Lineker, Ulrika Johnson, Jamie Theakston and Clare Balding and included Stephen Fry hosting a special edition of They Think it's a Question of Sport, John Inverdale and Suzi Perry resurecting the classic 1970s series Superstars and the first ever bout of celebrity boxing when Bob Mortimer beat Les Dennis. Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960 in Leicester) is a former English international football striker who scored ten World Cup goals for the England national team and is currently a sports broadcaster for the BBC. Lacking refined technical skills, it was his sense of positioning and opportunism in... Ulrika Jonsson (born 16 August 1967, in Sollentuna, near Stockholm) is a Swedish television presenter whose most famous work has been on British television. ... James Jamie Theakston (born 21 December 1970 in Ditchling, East Sussex) is a popular British television and radio presenter and producer. ... Clare Balding (born January 29, 1971) is a BBC sports presenter and journalist. ... Stephen Fry on the cover of his autobiography (US Edition) Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English comedian, author, actor and filmmaker. ... John Inverdale (born in Plymouth, England in 1957) is an English radio and television broadcaster who works for the BBC. Inverdale was educated at Clifton College in Bristol and at Southampton University, where he read history. ... Suzi Perry Suzi Perry (b. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Les Dennis Les Dennis (born Leslie Dennis Heseltine on October 12, 1953 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England) is an English television presenter and actor. ...

Other items were Sport in the Square where cast members from EastEnders and Holby City/Casualty took part in a series of sporting challenges, Runaround, with Johnny Vegas, music from Gareth Gates and Will Young and contributions from Nick Hancock, Patrick Kielty, Angus Deayton, Ronni Ancona, Alistair McGowan, Audley Harrison, Alec Stewart, Tanni Grey-Thompson and Sir Steve Redgrave. EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast on BBC1 on 19 February 1985[2] and continuing today. ... Holby City is a medical drama television serial broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Michael Joseph Pennington (born on September 11, 1971), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian from the Merseyside town of St. ... Gareth Paul Gates (born July 12, 1984, Bradford to Wendy and Paul Gates) is an English pop singer who shot to fame in 2002 when he came second in the first series of the television talent show Pop Idol. ... William Robert Young (born January 20, 1979) is an English singer and actor. ... Nick Hancock (born January 25, 1962) is a British actor and television presenter. ... Image:Kielty patrick pub. ... Deayton on HIGNFY Gordon Angus Deayton (born January 6, 1956) is an English comic actor and television presenter. ... Ronni Ancona Ronni Ancona (born 1968 in Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland) is an impressionist who has become one of the most popular and well known entertainers in the UK. She is of Sephardic Jewish origin. ... Alistair McGowan (b. ... Audley Hugh Harrison, (born on October 26, 1971 in London), is a British Heavyweight boxer. ... Alec James Stewart OBE (born 8 April 1963) is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman and former captain of the English cricket team. ... Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson (b. ... Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave CBE (born on 23 March 1962, in Marlow, England) is a British rower who won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, as well as an additional bronze medal in 1988. ...

One of the highlights of the campaign came at the end of the final of the Stella Artois tennis championship when there was a surprise additional match for Sport Relief between the Prime Minister, Tony Blair and Pat Cash against Ilie Nastase and Alistair McGowan. Blair and Cash won the specially reduced set 4-1. Tony Hawks was the courtside commentator and the game was shown live on Sunday Grandstand. A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1], known as Tony Blair, is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North... Patrick Hart Pat Cash (born May 27, 1965 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Alistair McGowan (b. ... Tony Hawks is a British comedian and author. ...

Sport Relief 2004

The second Sport Relief was on Saturday July 10th 2004. the main show was on BBC One from 19.00 - 00.30. The first half was presented by Gary Lineker and Gaby Roslin and the second half by Jamie Theakston and Tess Daly. Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960 in Leicester) is a former English international football striker who scored ten World Cup goals for the England national team and is currently a sports broadcaster for the BBC. Lacking refined technical skills, it was his sense of positioning and opportunism in... Gaby Roslin (born July 12, 1964) is a British television presenter. ... James Jamie Theakston (born 21 December 1970 in Ditchling, East Sussex) is a popular British television and radio presenter and producer. ... Tess Daly and Brian Dowling, presenting SMTV Live . ...

