Dame Joanna Lumley Brings the Love in Red Nose Day 2022 Campaign

Comic Relief, with the help of Dame Joanna Lumley, celebrates the power we all possess to help change lives with the launch of a new campaign to mark the start of the Red Nose Day 2022 campaign. This is the first work created by Leo Burnett London since the agency won the account in March 2021.

The campaign is an evolution of Comic Relief’s ‘Funny is Power’ platform, with a strategic shift that puts the nation at its heart and celebrates the many people who play a central role in Comic Relief’s annual success. In a marked step change from previous years the campaign idea, ‘You have the power to change lives’, demonstrates that, when it comes to Comic Relief, every single member of the public can make a difference. And it is when we all come together that we make real change. 

The campaign seeks to get more people involved in Red Nose Day by breaking down how every act adds up, and that every donation will help when it comes to tackling poverty, violence and discrimination.

The 60-second launch film heroes some of the many things people can do to get involved whether it be making a donation via the Comic Relief website, fundraising by selling cupcakes in costumes or purchasing an iconic Red Nose, and highlighting the power they have to help change lives just by doing so. 

The film stars Dame Joanna Lumley – who received her damehood in the latest New Year Honours – serenading people who have got involved in the fundraising efforts to the tune of ‘Lovin’ You’ by Minnie Riperton, all delivered with her trademark comic touch. It was shot by director and writer, Alicia Macdonald, from Missing Link.

Jo Cullen, head of marketing and media, Comic Relief, said: “Over the years Comic Relief has raised over £1.4billion with the great British public - we are constantly blown away be people’s generosity and the support given to every Red Nose Day. Making this campaign all about the wonderful people who donate and fundraise for Red Nose Day seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do.

“With our brand film this year we have focused on simple messages around the ways you can get involved. We want people to know more than anything that whatever they decide to do, they really can help change someone’s life for the better. Comic Relief was founded on determined optimism, and this is the heart of our communications.

“We hope the campaign, and this film in particular, will raise smiles and make people feel excited to join in this Red Nose Day on Friday 18 March, to help people living in the UK and around the world.”

Chaka Sobhani, global chief creative officer, Leo Burnett London, said: “Who doesn’t love a bit of Joanna Lumley serenading you with thank you’s? It’s been an absolute delight to create something with and for the institution that is Comic Relief. Hopefully we’ve made something funny enough to live up to their brilliant history of educating us and doing such amazing things while also making us laugh. It really is about ‘you’ and your power to change lives, even if you might not realise it.”

Cuts of the film will run across a range of social and digital channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Teads. The film will be supported with static visuals and GIFs to also hero the ways people have got involved this year and the power their participation in Red Nose Day has to change lives – from getting a sponsored ‘scare-cut’ to buying merchandise.

The campaign will run for just over six weeks ahead of Red Nose Day on Friday 18 March 2022. 

With a mission to drive positive change through the power of entertainment, humour and stories of hope, Comic Relief raises funds and awareness for numerous domestic and international causes, from child poverty and mental health stigma to domestic abuse and homelessness. The charity has raised over £1.4 billion in donations since its conception in 1985, when it was founded by scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry.