Comic Relief's famous fundraising heroes

Whenever a Comic Relief year rolls around, you can be sure that a whole heap of famous fundraising superstars will come out of the woodwork to encourage the nation to dig deep into their pockets and donate to Red Nose Day.

This year sees presenting favourite Dermot O’Leary take on a 24-hour dance marathon – yes, he of the limited moves usually shown off at the beginning of The X Factor live shows will be throwing shapes for a full day and night to raise money for the appeal.

Of course, Dermot isn’t the first star to accept a huge challenge for charity – we pay tribute to some of Comic Relief’s most unforgettable extreme fundraisers.

Will this show ever end?

Back in 1999, Simon Mayo set the bar for the longest continuous radio broadcast when he stayed on air for 37 hours on BBC Radio 1.

Simon held onto the title for more than a decade, but was eventually toppled by another star from the station, Chris Moyles. Radio 1′s Longest Show Ever With Chris Moyles And Comedy Dave For Comic Relief clocked up an impressive 52 hours in 2011.

Over on TV, in the last Comic Relief in 2013, Graham Norton cracked the record for longest chat show ever at a whopping six hours. He also managed to win the title of most questions asked on a TV chat show, with guests including Sir Terry Wogan, Russell Tovey, Jimmy Carr, Martin Freeman, Keith Lemon, Ronnie Corbett and Warwick Davis.

On a fundraising pedestal

Remember when David Blaine simultaneously wowed and baffled us with his stunt of standing atop a pole for 35 hours straight? Well, in 2003, comedian Jack Dee took on a mini version of the feat.

It may not have been 35 hours, but for anyone who’s ever suffered from a fear of heights it was equally extreme when he took up his place at the top of a pole for the duration of the Red Nose Day broadcast.

Helen Skelton also laughed in the face of vertigo in 2011 when she starred in Comic Relief: Girl On Wire. Mirroring the achievements of Man On Wire, she took on the hair-raising task of walking a tight rope strung between the chimneys at Battersea Power Station.

Going for a song

It may have taken another few years for him to set his radio record, but in 2007 Chris Moyles set out his stall as a fundraising heavyweight when he launched The Chris Moyles Rallyoke.

The challenge saw the presenter tour the UK to seven well-known locations, where he ran karaoke sessions with other celebrities, music stars and members of the public. The fundraising events also gave people the chance to win the contents of a celebrity’s truck.

Ain’t no mountain high enough

A whole team of stars banded together in 2009 to take on the Red Nose Climb, which involved nine celebrities trekking to the top of Kilimanjaro.

It was one of the event’s most memorable challenges, with those making it to the summit including Cheryl Fernandez-Versini (then Cole), Fearne Cotton, Denise Van Outen, Ben Shephard, Ronan Keating, Kimberley Walsh, Gary Barlow, Alesha Dixon, and of course that perennial fundraiser, Chris Moyles.

The show must go on

Another steady supporter of Red Nose Day is David Walliams and in 2011 the comedian hosted an online event called 24 Hour Panel People.

David stayed with the broadcast for the charity’s website over the full 24 hours, taking on various roles in versions of popular panel shows including Would I Lie to You, Just A Minute, The Generation Game, Through The Keyhole, Blankety Blank, QI, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Never Mind The Buzzcocks. What a trouper!

One woman show

Miranda Hart was behind another of 2013′s charity challenges, Miranda’s Mad March. Over five days, the comedienne and actress visited five UK locations for a different event each day.

She attempted to break the record for the most armpits waxed in three minutes, learned to dance in a Strictly Come Dancing extravaganza with professional dancer Pasha Kovalev, sang with her new girlband Onesie Direction, took part in a dog show, and planned a wedding in a single day. That’s what I call fundraising.