In the first half of the show (19.00 - 21.00) Cilla Black hosted a celebrity version of Inter-Channel Superstars where the BBC squad took on teams from ITV, Ch4 and Five, the stars of Strictly Come Dancing performed a special routine to a re-mix of iconic BBC Sport theme tunes, Bruce Forsyth was on hand to present a cheque, Patrick Kielty was live in the studio to talk about the Indian railway project he had visited, Rachel Stevens performed the Sport Relief single, Some Girls, Dick and Dom introduced Ray Stubbs being swung from a crane into a giant ball of dung and Stephen Fry hosted another edition of A Question of Sport Relief. Cover of Cilla Blacks 1966 album Cilla Sings a Rainbow. ... Bruce Joseph Forsyth, CBE (born Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, 22 February 1928) is a British entertainer and showman who achieved celebrity on the show Sunday Night at the London Palladium, and has since presented game shows such as Play Your Cards Right, The Generation Game, and Strictly Come Dancing. ... Image:Kielty patrick pub. ... Rachel Lauren Stevens (born April 9, 1978) is an English singer and an occasional actress and model. ... Ray Stubbs (born Wirral, Merseyside, 1957) is a broadcaster and former footballer. ... Stephen Fry on the cover of his autobiography (US Edition) Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English comedian, author, actor and filmmaker. ...

While the News and Lottery were on BBC One, there was a brand new show on BBC Two, Stars in Fast Cars which featured Alan Davies, Jodie Kidd, Patrick Kielty, Jimmy Carr and Darren Jordon competing in a variety of car related races and stunts. Alan Davies, as seen in the Jonathan Creek TV series. ... Jodie Kidd Jodie Kidd (born 25 September 1978 in Surrey, England) is an English model. ... Image:Kielty patrick pub. ... Jimmy Carr Jimmy Carr (born September 15, 1972) is a British comedian known for his dry, satirical humour. ... Darren Jordon on the new-look BBC News Darren Jordon (born November 23, 1960) is a main newsreader on BBC 1. ...

The second half of the main show was back on BBC One from 21.30 to 00.30. Angus Deayton looked at Sports Stars in adverts, Lionel Richie and Badly Drawn Boy performed live in the studio, Jon Culshaw unveiled his Wayne Rooney impersonation, and Paul Whitehouse's Ron Manager interogated David Beckham about his texting technique. Eamonn Holmes was the host when Rugby took on Football with teams that included Dion Dublin, Lee Sharpe, Martin Offiah and Matt Dawson and in this year's celebrity boxing Ben Fogle beat Sid Owen. Colin Jackson, Sir Steve Redgrave and Arsène Wenger were amongst the sporting names who also appeared live on the show. Deayton on HIGNFY Gordon Angus Deayton (born January 6, 1956) is an English comic actor and television presenter. ... Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. ... Badly Drawn Boy live in Paris (2003). ... Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born June 2, 1968 in Ormskirk, Lancashire) is a British comedian and impressionist. ... David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE (born May 2, 1975) is an English footballer born in Leytonstone, London. ... Eamonn Holmes on Sky News Eamonn Holmes (born December 3, 1959) is a television presenter in the UK. // Biography Holmes was born in Belfast on December 3, 1959. ... Dion Dublin (born 22 April 1969 in Leicester) is an English footballer currently with Norwich City. ... Lee Sharpe, (born May 27, 1971), is an English football player currently playing for Garforth Town. ... Martin Offiah MBE (born 29th December 1966) is an English rugby league player. ... Matthew James Sutherland Daws Dawson MBE (born 31 October 1972 in Birkenhead) is a now retired English rugby union footballer who played scrum half for Wasps having played most of his career for Northampton Saints. ... Ben Fogle (born 1973) is a British television presenter and travel writer. ... Sid Owen (born 12 January 1972 in London, England) is a British actor. ... Colin Ray Jackson (born February 18, 1967 in Cardiff, Wales) was a sprint and hurdling athlete and now works as a sports commentator and television presenter predominantly for the BBC. He attended Llanedeyrn High School playing football and cricket for the county and rugby and basketball for his school. ... Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave, or more commonly Steve Redgrave (born 23 March 1962 in Marlow, England), is a British rower who won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, as well as an additional bronze medal in 1988. ... Arsène Wenger, OBE (born October 22, 1949 in Strasbourg) is a French football manager, who is currently managing Arsenal F.C, where he has become the clubs most successful manager, in terms of trophies. ...

The show also included highlights of some of the Sport Relief Miles which had attracted 81,000 at giant and local events in all parts of the UK. Jo Brand was on hand to represent them and talk about her experiences at the Brighton Mile.

