130-610: Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983-1985 famine in Ethiopia . The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make the public laugh, while raising money to help people around the world and in the United Kingdom. A new CEO, Samir Patel, was announced in January 2021. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal
260-495: A Member of Parliament (MP). Curtis has named characters in his writing Bernard (reputedly after Bernard Jenkin). It is claimed he used the Jenkins' wedding as inspiration for Four Weddings and a Funeral . He is irreligious . Financial transaction tax A financial transaction tax ( FTT ) is a levy on a specific type of financial transaction for a particular purpose. The tax has been most commonly associated with
390-558: A Tobin tax [1] . This was widely viewed as a warning to curb shorting of its currency the yuan . It was however expected to keep this tax at 0% initially, calculating potential revenue from different rate schemes and exemptions, and not to impose the actual tax unless speculation increased. Also in 2016 US Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton asserted that speculation had "placed stress on our markets, created instability, and enabled unfair and abusive trading strategies" and that as President she would seek to "impose
520-706: A bank account debits tax on customer withdrawals from bank accounts with a cheque facility. Some Latin American countries also experimented with taxes levied on bank transactions. Argentina introduced a bank transaction tax in 1984 before it was abolished in 1992. Brazil implemented its temporary "CPMF" in 1993, which lasted until 2007. The broad-based tax levied on all debit (and/or credit) entries on bank accounts proved to be evasion-proof, more efficient, and less costly than orthodox tax models. It often applies to deposits and withdrawals from bank accounts, often including checking accounts. In 1989, Edgar L. Feige proposed
650-574: A Funeral was too upbeat and needed the addition of the titular funeral. Two years later, Curtis re-teamed with Working Title to write and direct Love Actually . Curtis has said in interviews that the sprawling, multi-character structure of Love Actually owes a debt to his favourite film, Robert Altman 's Nashville . The film featured a " Who's Who " of UK actors, including Hugh Grant , Colin Firth , Bill Nighy , Emma Thompson , Liam Neeson , Andrew Lincoln , Alan Rickman and Keira Knightley , in
780-603: A Securities Transaction Tax (STT). As of 2020, the rate on buy and sell transactions made through a recognized national stock exchange is 0.1% paid by the seller plus 0.1% paid by the buyer. Other rates apply to derivatives transactions; for example, for sale of options on securities, the rate is 0.017% of the option premium. The tax has been criticized by the Indian financial sector and is currently under review. Since 1 March 2013, Italy levies financial transaction tax on qualified equity transactions of up to 0.2% (0.22% in 2013) of
910-551: A clear distinction between hedging activities and speculation "if the actual exposure cannot be clearly ascertained, then differentiating between a hedging transaction and a speculative trade can become very complicated; if the impact of the underlying exposure is opaque, then the risk-reducing impact of the hedge becomes obscured (if it ever existed)...once you move beyond the straightforward elimination of open positions, into more nuanced transactions involving complex hedging strategies or tenuous relationships between hedges and exposures,
1040-571: A complaint by the British Stammering Association about 2011 Comic Relief 's opening skit, a parody by Lenny Henry of the 2010 film The King's Speech . He talked the producer of American Idol into doing a show wherein celebrities journeyed into Africa and experienced the level of poverty for themselves. It was called American Idol: Idol Gives Back . In 2014, Curtis publicly backed "Hacked Off" and its campaign in support of UK press self-regulation by "safeguarding
1170-483: A currency transaction tax are the Tobin tax, Edgar L. Feige 's Automated Payment Transaction tax and Spahn tax . The Automated Payment Transaction tax requires that all transactions be taxed regardless of the means of payment. As such, it proposes a unique tax on currency transactions collected at the time currency leaves or enters the banking system. Since each transaction mediated by currency can not be directly taxed,
1300-446: A financial transaction tax is less susceptible to tax avoidance and tax evasion than other types of taxes proposed for the financial sector. The Automated Payment Transaction tax ( APT tax ) employs 21st century technology for automatically assessing and collecting taxes when transactions are settled through the electronic technology of the banking payments system. Joseph Stiglitz , former Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of
1430-423: A financial transaction tax, he wrote, "Speculators may not harm bubbles on a steady stream of enterprise. But the situation is serious when enterprise becomes the bubble on a whirlpool of speculation." Rescuing enterprise from becoming "the bubble on a whirlpool of speculation" was also an intended purpose of the 1972 Tobin tax and is a common theme in several other types of financial transaction taxes. For
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#17327723044081560-588: A fixed tax amount per transaction, the tax was in the amount of 0.2% of the transaction value (20 basis points, bips). This was doubled to 0.4% (40 bips) in 1932, in the context of the Great Depression, then eliminated in 1966. By 2020, all major economies have moved to the GST (Goods and Services Tax) based tax system. In 1936, in the wake of the Great Depression , John Maynard Keynes advocated
1690-409: A holding is the most cogent clue: Day traders all engage in speculation by definition. Another common theme is the proposed intention to create a system of more fair and equitable tax collection. The Automated Payment Transaction tax (APT tax) taxes the broadest possible tax base, namely all transactions including all real and financial asset transactions. Instead of introducing progressivity through
1820-581: A live cross-over panel game, Have I Got Buzzcocks All Over . A parody of the Doctor Who series starring Rowan Atkinson as the Doctor , Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death , was featured during the show, as was Wetty Hainthropp Investigates (a Victoria Wood parody of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates ), The Naughty Boys (a mock 1967 pilot for Men Behaving Badly ) and guest appearance by Rex
1950-515: A live show, with a break at 10 pm for the regular news programme . Whilst the BBC News at Ten is aired on BBC One, Comic Relief continues on BBC Two , and then resumes on BBC One at 10:35 pm, with each hour overseen by a different celebrity team. These celebrities do the work for free, as do the crew, with studio space and production facilities donated by the BBC. Regular themes throughout
2080-459: A loosely connected series of stories about people in and out of love in London in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Its regular festive screening has seen it labelled as being arguably a modern-day Christmas staple. Curtis followed this in 2004 with work as co-writer on Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason , the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary . Curtis then wrote the screenplay to The Girl in
