Lenny Henry - Red Nose Day According to One of its Patrons, Lenny Henry

Red Nose Day According to One of its Patrons, Lenny Henry

Every other year, Red Nose day does its best to raise as much as possible for charity via a night of celebrity fun, performances and audience participation. Lenny Henry has been a name synonymous with the event, and he's been remembering the history of the tradition.

"Comic Relief these days is much more in line with shiny-floor shows like The X Factor - fast, zappy, presenter-led - but we were just asking everybody to be kind and help," he wrote in an article for The Telegraph. "We had live entertainment from comedians such as the Goodies and pre-recorded films from Africa, but lots of comedians discovered it was very difficult to do live comedy with an audience that has just watched somebody die."

The 54 year old has always been involved with the charity, and while ne never officially presents the show, his face is never far from the promotional campaigns. "The red noses were a great irony, because they don't make them to fit black people," writes Henry, candidly. "I have a wide nose like a Volkswagen and I've never had a red nose that fitted me - I had to get mine cut in the middle and use tape to secure it. They were always flying off."