Throughout the night there were also a whole series of appeal films to show where the Sport Relief money had already been spent and where the need was greatest. They were made by BBC Bristol and included Nick Knowles in Africa, Patrick Kielty in India and Victoria Beckham in Peru. Nick Knowles is a British television presenter. ... Image:Kielty patrick pub. ... Victoria Caroline Beckham (born Victoria Caroline Adams on April 17, 1974) is an English singer best known as a member of the Spice Girls and for her marriage to footballer David Beckham. ...

The campaign itself involved 253 celebrities and raised £16 million.

Sport Relief 2006

The third Sport Relief took place on Saturday July 15th with a whole day of programming across the BBC that culminated in the main evening show on BBC One at 7pm. Gary Lineker, Chis Evans and Davina McCall were the hosts for the entire evening.

Once again the programme came live from TC1 at Television Centre and it had it's biggest line up of names to date.

The second half was back on BBC One from 22.30 to 01.00. It included golf legend Nick Faldo competing against Lineker and Evans in a comedy pitching competition on the roof of the studio where they had to get their balls into the mouths of giant cut outs of Bruce Forsyth and Jimmy Tarbuck, the second part of A Question of Sport Relief, Jon Culshaw's live performance as George Bush, Catherine Tate in a new football sketch as "Nan" and Sir Steve Redgrave and Colin Jackson taking part in a live power pint competition. There was also the last ever edition of Footballer's Wives which had been transfered from ITV for the night and included a guest appearance by Graham Norton, Jose Gonzales performed in the studio, several members of the Sport Relief Red Socks cricket team were there to talk about their tour to india, including Harry Judd, Nick Hancock, Nick Knowles, Jack Russell and Phil Tufnell whilst Derek Acorah stared in a new sketch based in the Match of the Day studio. The third Sport Relief celebrity boxing bout was won by Jack Osbourne who defeated the formed SClub7 singer Bradley McIntosh. It was presented by Mark Durden-Smith with Dave Spikey as ringmaster. Nick Faldo on the cover of his autobiography. ... Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born June 2, 1968 in Ormskirk, Lancashire) is a British comedian and impressionist. ... Catherine Tate is an English actress and comedienne, whose BBC2 solo series of 2004, The Catherine Tate Show, received wide acclaim. ... Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave, or more commonly Steve Redgrave (born 23 March 1962 in Marlow, England), is a British rower who won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, as well as an additional bronze medal in 1988. ... Colin Ray Jackson (born February 18, 1967 in Cardiff, Wales) was a sprint and hurdling athlete and now works as a sports commentator and television presenter predominantly for the BBC. He attended Llanedeyrn High School playing football and cricket for the county and rugby and basketball for his school. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... José González is a Swedish songwriter and musician. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nick Hancock (born January 25, 1962) is a British actor and television presenter. ... Nick Knowles is a British television presenter. ... See also: Jack Russell (cricketer) - Jack Russell (baseball player). ... Philip (Phil) Clive Roderick Tufnell (born April 29, 1966 in Barnet, Hertfordshire) is an English cricketer and television personality. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Jack Osbourne (born November 8, 1985 in London, England) is the son of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne. ... Bradley McIntosh (born Bradley John McIntosh on 8 August 1981, in London) is a former member of the British pop group, S Club 7. ... Mark Durden-Smith (born 1 October 1968) is a British television presenter. ... Dave Spikey (born September 1950 in Bolton) is an English comedian based in Chorley, Lancashire. ...

Sport Relief Mile

The Sport Relief Mile was the brainchild of the BBC's Sport Relief. Producers Martyn Smith and Jon Rowlands and was created to give the campaign a focus with an event that was open to anyone to run, walk, jog, wheel, bounce or crawl, regardless of ability or age. It was also designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister's sub four minute mile.

81,000 people took part in the first Sport Relief Mile, sponsored by Fitness First, in 2004. Sainsbury's is now the official sponsor of the Mile, resulting in the Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile.

In 2006 more than 423,000 people took part in the Sport Relief Mile, making it one of the biggest mass participation events in history. The Sport Relief Mile Show on BBC1 on the morning of Saturday July 15th was presented by John Inverdale and Colin Jackson and drew an audience of almost a million with an 18% share. John Inverdale (born in Plymouth, England in 1957) is an English radio and television broadcaster who works for the BBC. Inverdale was educated at Clifton College in Bristol and at Southampton University, where he read history. ... Colin Ray Jackson (born February 18, 1967 in Cardiff, Wales) was a sprint and hurdling athlete and now works as a sports commentator and television presenter predominantly for the BBC. He attended Llanedeyrn High School playing football and cricket for the county and rugby and basketball for his school. ...