2210-421: A maximum of €4,000 per transaction) is charged for accumulating shares of investment companies and 0.27% (subject to a maximum of €1,600 per transaction) for any other securities (such as shares). Transactions made for its own account by non-resident taxpayers and by some financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies, organizations for financing pensions (OFPs), or collective investment are exempted from
2340-600: A minimum the costs of tax administration (assessment, collection, and compliance costs). The Automated Payment Transaction tax proposal was presented to the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform in 2005. As the EU , European free trade, and Euro came together, various financial transaction taxes were considered openly. One non-tax regulatory equivalent of Tobin's narrow tax, to require "non-interest bearing deposit requirements on all open foreign exchange positions",
2470-595: A mix of different transactions. John Maynard Keynes was among the first proponents of a securities transaction tax. In 1936 he proposed that a small tax should be levied on dealings on Wall Street , in the United States, where he argued that excessive speculation by uninformed financial traders increased volatility. For Keynes, the key issue was the proportion of 'speculators' in the market, and his concern that, if left unchecked, these types of players would become too dominant. Keynes writes: "The introduction of
2600-408: A presenter, he revealed that the overall £1 billion announced in 2015 had risen to £1.14 billion (£1,140,064,067). The television programming begins in the afternoon, with CBBC having various related reports, money raising events and celebrity gunging . This is all in-between the regular programmes, but after the six o'clock news , the normal BBC One schedule is suspended at 7 pm in favour of
2730-428: A proposal, issuing special drawing rights (SDR) that the rich countries would pledge for providing international assistance and the alleviation of poverty and other objectives. According to Soros this could make a substantial amount of money available almost immediately. In 1997, IMF member governments agreed to a one-time special allocation of SDRs, totaling approximately $ 27.5 billion. This is slightly less than 0.1% of
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#17327723044082860-668: A qualifying market. Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen (National Coalition Party) decided that Finland will not join a group of eleven other European Union states that have signed up to be at the forefront of preparing a financial transaction tax in November 2012. Other government parties the Green League , the Social Democratic Party of Finland and the Left Alliance had supporters of the tax. Supporters of
2990-599: A request from the G20 nations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delivered a report in 2010 titled "A Fair and Substantial Contribution by the Financial Sector" which made reference to a financial transaction tax as one of several options. According to several leading figures, the "fairness" aspect of a financial transaction tax has eclipsed, and/or replaced, "prevention of volatility" as
3120-596: A result, he was commissioned to co-write the BBC Radio 3 series The Atkinson People with Atkinson in 1978, which was broadcast in 1979. He then began to write comedy for film and TV. He was a regular writer on the BBC comedy series Not the Nine O'Clock News , where he wrote many of the show's satirical sketches, often with Rowan Atkinson. Curtis co-wrote with Philip Pope for The Hee Bee Gee Bees ' song "Meaningless Songs (In Very High Voices)", released in 1980, to parody
3250-482: A result, various new forms of financial transaction taxes were proposed, such as the EU financial transaction tax . The outcry after this crisis had major political, legal, and economic fallout. By the 2010s the Basel II and Basel III frameworks required reporting that would help to differentiate investing from speculation. Economic thought was tending to reject the belief that they could not be differentiated, or (as
3380-689: A risk fee on the largest financial institutions. Big banks and financial companies would be required to pay a fee based on their size and their risk of contributing to another crisis." How much fees would be assessed, and whether they amounted to a tax, were an active topic of speculation in the financial community, which expected them to follow Basel III definitions with further refinements. Although every financial transaction tax (FTT) proposal has its own specific intended purpose, some general intended purposes are common to most of them. Below are some of those general commonalities. The intended purpose may or may not be achieved. In 1936, when Keynes first proposed
3510-527: A romantic comedy/drama about time travel and family love. It starred Rachel McAdams , Domhnall Gleeson , Bill Nighy , Tom Hollander , Margot Robbie , Lydia Wilson and Vanessa Kirby . It was released in the UK on 4 September 2013. Soon after the film came out, Curtis delivered a screenwriting lecture as part of the BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters' Lecture Series. He followed that with Trash , which he adapted from
3640-415: A small flat rate Automated Payment Transaction tax whose base included all transactions would eliminate evasion and avoidance possibilities since the tax would apply equally at all substitution margins. Advocates including Pollin, Palley, and Baker (2000) emphasized that transaction taxes "have clearly not prevented the efficient functioning of" financial markets in the 20th century. Many theorists raised
3770-501: A special edition of their TV show Staged while McGuinness and his Top Gear co-stars, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris were asked questions by children in a segment hosted by Radio 1's Jordan North . The Vicar of Dibley ' s Geraldine Granger (played by Dawn French ) appeared alongside the Reverend Kate Bottley to open the show. There were musical performances from The Proclaimers , Gabrielle and
3900-484: A substantial Government transfer tax on all transactions might prove the most serviceable reform available, to mitigate the predominance of speculation over enterprise in the United States. (1936:159–60)" A currency transaction tax is a tax placed on a specific type of currency transaction for a specific purpose. This term has been most commonly associated with the financial sector, as opposed to consumption taxes paid by consumers. The most frequently discussed versions of
4030-477: A surprising film and a better film than I could possibly have made." "The difference between having a good idea for a movie and a finished movie is the same as seeing a pretty girl across the floor at a party and being there when she gives birth to your third child... It's a very long journey." —Curtis speaking in 2013 on the filmmaking process. In May 2007, he received the BAFTA Fellowship at
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4160-497: A tax on harmful high-frequency trading and reform rules to make our stock markets fairer, more open, and transparent.". However, the term "high-frequency" implied that only a few large volume transaction players engaged in arbitrage would likely be affected. In this respect, Clinton was following the general 1990s trend to focus on automated transactions, in particular, those which could not reflect any genuine human-reviewed fundamental risk or hedge analysis. She also vowed to "Impose
