On This Day: Red Nose Day!
Today in 1988, The United Kingdom celebrated its very first "Red Nose Day," a sort of semi-holiday in which everyone dons a red nose during the all-day charity telethon run by Comic Relief.
The event was so effective on its first go-round that Comic Relief was able to raise about £15 million (back then, that looked a lot bigger when it was turned into $), all going to charity. The event continues to be held every year, and even those in military and school uniforms are allowed to break their dress codes with the clown apparatus.
Oh, how very cheeky!
Comic Relief is far more of a national event in Britain than it is here. The big comedy stars produce little shorts to run during the assorted specials (This is where the spectacular Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death came from, written by alleged 2010 DW show-runner Stephen Moffat), the red noses are worn everywhere, and generally it's much more a thing that Bob Zmuda's American version which barely registers any more.David Walliams of the show Little Britain swam the Channel in 2006 for the charity, raising over a million pounds alone. The sketches are usually released on disc as a further fundraiser. Last year Catehrine Tate (soon to be back on Doctor Who) did a series of sketches with guest stars including David Tennant, Daniel Craig, the cast of Britains version of Deal of No Deal, and PM Tony Blair (Who got to say her "Am I bovvered?" catch phrase back at her).