David Walliams is bringing his love of tough endurance challenges to his day job when he takes on the role of anchoring the UK’s first ever 24-hour panel show for Red Nose Day – a live online event that will then broadcast on both BBC Three and BBC One.

24 Hour Panel People is set to be an incredible one-off occasion that will require David to be at his comedic best for 24 hours as throughout the day he switches between the roles of host, team captain and panellist, along with some other surprising challenges as well.
Joining him are some of the nation’s top comedians celebrating some of the most famous and best loved panel shows from TV and radio, including Have I Got News For You, Celebrity Juice, They Think It’s All Over, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Just A Minute and many more.
There will also be variety of bespoke 24 Hour Panel People rounds.
A huge team of comics will rotate throughout the course of the challenge, as hosts, team captains and panellists. Those taking part include Sean Lock, Jason Manford and Leigh Francis.
David Walliams, who famously swam the Channel, the Gibraltar Strait and led a team of celebrity cyclists on a non-stop Land’s End to John O’Groats relay for Sport Relief, will yet again rise to the occasion in a bid to raise money for Red Nose Day.
But if he thought those physical tests of endurance were hard, he’s seen nothing yet as he paces himself to produce non-stop comedy gold for a gruelling 24 hours.
David Walliams said: “This is an amazing challenge. I just hope I don’t fall asleep or burst into tears.”
The whole 24-hour panel marathon will stream live on bbc.co.uk/rednoseday on the weekend of 5 and 6 March and will then be edited down to 5 x 30-minute shows for BBC Three to air in the run-up to the night of Comic Relief on Friday 18 March. Red Nose night will also broadcast highlights throughout the night on BBC One.

Karl Warner, Executive Editor Entertainment Commissioning, said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting Comic Relief again on BBC Three and we’re massively grateful to all the comedians taking part in this fantastic event, particularly David who is leading the way through this 24-hour panel show marathon.”

Suzi Aplin, Executive Producer of Red Nose Day, said: “This is another new and totally fantastic way of raising money and we couldn’t be more grateful to David and all the spectacular comics who will be joining him in this incredibly exciting event.”
All proceeds raised in support of this enormous feat will go to Comic Relief, to help people living incredibly tough lives both here in the UK and in Africa.
The show will be made by BBC Productions.
Notes to Editors

About Red Nose Day

Red Nose Day 2011 is heading your way on Friday 18 March when the great British public will once again be asked to Do Something Funny for Money. To join in the fun go to www.rednoseday.com and find out how you can get involved.
By raising cash this Red Nose Day, you’re helping to change lives forever. That’s because Comic Relief spends all the money raised by the public to give extremely vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa a helping hand to turn their lives around.
Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day in 1985, live on BBC One. At that time, a devastating famine was crippling Ethiopia and something had to be done. That something was Comic Relief. The idea was simple – Comic Relief would make the public laugh while they raised money to help people in desperate need. Before too long, Red Nose Day was created and the first ever event in 1988 raised a staggering £15m.
To date, twelve Red Nose Days have raised more than £500m. That money has helped, and is helping, to support people and communities in dire need both in the UK and Africa.
Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)
RB