4290-567: A two-tier rate structure consisting of a low-rate financial transactions tax and an exchange surcharge at prohibitive rates." This new form of tax, the Spahn tax , was later approved by the Belgian Federal Parliament in 2004. It has a two-tier rate structure consisting of a low rate financial transactions tax and an exchange surcharge at prohibitive rates. On 19 September 2001, retired speculator George Soros put forward
4420-504: A young man who discovers that the entire world except for him has no memory of the Beatles , allowing him to become a global pop star by performing their songs as his own. While Barth's original screenplay depicted an obscure musician unable to capitalize on his windfall, Curtis's more conventional script featured an independent musician unable to control his own career once the music industry takes over. It began filming on 21 April 2018 and
4550-560: Is Red Nose Day , an annual (previously biennial) telethon held in March. The first live fundraising evening, held on 4 April 1986, featured comedians and pop stars, including Rowan Atkinson , Billy Connolly , Stephen Fry , Kate Bush and co-founder Lenny Henry. A prominent annual event on British television, Comic Relief is one of two high-profile telethon events held in the UK, the other being Children in Need , held annually in November. At
4680-570: Is also known for the drama War Horse (2011) and for having co-written the sitcoms Blackadder , Mr. Bean , and The Vicar of Dibley . His early career saw him write material for the BBC's Not the Nine O'Clock News and ITV's Spitting Image . In 2007, Curtis received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . He is the co-founder, with Sir Lenny Henry , of
4810-562: Is its relatively superior functional ability to prevent tax evasion in the financial sector. Economist Rodney Schmidt, principal researcher of The North-South Institute , also concurred that a financial transaction tax is more technically feasible than the "bank tax" proposed by the IMF in 2010 . Transaction taxes can be raised on the sale of specific financial assets, such as stock, bonds, or futures; they can be applied to currency exchange transactions, or they can be general taxes levied against
4940-550: Is not due upon subscription of new securities (primary market transactions). Both buyers and sellers are subject to tax. The tax rate varies following the type of transactions. A 0.09% tax (subject to a maximum of €1,300 per transaction) is charged for distributing shares of investment companies, certificates of contractual investment funds, bonds of the Belgian public debt or the public debt of foreign states, nominative or bearer bonds, certificates of bonds, etc. A 1.32% tax (subject to
5070-433: Is not viable. First, it is virtually impossible to distinguish between normal liquidity trading and speculative noise trading. If the tax is generally applied at high rates, it will severely impair financial operations and create international liquidity problems, especially if derivatives are taxed as well." However, on 16 June 1995 Spahn suggested that "Most of the difficulties of the Tobin tax could be resolved, possibly with
5200-413: Is often deemed not only a source of volatility but a distraction of talent and a dangerous shift of focus for a developed economy. By contrast, hedging is necessary for the stability of enterprises. Tax schemes, in general, seek to tax speculation – seen as akin to gambling – while trying not to interfere with hedging (a form of insurance ). The differences summarize that: It can be difficult to draw
5330-527: Is often disastrous for a national economy, as the nineties' crises in Mexico, South East Asia and Russia have proven...." It is intended to put a penalty on short-term financial round-trip excursions into another currency Paul Bernd Spahn opposed the original form of a Tobin Tax in a Working Paper International Financial Flows and Transactions Taxes: Survey and Options , concluding "...the original Tobin tax
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5460-487: The 10:10 campaign in Britain to promote climate change politics . The film depicted a series of scenes in which people were asked if they were going to participate in the 10:10 campaign, told there was "no pressure" to do so, but if they did not, they were blown up at the press of a red button. Reaction was mixed, but the video was swiftly removed from the organisation's website. In March 2011, Curtis apologised following
5590-467: The Basel I framework, which was itself a response to the 1980s financial speculation crises. However, disclosure had not kept pace with practices. Regulators and policy-makers and theorists by the 1990s had to deal with increasingly complex financial engineering and the "avoidance by a change of product mix... market participants would have an incentive to substitute out of financial instruments subject to
5720-583: The Bretton Woods system effectively ended. In 2001, James Tobin looked back at the 1994 Mexican peso crisis , the 1997 Asian financial crisis , and the 1998 Russian financial crisis , and said: "[My proposed] tax [idea] on foreign exchange transactions... dissuades speculators as many investors invest their money in foreign exchange on a very short-term basis. If this money is suddenly withdrawn, countries have to drastically increase interest rates for their currency to still be attractive. But high interest
5850-557: The British Academy Television Awards in recognition of his successful career in film and television and his charity efforts. Curtis next co-wrote with Anthony Minghella an adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith 's novel, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency , which Minghella shot in mid-2007 in Botswana. It premiered on the BBC on 23 March 2008, just days after Minghella's death. The film did not run in
5980-693: The Irish Singles Chart . The cover is predominantly red and features the members of McFly dressed in red, wearing red noses, in honour of Red Nose Day. 2007's Red Nose Day was held on 16 March. Its tagline was "The Big One" which was also representative of the novelty nose. Walkers , Kleenex and Andrex also promoted the charity, as well as Sainsbury's. The event raised £67.7 million. The 2009 event took place on Friday 13 March 2009. Fundraisers had three different nose designs to choose from: "this one", "that one" and "the other one" – all with different facial expressions. The Saturdays provided
6110-588: The London Palladium , with £99.4 million being raised. The 2017 event took place on Friday 24 March 2017, broadcast live from Building Six at The O2 in London. It was widely criticised, for both the quality of sound, sketches, and going from films on poverty to a biscuit competition. The event raised £82.1 million. The 2019 event took place on Friday 15 March 2019 live from BBC Elstree Centre . The event raised £63,548,668. The 2021 event took place on Friday 19 March 2021. The event raised £52 million and
6240-778: The University of Oxford , he met and began working with Rowan Atkinson , after they both joined the scriptwriting team of the Etceteras revue, part of the Experimental Theatre Club . He appeared in the company's "After Eights" at the Oxford Playhouse in May 1976. Collaborating with Rowan Atkinson in The Oxford Revue , he appeared alongside him at his breakthrough Edinburgh Fringe show. As
