119 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
119 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
==================================
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B R I T C O M E D Y D I G E S T
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VOL. I Special issue: HAPPY RED NOSE DAY! MARCH 17, 1995
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No. 10
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A monthly electronic newsletter on British comedies.
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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE ADJUST YOUR NOSES
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Everyone knows that comedians are great at earning laughs and raising
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smiles, but today they are out to prove that they are equally good at
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raising lots of cold, hard cash.
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Friday, March 17th is Comic Relief Red Nose Day 5, so don't be alarmed if
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people are walking around looking like they have that virus from the new
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Dustin Hoffman thriller Outbreak. It's all for a laugh, but more
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importantly, it's all for a good cause. And since it comes along only once
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every two years, we here at Britcomedy Digest would like to add our voice
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to the many others supporting and celebrating Red Nose Day 1995.
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FOR THE CLUELESS: WHAT IS COMIC RELIEF RED NOSE DAY?
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Comic Relief was started a decade ago, and has sold over 16,000,000 plastic
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red noses since then (though this year they're apparently selling one
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which changes colour). The noses are worn on -- you got it -- Red Nose
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Day.
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The money raised from the sales, along with funds raised various other
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events, goes to help the needy in the UK and Africa.
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WHAT COMIC RELIEF HAS DONE
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Since its inception in 1985, Comic Relief has raised more than 92 million
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pounds, all of which has gone to help those in need. The wonderful thing
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about the Comic Relief program is that it not only supports charities which
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help people with their immediate needs, but also gives a high priority to
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programs which foster self-reliance. It's about helping people and teaching
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people how to help themselves.
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Every county in the UK has a program which has been funded by Comic Relief.
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Among these are PANDA (People's Alternatives To Narcotics, Drugs, and
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Alcohol) and numerous shelters which provide accommodation 2,000+ homeless
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young people each evening.
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In Africa, which contains eight out the ten poorest countries in the world,
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Comic Relief has supported land mine education for refugees in war-torn
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Rwanda and has funded a peace conference in strife-ridden Burundi.
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Another exciting and promising aspect of the Comic Relief program is its
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commitment to education. Teachers in the UK have been given access to the
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RIOTOUS ASSEMBLY pack, which includes a videocassette starring Ben Elton and
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Tony Robinson. These tapes give students a greater understanding of the
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issues which Comic Relief addresses.
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HIGHLIGHTS FOR TODAY
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As if having an excuse to wear a red nose in public isn't fun enough, some
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of the biggest names in British comedy will perform live. Past highlights:
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Cliff Richard and The Young Ones doing a version of Living Doll, Blackadder:
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The Cavalier Years and The New Statesman At Number 10 skits.
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BBC1 has scheduled "A Night Of Comic Relief," which will include, among
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others, Lenny Henry, French and Saunders, Reeves and Mortimer, Mel Smith and
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Griff Rhys Jones, Harry Enfield, Jonathan Ross. This special evening of
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programming will run from 1900 to 0250. Some highlights will be:
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* Rowan Atkinson and Jayne Torvill skating together as "Torvill and
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Bean."
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* Dawn French in a skit written specifically for her by Victoria Wood.
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This is the first time the two women have ever worked together.
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* The Dickens spoof "Oliver 2: Let's Twist Again" written by Richard
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Curtis and starring Dame Diana Rigg, Michael Palin, Stephen Fry, Oliver
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Reed, Ron Moody, Jeremy Irons, Angus Deayton, and others. This will be
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shown in three parts throughout the evening.
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* Lenny Henry Presents Belfast Live, which not only celebrates Red Nose
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Day but St. Patrick's Day. Among the performers scheduled to appear
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live from the Belfast Opera House are Jo Brand, Ben Elton, Julian
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Clary. (Henry will be doing a Phil Collins Live Aid type thing by
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appearing first in London and then going by helicopter to Belfast.)
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* Wax On A Rampage, during which Ruby Wax uses whatever means possible to
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raise a million pounds. (And if anyone can do it, Ruby can...)
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With this line-up, it might be very easy to get involved in the laughter and
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forget what the cause is all about. However, several films during the course
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of the evening (including reports from Richard Wilson in Uganda, Victoria
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Wood in Zimbawbwe, and Billy Connolly in Mozambique) will show how Comic
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Relief has helped change lives.
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PARTICIPATE IN RED NOSE DAY 5!
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More than 5,000 phone lines are set up to take donations Friday night; with
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your help, Comic Relief will pass the 100 million pound mark. So remember
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the key words: Donate early! Donate often!
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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For the public:
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DONATION line: LO CALL 0345 910910
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Info hotline: 0891 405060
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More information is available from:
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http://www.worldserver.pipex.com/comic.relief/
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Email: red.nose@pipex.com
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Address:
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Comic Relief/Charity Projects
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1st Floor, 74 New Oxford Street
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London WC1A 1EF
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Telephone: +44 (0)171-436-1122
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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End
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