insiderblmDaniel Craig and Catherine Tate will be part of this year’s Red Nose Day line-up as Comic Relief returns to BBC One.
Craig’s James Bond will come face-to-face with Tate’s Nan character in a sketch to be aired later as part of this year’s charity fundraiser.
Dawn French will return as the Vicar of Dibley in another of the evening’s rib-tickling offerings.
Money raised will be used to tackle hunger, homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health stigma.
The Bond-themed skit will see Nan – now a cleaner at MI6 – take an unexpected call from 007 while cleaning M’s office.
“What a smashing fella,” said Tate of the fictional secret agent, thanking Craig and the makers of the Bond films for being “great sports”.
Alesha Dixon, Sir Lenny Henry, Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness and David Tennant will host the three-hour special, which begins on Friday at 19:00 GMT.
Former Doctor Who star Tennant will also appear with Michael Sheen in a special episode of their Zoom-based comedy series Staged.
Sheen will appear again alongside Keira Knightley and other stars in 2020: The Movie, a blockbuster film parody based on recent world events.
Jack Whitehall, meanwhile, will have his own battles with Zoom in another star-studded sketch featuring Olivia Colman, Anya Taylor-Joy and others.
McGuinness and his fellow Top Gear presenters will face awkward questions from children in a comedy segment hosted by Radio 1’s Jordan North.
There will also be a “mash-up” featuring stars from BBC Three hits Fleabag and Normal People and two songs from the upcoming Back to the Future stage musical.
Throughout the Red Nose Day night of entertainment, viewers will be shown films outlining how their donations can change lives in the UK and around the world.
They will include a number of films that have been co-produced with local filmmakers in India, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
Last year Comic Relief said it would stop sending celebrities to Africa after criticism that such films promoted a “white saviour” narrative.
Charity co-founded Sir Lenny applauded the move, saying it was “time for young black and brown film-makers to take charge”.
Red Nose Day will continue after the BBC News at Ten with The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon, hosted by Jason Manford and Amanda Holden.
The hour-long show will feature more sketches, special guests and the chance for viewers to win a number of once-in-a-lifetime prizes.
This year’s fundraising has already seen charity challenges featuring Alex Scott, Jermaine Jenas and double leg amputee Billy Monger.
One Show stars Scott and Jenas competed in an epic Red Nose and Spoon Race, while Monger took on a triathlon-inspired challenge that saw him walk, cycle and kayak 140 miles across England.
The theme of this year’s Red Nose Day is Funny Is Power, with the aim of empowering people to do good through humour.
Sketches with the casts of Bodyguard and Four Weddings and a Funeral helped the last Comic Relief fundraiser in March 2019 raise £63m by the end of the evening.