6370-457: The World Bank affirmed the "technical feasibility" of the tax . Although Tobin said his tax idea was unfeasible in practice, Stiglitz noted that modern technology meant that was no longer the case and said that the tax is "much more feasible today" than a few decades ago, when Tobin disagreed. Fraser Reilly-King of Halifax Initiative also points out that the key issue and advantage of an FTT
6500-503: The financial sector for transactions involving intangible property rather than real property. It is not usually considered to include consumption taxes paid by consumers. A transaction tax is levied on specific transactions designated as taxable rather than on any other attributes of financial institutions . If an institution is never a party to a taxable transaction, then no transaction tax will be levied from it. If an institution carries out one such transaction, then it will be levied
6630-599: The novel by Andy Mulligan for director Stephen Daldry . With three unknown Brazilian children in the lead roles, the film co-starred Wagner Moura , Rooney Mara and Martin Sheen . It was filmed in 2013 in Rio de Janeiro and released in Brazil on 9 October 2014 and in the UK on 30 January 2015. He next wrote Roald Dahl's Esio Trot , a BBC television film adaptation of Roald Dahl 's classic children's novel . Receiving acclaim,
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#17327723044086760-415: The "Chicago School" had held) should not be. However, even Basel III did not require detailed enough disclosure of risk to enable a clear differentiation of hedging vs. speculation. As another example of an FTT proposal as a warning to speculators, or a response to the crisis, in March 2016 China drafted rules to impose a genuine currency transaction tax and this was referred to in the financial press as
6890-590: The 30-year history of Comic Relief, the Red Nose Day and Sport Relief appeals had raised in excess of £1bn (£1,047,083,706). In 2021 it was announced that Red Nose Day would become an annual event and, starting from 2022, there would be no more Sport Relief telethons. From the same year onwards, the appeal shows of Red Nose Day would now take place at the former Sport Relief studio at Dock10 , MediaCityUK in Salford. In 2024, on Lenny Henry 's final telethon as
7020-580: The APT tax proposes a brokerage fee on currency deposits and withdrawals that is some multiple of the flat transaction tax rate applied to all payments made via electronic payments mechanisms. In 1972 the economist James Tobin proposed a tax on all spot conversions of one currency into another. The so-called Tobin tax is intended to put a penalty on short-term financial round-trip excursions into another currency. Tobin suggested his currency transaction tax in 1972 in his Janeway Lectures at Princeton, shortly after
7150-539: The Automated Payment Transaction (APT) tax base, it is in essence the broadest of financial transaction taxes. Initially proposed as a revenue-neutral replacement for the entire federal tax system of the United States, it could alternatively be considered as a global tax whose revenues could be used by national governments to reduce existing income, corporate and VAT tax rates as well as reducing existing sovereign debt burdens. If adopted by all of
7280-660: The British charity Comic Relief , which has raised over £1 billion. At the 2008 Britannia Awards , he received the BAFTA Humanitarian Award for co-creating Comic Relief and for his contributions to other charitable causes. Curtis was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest figures in British comedy in 2003. In 2008, he was ranked number 12 in a list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture" compiled by The Telegraph . In 2012, he
7410-644: The Café , a television film directed by David Yates and produced by the BBC and HBO as part of the Make Poverty History campaign's Live 8 efforts in 2005. The film stars Bill Nighy as a civil servant and Kelly Macdonald as a young woman he falls in love with at a fictional G8 summit in Iceland. Macdonald's character pushes him to ask whether the developed countries of the world cannot do more to help
7540-553: The December 1994 Mexican peso crisis reduced confidence in its currency. In that context, Paul Bernd Spahn re-examined the Tobin tax , opposed its original form, and instead proposed his own version in 1995. In the context of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 , many economists, governments, and organizations around the world re-examined or were asked to re-examine, the concept of a financial transaction tax, or its various forms. As
7670-520: The FTC); and a tax on naked sovereign credit default swaps (Article 235 ter ZD ter of the FTC). The FTT levies a 0.2% tax on stock purchases of French publicly traded companies with a market value over €1 billion. The scheme does not include debt securities, except convertible and exchangeable bonds, which are included but benefit from a dedicated exemption to the FTT. According to French president Francois Hollande
7800-576: The Movies took a 10pm slot on BBC Two. Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis CBE (born 8 November 1956) is a British screenwriter, producer and director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Love Actually (2003), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), About Time (2013), and Yesterday (2019). He
7930-602: The Oscar went to Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary for Pulp Fiction ). The film was also nominated for Best Picture, but lost to Forrest Gump . Curtis' next film was also for Working Title, which has remained his artistic home ever since. 1997's Bean brought Mr. Bean to the big screen and was a huge hit around the world. He continued his association with Working Title writing the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill , starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts , which broke
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#17327723044088060-601: The Philippines, before moving to the United Kingdom when he was 11. Curtis attended Papplewick School in Ascot, Berkshire (as did his younger brother Jamie). For a short period in the 1970s, he lived in Warrington , Cheshire , where he attended Appleton Grammar School (now Bridgewater High School ). He lived at Merricourt on Windmill Lane, Appleton , Warrington, during this time. His university friend Rowan Atkinson
8190-420: The Red Nose Day telethon which continues to raise funds for numerous charities that help children in need and tackle worldwide poverty. The charity states that its aim is to "bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people, which we believe requires investing in work that addresses people's immediate needs as well as tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice". One of
8320-543: The Runt . On Radio 1, Simon Mayo set the record of 37 hours of consecutive broadcasting (which was later broken in March 2011 by Chris Moyles on the same station for 52 hours, " BBC Radio 1's Longest Show Ever with Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave for Comic Relief ", the world record for the longest show in radio history). The 1999 Comic Relief song was "When the Going Gets Tough" by Boyzone . The 2001 Red Nose Day
8450-486: The Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan , a parody of Harry Potter , starring Dawn French as Harry Potter , Jennifer Saunders as Ron Weasley and Miranda Richardson as Hermione Granger . The 2005 Red Nose Day was held on 11 March, and was hosted by a collection of television stars: these were Chris Evans , Lenny Henry , Davina McCall , Graham Norton , Dermot O'Leary and Jonathan Ross . The 2005 event