Among the 20,000 milers who took part at London's Embankment were Lord Coe, Dame Kelly Holmes, McFly, Michael Watson, Tessa Sanderson, G4, Jamie Oliverand Sadie Frost Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe (born September 29, 1956) is a British athlete, and Conservative Party politician. ... Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE (born April 19, 1970) is a retired English middle distance athlete. ... McFly are an English pop rock band who broke into the music scene in early 2004 with their number one single, Five Colours in Her Hair. ... Michael Watson (born March 15, 1965) is a former boxer from England. ... Tessa Sanderson CBE (born 14 March 1956) is a former British javelinist and heptathlete. ... G4 or G-4 is the name of: Adrian was here G4 nations – four major nations seeking seats on the UN Security Council: Germany, Brazil, Japan, and India. ... James Trevor Oliver, MBE (born May 27, 1975), better known as Jamie Oliver and The Naked Chef, is a British celebrity chef. ... Sadie Frost Sadie Frost (born Sadie Liza Vaughan on June 19, 1965), is an English fashion designer and former actress. ...

Televised Miles were also held in Brighton, Southampton, Plymouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, Manchester, Glasgow, NewcastleGateshead, Leeds, Hull, Nottingham, Birmingham and Ipswich.

Sport Relief Single

The first Sport Relief single in 2002 was Your Song by Elton John and Alessandro Safina, reaching number 4 in the chart. In 2004 Some Girls by Rachel Stevens made it to number 2 and in 2006, the third ever Sport Relief single, Don't Stop Me Now/Please Pleaseby McFly, was released. It reached #1 for one week, selling 36,496 units (week ending 29/7/06). Sir Elton Hercules[1] John, CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Rachel Lauren Stevens (born April 9, 1978) is an English singer and an occasional actress and model. ... Dont Stop Me Now/Please, Please is a Double A-side single by McFly. ... McFly are an English pop rock band who broke into the music scene in early 2004 with their number one single, Five Colours in Her Hair. ...

Other events

Little Britain's David Walliams pulled off one of the most incredible charitable feats of all time when he swam the English Channel to raise money for Sport Relief. He had trained for 9 months with Professor Greg Whyte of the English Institute for Sport and was also helped by the "King of the Channel", Mike Read, President of the C.S.A. David's feat was shown in a special BBC Documentary, "Little Britain, Big Swim" David Walliams as Sebastian Love (right) in Little Britain David Walliams (born David Williams, August 20, 1971) is a British comedy actor, best known for his partnership with Matt Lucas in the sketch show Little Britain. ...

In 2006, the BBC staged a celebrity elimination showjumping competition Only Fools on Horses which raised over £250,000. Show jumping is a form of competition in which horses are jumped over a course of fences, low walls, and other obstacles (e. ... Only Fools on Horses is a BBC reality television programme which first aired on July 7, 2006. ...

How much money has Sport Relief raised so far?

• 2002: £14 million
• 2004: £16 million
• 2006: £12 Million+

Partners

• BBC
• BT
• Ernst & Young
• Lloyds TSB
• Natwest
• Sainsbury's
• Speedo
• Unilever

The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest public broadcasting corporation in the world. ... BT Group plc (also known as British Telecommunications plc) which trades as BT (and previously as British Telecom) is the privatised UK state telecommunications operator. ... Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services firms in the world, and a Big 4 accountancy firm, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte) and KPMG. // History The firm as we know it today is the result of a series of mergers of ancestor organizations. ... Lloyds TSB Group plc is a group of financial services companies, based in the United Kingdom, which was created in 1995 following the merger of the TSB Group and the Lloyds Bank Group. ... The Classic NatWest logo National Westminster Bank Plc trading as NatWest (formerly as National Westminster Bank) is a commercial bank in the United Kingdom, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. ... J Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsburys, which is a chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. ... The Speedo boomerang logo Speedo is a swimsuit manufacturer that began on Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia. ... Unilever (Euronext: UNA, LSE: ULVR, NYSE: UN) is an Anglo-Dutch company that owns many of the worlds consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. ...

External links

• Sport Relief Website
• bbc.co.uk - Sport Relief
• All Out For India
• Sockit.org - Sport Relief Youth site

See also

• Sport Aid