So it's been Red Nose Day 2013 [15.3.13], the big national fundraiser from Comic Relief,and having been going now for 25 years.
On Red Nose Day ...."everyone, including celebrities, is encouraged to cast inhibitions aside, put on a Red Nose and do something funny for money. It culminates in a night of cutting-edge comedy and moving documentary films on BBC One. Red Nose Day unites the entire nation in trying to make a difference to the lives of countless people across Africa and the UK who are facing terrible injustice or living in desperate poverty". In short that's "having fun changing lives" (Rednoseday.com).
In 2011 a whopping £74,300,000 was raised. This had already been surpassed in 2013 by the end of the night, reaching over £75m. Part of the traditional fundraising is a music track recorded by a popular artist of the moment. This time it's One Direction, with their medley cover version of...Blondie's One Way Or Another and the Undertones' Teenage Kicks. The Government is contributing the VAT equivalent of the proceeds from the single.
To celebrate that 25 years and those comic relief singles over the years, the Official Charts Company has compiled the list of the biggest selling Comic Relief singles.
There's been 21 singles, totalling 8 million sales, and including 13 number one's. The first was released in 1986, Cliff Richard with the Young ones, reprising Cliff's Living Doll. The overall best seller is Peter Kay's technically 'unofficial' single (MycFly was the official release), selling 1.25 million singles. That puts it in the big players league of less than 130 singles that have sold over a million singles in the life of the official chart.
Sources and thanks: Official Charts Company
To celebrate that 25 years and those comic relief singles over the years, the Official Charts Company has compiled the list of the biggest selling Comic Relief singles.
There's been 21 singles, totalling 8 million sales, and including 13 number one's. The first was released in 1986, Cliff Richard with the Young ones, reprising Cliff's Living Doll. The overall best seller is Peter Kay's technically 'unofficial' single (MycFly was the official release), selling 1.25 million singles. That puts it in the big players league of less than 130 singles that have sold over a million singles in the life of the official chart.
| TRACK | ARTIST | YEAR | PEAK POSITION | ||
| 1 | IS THIS THE WAY TO AMARILLO? | TONY CHRISTIE & PETER KAY | 2005 | 1 | |
| 2 | UPTOWN GIRL | WESTLIFE | 2001 | 1 | |
| 3 | LIVING DOLL | CLIFF RICHARD AND THE YOUNG ONES | 1986 | 1 | |
| 4 | MAMA / WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE | SPICE GIRLS | 1997 | 1 | |
| 5 | WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING | BOYZONE | 1999 | 1 | |
| 6 | SPIRIT IN THE SKY | GARETH GATES AND THE KUMARS | 2003 | 1 | |
| 7 | ALL ABOUT YOU/YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND | MCFLY | 2005 | 1 | |
| 8 | I'M GONNA BE (500 MILES) | THE PROCLAIMERS FT BRIAN POTTER AND ANDY PIPKIN | 2007 | 1 | |
| 9 | JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH | THE SATURDAYS | 2009 | 2 | |
| 10 | HELP! | BANANARAMA AND LA NA NEE NEE NOO NOO | 1989 | 3 | |
| 11 | GOLD FOREVER | THE WANTED | 2011 | 3 | |
| 12 | ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (TEENAGE KICKS) | ONE DIRECTION | 2013 | 1 | |
| 13 | THE STONK | HALE AND PACE | 1991 | 1 | |
| 14 | LOVE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE | CHER, CHRISSIE HYNDE, NENEH CHERRY AND ERIC CLAPTON | 1995 | 1 | |
| 15 | ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE | MEL SMITH AND KIM WILDE | 1987 | 3 | |
| 16 | BARRY ISLANDS IN THE STREAM | VANESSA JENKINS & BRYN WEST FT TOM JONES | 2009 | 1 | |
| 17 | WALK THIS WAY | SUGABABES VS. GIRLS ALOUD | 2007 | 1 | |
| 18 | STICK IT OUT | RIGHT SAID FRED | 1993 | 4 | |
| 19 | ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS | PET SHOP BOYS AND ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS | 1994 | 6 | |
| 20 | (I WANT TO BE) ELECTED | MR BEAN AND SMEAR CAMPAIGN | 1992 | 9 | |
| 21 | I KNOW HIM SO WELL | SUSAN BOYLE AND GERALDINE MCQUEEN | 2011 | 11 |