8580-593: The UK government is turning down billions in additional revenue to protect the City's elite." On 1 August 2012, France introduced a financial transaction tax in French tax regulation pursuant to Article 5 of the French Amended Finance Bill of 14 March 2012. Two other taxes applicable to financial transactions were also introduced, including a tax on high-frequency trading , (Article 235 ter ZD bis of
8710-636: The US until early 2009, when HBO aired it as the pilot of a resulting six-episode TV series with the same cast, on which Curtis served as executive producer. His second film as writer/director, The Boat That Rocked , was released in 2009. The film was set in 1966 in the era of British pirate radio . It followed a group of DJs on a pirate radio station run from a boat in the North Sea . The film starred Philip Seymour Hoffman , Bill Nighy , Nick Frost , Rhys Ifans , Gemma Arterton and Kenneth Branagh . The film
8840-494: The World War I-set Blackadder Goes Forth meant he was already familiar with the period. Curtis then wrote Mary and Martha , a BBC/HBO television film directed by Phillip Noyce. The film starred Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn as two women who bond after they both lose their sons to malaria. The film was broadcast in the UK on 1 March 2013. He next wrote and directed About Time ,
8970-403: The broadest possible tax base at the lowest possible tax rate. Since financial transactions account for the greatest component of the APT tax base, and since all financial transactions are taxed, the proposal eliminates substitution possibilities for evasion and avoidance. The goal of the APT tax is to significantly improve economic efficiency, enhance stability in financial markets, and reduce to
9100-499: The campaign "is all about helping people understand the impact of their money and how helping them think that if they are saving for retirement, what kind of retirement is their money saving for? What kind of world is it building?" In 2021, he joined the Rewriting Extinction campaign to fight the climate and biodiversity crisis through comics. He wrote a comic story in collaboration with War and Peas named "Woke". It
9230-608: The cast of Back to the Future the Musical . After the main show, Amanda Holden and Jason Manford presented The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon . Red Nose Day took place on 18 March 2022. Some of 2022's fundraising challenges that took place prior to the main televised event included a 100-mile river challenge, which saw BBC Radio 1 presenter Jordan North rowing from London to Burnley, and Tom Daley's Homecoming Challenge which involved rowing, swimming, cycling and running. Footage of
9360-479: The comedy series Mr. Bean , which ran from 1990 to 1995. Curtis had by then already begun writing feature films. His first was The Tall Guy (1989), a romantic comedy starring Jeff Goldblum , Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson and produced by Working Title films. The TV movie Bernard and the Genie followed in 1991. In 1994, Curtis created and co-wrote The Vicar of Dibley for comedian Dawn French , which
9490-544: The continued absence of Rowan Atkinson, two more prominent supporters of the charity were absent for 2011 – this was the first ever Comic Relief event to feature no input from Dawn French, and the first for over 10 years to not feature input from Matt Lucas. Similarly, several other frequent contributors from previous years appeared only in appeal films or as part of the 24 Hour Panel People event. Lenny Henry however finally returned after an absence to perform comedic material. The 2013 event took place on Friday 15 March 2013. By
9620-401: The developed nations, it would have the advantage of eliminating all incentives for substitution between financial assets and between financial centers since all transactions would universally be taxed at the identical flat tax rate. The foundations of the APT tax proposal—a small, uniform tax on all economic transactions—involve simplification, base broadening, reductions in marginal tax rates,
9750-490: The distinction between a hedge and a bet becomes increasingly vague" – [2] Archived 17 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine . In general the advocates of financial transaction tax point to Basel III and other treaties and regulations that have increasingly required disclosure to make it easier to ascertain the degree of hedging or speculation in a given transaction or set of transactions. The sheer duration of
9880-435: The distinction between a hedge and a bet becomes increasingly vague." To avoid this problem, most proposals emphasized taxing clearly speculative high-volume very-short-term (seconds to hours) transactions that could not in general reflect any change of fundamental exposure or cashflow expectation. Some of these emphasized the automated nature of the trade. FTT proposals often emerge in response to specific crises. For example,
10010-532: The elimination of tax and information returns, and the automatic collection of tax revenues at the payment source. In 2011 there were 40 countries that had FTT in operation, raising $ 38 billion (€29bn). The Belgium securities tax applies to certain transactions concluded or executed in Belgium through a professional intermediary, to the extent that they relate to public funds, irrespective of their (Belgian or foreign) origin. The "tax on stock exchange transactions"
10140-497: The end of the Red Nose Day telethon on 14 March 2015, it was announced that in the 30-year history of Comic Relief, the Red Nose Day and Sport Relief appeals had raised in excess of £ 1.4 billion. Comic Relief was launched live on Noel Edmonds ' Late, Late Breakfast Show on BBC1 , on Christmas Day 1985 from a refugee camp in Sudan. The idea for Comic Relief came from the charity worker Jane Tewson , who established it as
10270-412: The end of the night, Comic Relief raised £75,107,852. In total that year Comic Relief raised £100.3 million. One Direction recorded the official single " One Way or Another ", a medley of Blondie 's " One Way or Another " and " Teenage Kicks " by The Undertones . The single was released on 17 February 2013. The 2015 event took place on Friday 13 March 2015. It was broadcast live for the first time at
10400-585: The event, with the test results announced during the telethon: they all failed. The hosts of Red Nose Day 2003 were: Jonathan Ross , Lenny Henry , Anthony McPartlin , Declan Donnelly , Vic Reeves , Bob Mortimer , Graham Norton , Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish . As usual a variety of specially filmed versions of television shows were made. Popular BBC talent show Fame Academy returned as Comic Relief does Fame Academy . Other shows included EastEnders , Auf Wiedersehen, Pet , University Challenge and Celebrity Driving School . Harry Potter and
10530-474: The film starred Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench , with James Corden as the narrator, was directed by Dearbhla Walsh and was broadcast on BBC on 1 January 2015. His next film, Yesterday , was adapted from an original screenplay by Jack Barth (who received only "co-story" credit, reportedly at Curtis's insistence). The film, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Lily James and Himesh Patel , follows
10660-417: The fundamental principles behind working at Comic Relief is the "Golden Pound Principle" where every single donated pound (£) is spent on charitable projects. All operating costs , such as staff salaries , are covered by corporate sponsors , or interest earned on money waiting to be distributed. Currently, its main supporters are the BBC , BT , TK Maxx and British Airways . The BBC is responsible for
10790-504: The global GDP. Members having 71% of the total vote needed for implementation have already ratified the decision. All it needs is the approval of the United States Congress . If the scheme is successfully tested, it could be followed by an annual issue of SDRs and the amounts could be scaled up "so that they could have a meaningful impact on many of our most pressing social issues". Between 1982 and 2002 Australia charged
10920-561: The issue that hedging and speculation were more of a spectrum than a distinct duality of goals. "Academic studies (e.g. Bodnar et al, 1998) show that companies usually incorporate predictions of future price levels (i.e. a 'view') when executing hedges (a fact which will come as no surprise to most risk management practitioners). If hedging is really just about reducing risk, then why should our expectations of future market direction have any bearing on our hedging decisions? If we hedge 50% of our exposure, instead of 80% or 100%, because we feel that
11050-486: The latter challenge, which took place between the Aquatics Centre in London and Plymouth, was featured in a BBC One documentary called Tom Daley's Hell of a Homecoming which was broadcast on 14 March 2022. The main Red Nose Day programming was split into three sections with the three-hour comedy special and The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon appearing on BBC One before and after the news, whilst Comic Relief at
11180-460: The launch of the Robin Hood tax campaign in 2010. The campaign fights for a 0.05% tax levied on each bank trade ranging from shares to foreign exchange and derivatives that could generate $ 700bn worldwide and be spent on measures to combat domestic and international poverty as well as fight climate change . In October 2010, a short film created by Curtis titled No Pressure was released by
11310-660: The legal document needed to formalize the purchase. As of 2011 , it is the oldest tax still in existence in Great Britain. In 1893, the Japanese government introduced the exchange tax , which continued until 1999. In 1893, the tax rates were 0.06% for securities and commodities and 0.03% for bonds. The United States instituted a transfer tax on all sales or transfers of stock in The Revenue Act of 1914 (Act of 22 October 1914 (ch. 331, 38 Stat. 745)). Instead of
11440-458: The live television extravaganza on Red Nose Day ; BT provides the telephony, and TK Maxx sells merchandise on behalf of the charity. Until 2022, Sainsbury's sold Red Noses in their Supermarkets, Local Stores and Petrol Stations. In 2002, Comic Relief and BBC Sport teamed up to create Sport Relief , a new initiative, aiming to unite the sporting community and culminate in a night of sport, entertainment and fundraising on BBC One. Sport Relief
11570-428: The most important purpose for the tax. Fraser Reilly-King of Halifax Initiative is one such economist. He proposes that an FTT would not have addressed the root causes of the United States housing bubble which, in part, triggered the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Nevertheless, he sees an FTT as important for bringing a more equitable balance to the taxation of all parts of the economy. According to some economists,
11700-524: The most impoverished. The film was timed to air just before the Gleneagles G8 summit in 2005. It received three Emmy Awards in 2006, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie , Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Kelly Macdonald and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special trophy for Curtis himself. Curtis said of Yates' direction that he made "a much more beautiful film, and
11830-428: The official single, a cover of ' Just Can't Get Enough '. The event raised £82.3 million. The 2011 event took place on Friday 18 March 2011. £74.3 million was raised on the night, the highest ever 'on the night' total. This was subsequently beaten by £0.8 million on Red Nose Day 2013's on-the-night event. The total for the whole campaign was £108.4 million, the then highest raised for one event. In addition to
11960-548: The operating name of Charity Projects, a registered charity in England and Scotland. On 4, 5 and 6 April 1986 the inaugural live fundraising show, "Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Live", was staged at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London featuring popular alternative comedians and pop stars (including Rowan Atkinson , Billy Connolly , Stephen Fry , Lenny Henry , Kate Bush and Cliff Richard ). An audio recording
12090-421: The press from political interference while also giving vital protection to the vulnerable." In August 2014, Curtis was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue . In 2020, Curtis co-founded the climate finance campaign Make My Money Matter . According to Campaign Director David Hayman
12220-440: The price/rate of the underlying exposure is more likely to move in our favor, does this meet the criteria for speculation?... On one level (at the extremes), there is no doubt that hedging and speculation are very different activities. However, once you move beyond the straightforward elimination of open positions, into more nuanced transactions involving complex hedging strategies or tenuous relationships between hedges and exposures,
12350-502: The proceeds going to the cause and the celebrity. Other shows included Absolutely Fabulous , Little Britain I Want That One , The Vicar of Dibley , Green Wing , Spider-Plant Man , a parody of Spider-Man starring Rowan Atkinson, and My Family . McFly released the official single, a double A-side of " All About You/You've Got a Friend " which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart , and also Number 1 in
12480-476: The rate is 0.4% Finland imposes a tax of 1.6% on the transfer of certain Finnish securities, mainly equities such as bonds, debt securities, and derivatives. The tax is charged if the transferee and/or transferor is a Finnish resident or a Finnish branch of certain financial institutions. However, there are several exceptions. For E.g. no transfer tax is payable if the equities in question are subject to trading on
12610-483: The record set by Four Weddings and a Funeral to become the top-grossing British film. The story of a lonely travel bookstore owner who falls in love with the world's most famous movie star was directed by Roger Michell . Curtis next co-wrote the screen adaptation of the international bestseller Bridget Jones's Diary for Working Title. Curtis knew the novel's writer Helen Fielding . Indeed, he has credited her with saying that his original script for Four Weddings and
12740-472: The shows include parodies of recent popular shows, films and clips, events, and specially filmed versions of comedy shows. Smith and Jones , and a parody sketch starring Rowan Atkinson were both regularly featured. The First Red Nose Day was held on Friday 5 February 1988 with the slogan: "The Plain Red Nose", and raised £15 million. The Second Red Nose Day was held on Friday 10 March 1989 with
12870-485: The slogan: "Red Nose Day 2", and raised £27 million. This is also when the event would start generally being scheduled in mid-March, often close to, or on 17 March – Saint Patrick's Day . The Third Red Nose Day was held on Friday 15 March 1991 with the slogan "The Stonker", and raised £20 million. The charity song was a double A-sided single featuring "The Stonk" performed by Hale & Pace and "The Smile Song" performed by Victoria Wood. The Fourth Red Nose Day
13000-424: The specific type of volatility in specific areas, see each specific type of financial transaction taxes below. An exception to the purpose of "curbing of volatility" is likely the "bank transaction tax". The role of large numbers of individual speculators willing to take both short and long positions without prejudice does play some role in preventing price bubbles and asset inflation. However, excess speculation
13130-542: The style of a series of The Bee Gees ' disco hits. In 1984 and 1985, Curtis wrote material for ITV's satirical puppet show Spitting Image . First with Atkinson and later with Ben Elton , Curtis then wrote the Blackadder series from 1983 to 1989, each season focusing on a different era in British history. Atkinson played the lead throughout, but Curtis was the only writer who participated in every episode of Blackadder . The pair continued their collaboration with
13260-421: The synthesis and extension of the ideas of Keynes and Tobin by proposing a flat-rate tax on all transactions. The total volume of all transactions undertaken in an economy represents the broadest possible tax base and therefore requires the lowest flat tax rate to raise any required amount of revenue. Since financial transactions in stocks, bonds, international currency transactions, and derivatives comprise most of
13390-433: The tax and into instruments not subject to it. In this fashion, markets would innovate to avoid the tax" as they were doing with the creation of financial derivatives . "The real issue is how to design a tax that takes account of all the methods and margins of substitution that investors have for changing their patterns of activity to avoid the tax. [as] suggested by Pollin et al. (1999)." – Palley, 2000 The global adoption of
13520-519: The tax are Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain and likely Estonia. For example, British banks opposed the tax. Supporters said: "We are delighted that the European FTT is moving from rhetoric to reality and will ensure banks pay for the damage they have caused; This shows it is possible to put the needs of the public over the profits of a privileged few. It's unforgivable in this age of austerity that
13650-692: The tax for the one transaction. This tax is narrower in scope than a financial activities tax (FAT), and is not directly an industry or sector tax like a Financial stability contribution (FSC), or " bank tax ", for example. These distinctions are important in discussions about the utility of financial transaction tax as a tool to selectively discourage excessive speculation without discouraging any other activity (as John Maynard Keynes originally envisioned it in 1936). There are several types of financial transaction taxes. Each has its own purpose. Some have been implemented, while some are only proposals. Concepts are found in various organizations and regions around
13780-444: The tax rate structure, the flat rate APT tax introduces progressiveness through the tax base since the highest income and wealth groups undertake a disproportionate share of financial transactions. In the context of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 , many economists, governments, and organizations around the world re-examined, or were asked to re-examine, the concept of a financial transaction tax, or its various forms. In response to
13910-554: The tax will generate €170 million in additional revenue for 2012 and another €500 million in 2013. France is the first European country to impose a transaction tax on share purchases. From 2 January 2017 settlement date the rate increased to 0.3%. Listed shares acquired as of 1 January 2013 will no longer be subject to the sales tax; rather, any capital gains received will be added to the taxpayer's total income. Capital gains taxes such as Greece's are generally not considered financial transaction taxes. Since 1 October 2004, India levies
14040-706: The tax. In 1998 Colombia introduced a financial transaction tax of 0.2% , covering all financial transactions including banknotes , promissory notes , processing of payments by way of telegraphic transfer, EFTPOS , internet banking or other means, bank drafts and bank cheques , money on term deposit , overdrafts , installment loans, documentary and standby letters of credit , guarantees, performance bonds , securities underwriting commitments and other forms of off balance sheet exposures, safekeeping of documents and other items in safe deposit boxes , currency exchange, sale, distribution or brokerage, with or without advice, unit trusts and similar financial products. Currently
14170-589: The terms of payment in trade-related transactions (so-called "swaps" for instance) provided a ready means of evading any tax other than the Automated Payment Transaction tax since it uniformly taxed all transactions. Other measures and exemptions from such transaction taxes, to avoid punishing hedging (a form of insurance for cashflows) were also proposed. These tended to lead to generally more complex schemes that were not implemented, in part due to lack of standardization of risk reporting under
14300-554: The value of the trade. Financial transaction tax on derivatives of qualified equity transactions went into effect on 1 September 2013. The regulation is to apply the tax on the net balance of purchase and sale transactions executed same day on the same financial instrument by the same person/entity. It applies to: Until 1999, Japan imposed a transaction tax on a variety of financial instruments, including debt instruments and equity instruments, but at differential rates. The tax rates were higher on equities than on debentures and bonds. In
14430-409: The voice of the speaking clock between 10 and 23 March with the cost of the call going to Comic Relief. On the night of the live show itself, £35m was raised, an on-the-night record. A total of £61.6 million was raised that year, setting a new record. Jack Dee stood outside at the top of a pole for the duration of the show, parodying the acts of David Blaine . Celebrity Driving School led up to
14560-428: The wider use of financial transaction taxes. He proposed the levying of a small transaction tax on dealings on Wall Street , in the United States, where he argued excessive speculation by uninformed financial traders increased volatility (see Keynes financial transaction tax below). In 1972 the Bretton Woods system for stabilizing currencies effectively came to an end. In that context, James Tobin , influenced by
14690-672: The work of Keynes, suggested his more specific currency transaction tax for stabilizing currencies on a larger global scale. In 1989, at the Buenos Aires meetings of the International Institute of Public Finance , University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor of Economics Edgar L. Feige proposed extending the tax reform ideas of John Maynard Keynes , James Tobin and Lawrence Summers , to their logical conclusion, namely to tax all transactions. Feige's Automated Payment Transaction tax (APT tax) proposed taxing
14820-475: The world. Some are domestic and meant to be used within one nation; whereas some are multinational. In 2011 there were 40 countries that made use of FTT, together raising $ 38 billion (€29bn). The year 1694 saw an early implementation of a financial transaction tax in the form of a stamp duty at the London Stock Exchange . The tax was payable by the buyer of shares for the official stamp on
14950-462: Was a biennial charity event, and the campaign deliberately alternated years with Red Nose Day, Comic Relief's flagship event. Red Nose Day occurs in odd-numbered years, and Sport Relief in even-numbered years. In 2009, Comic Relief launched a website calling for a financial transaction tax , the "Robin Hood" tax. On 14 March 2015, at the end of that year's Red Nose Day telethon it was announced that in
15080-485: Was a commercial and critical disappointment in the UK. Curtis re-edited the film for its US release where it was re-titled Pirate Radio , but also failed to find an audience. He followed that with War Horse , which he rewrote for director Steven Spielberg based on an earlier script by playwright Lee Hall . Curtis was recommended to Spielberg by DreamWorks Studio executive Stacey Snider , who had worked with Curtis during her time at Universal Studios . Curtis's work on
15210-420: Was a great success. In an online poll conducted in 2004 Britain's Best Sitcom , it was voted the third-best sitcom in British history and Blackadder the second-best, making Curtis the only screenwriter to create two shows in the poll's top 10 programmes. Curtis achieved his breakthrough success with the romantic comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral . The 1994 film, starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell ,
15340-515: Was also noteworthy for supporting the Make Poverty History campaign – many of the videos recorded for the MPH campaign (including videos by Bono and Nelson Mandela ) were shown throughout the evening. £65m was raised. As usual a variety of specially filmed versions of television shows were made. Popular BBC talent show Comic Relief does Fame Academy was attended by celebrities singing cover versions of songs. Viewers voted for their favourite, with
15470-488: Was an occasional visitor to the house. He then won a scholarship to Harrow School , where he joined the editorial team of The Harrovian , the weekly school magazine, and this, he asserts, is "where I learned all the skills that made me a sketch writer. I did reviews, comment pieces and funny articles where I'd try to conjure something out of nothing." While at Harrow, Curtis directed a school performance of Joe Orton 's play The Erpingham Camp ; this controversial choice
15600-494: Was considered in particular but rejected. During the 1980s the Chicago School view became dominant, that speculation served a vital purpose in keeping currencies accurately reflecting the prospects of their economies, and that even very short term transactions in response to news could in fact reflect fundamental analysis. Economic literature of the period the 1990s–2000s emphasized that derivatives and other variations in
15730-491: Was given the 'green light' by his classics master, James Morwood . Later, Curtis commented that Morwood's support had helped him understand that it was all right "to push boundaries and to be funny". Curtis did not approve of fagging at the school, and at 18, when he became head of his house, he banned it. He achieved a first-class Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature at Christ Church, Oxford . At
15860-510: Was held on 16 March. The total raised was £55 million. As well as donations on the night of the TV show, money is raised from countrywide sponsored events and from merchandising , particularly of the red noses themselves. Celebrity Big Brother 1 was produced in honour of Comic Relief, with the finale airing as part of the Red Nose Day festivities. The 2003 Red Nose Day was held on 14 March. The fund raising activities included Lenny Henry providing
15990-519: Was held on Friday 12 March 1993 with the slogan "The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes", and raised £18 million. The Fifth Red Nose Day was held on Friday 17 March 1995, with the slogan "What A Difference A Day Makes", and raised £22 million. The 1997 Red Nose Day event was held on 14 March with the slogan "Small Change – Big Difference". The event raised over £27m for charitable causes. The Spice Girls song " Who Do You Think You Are? "
16120-485: Was once again hosted by Sir Lenny Henry alongside Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness, David Tennant and Alesha Dixon. Sketches included a crossover between Catherine Tate 's Nan character and James Bond ( Daniel Craig ), a Comic Relief Zoom meeting featuring Jack Whitehall and various celebrities and a trailer for 2020 – The Movie featuring Keira Knightley , Michael Sheen , Jodie Whittaker , KSI , Anna Friel and Dame Joan Collins . Sheen and Tennant also starred in
16250-590: Was one of the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork—the cover of The Beatles ' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . Curtis was born in Wellington , New Zealand. He is the son of Glyness S. and Anthony J. Curtis. His father was a Czechoslovakian refugee who moved to Australia when aged 13 and became an executive at Unilever . Curtis and his family lived in several different countries during his childhood, including Sweden and
16380-703: Was printed in the book The Most Important Comic Book on Earth: Stories to Save the World which was released on 28 October 2021 by DK . Curtis lives in Notting Hill and has a country house in Walberswick , Suffolk with broadcaster Emma Freud who he married in September 2023. They have four children, including writer and activist Scarlett . He had previously dated Anne Strutt , now Baroness Jenkin of Kennington, before her marriage to Sir Bernard Jenkin ,
16510-418: Was produced on a limited budget by the British production company Working Title Films . Curtis chose Mike Newell to direct the film after watching his TV film Ready When You Are, Mr. McGill . Four Weddings and a Funeral proved to be the top-grossing British film in history at that time. It made an international star of Grant, and Curtis' Oscar nomination for the script catapulted him to prominence (though
16640-560: Was released on WEA which included a live performance of the charity single " Living Doll " by Cliff Richard and the Young Ones . The highlight of Comic Relief is Red Nose Day. On 8 February 1988, Lenny Henry went to Ethiopia and celebrated the very first Red Nose Day telethon. Over 150 celebrities and comedians participated. The event raised £15 million and attracted 30 million television viewers on BBC1. To date, Richard Curtis and Lenny Henry are still active participants of
16770-606: Was released on 28 June 2019. Curtis together with Lenny Henry are co-founders and co-creators of Comic Relief . Curtis is also a founder of Make Poverty History . He organised the Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof to publicise poverty, particularly in Africa, and pressure G8 leaders to adopt his proposals for ending it. He has written of his work in The Observer in the Global development section in 2005. Curtis helped spearhead
16900-516: Was the official Comic Relief single with 672,577 physical copies sold. The telethon featured an appearance from Father Ted Crilly ( Dermot Morgan ) and Father Dougal McGuire ( Ardal O'Hanlon ), characters from the sitcom Father Ted . The 1999 Red Nose Day was held on 12 March and raised over £35m. Perennial hosts Jonathan Ross and Lenny Henry were joined by Davina McCall, Chris Evans, Ben Elton , Jack Dee and Julian Clary , with Peter Snow providing regular updates on donations. Angus Deayton hosted
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