0:00:03 > 0:00:06It's 25 years since the very first Red Nose Day,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09and just under two weeks till this year's Comic Relief.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Millions of pounds have been raised for good causes over the years,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15and here on Songs Of Praise, we're launching our very own
0:00:15 > 0:00:18fundraising challenge, involving a few famous faces.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Is that comedian Tim Vine?
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Yes, this week, we're seeing the life-changing results of
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Comic Relief's work with charities here at home and in Africa.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Bake-Off star Mary Berry is on a mission in Wolverhampton,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39and we've plenty of great hymns from around the UK.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Cliff Richard!
0:00:49 > 0:00:51For the last quarter of a century,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Comic Relief has been urging us to be cheerful givers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56# Living doll
0:00:56 > 0:00:57# Living doll! #
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Juliet, Juliet!
0:01:02 > 0:01:04It all began with a comedy show in a London theatre.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12And, believe it or not,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16the first Red Nose Day hit our screens back in 1988.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Since then, the organisation has raised £800 million.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28The vision of Comic Relief is a just world, free from poverty.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30We're a conduit for that money,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33we exist to make the work of other organisations possible,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38and we work with people both of faith and people of no faith, as well.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51This is, of course, the comedian, Tim Vine. Good to see you.
0:01:51 > 0:01:52Lovely to see you, Aled.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54He's going to help us with the challenge this week.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56I'll tell you what, why don't you do the next bit?
0:01:56 > 0:01:57Great idea. Hello, viewers.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00If you'd like to put a hand on the screen, close your eyes
0:02:00 > 0:02:02- and send us 100. That's not us, is it?- No.- No, right.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05In that case, here's a hymn taken from that wonderful collection,
0:02:05 > 0:02:06Ancient And Earlier.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07And it's a real toe-tapper.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Yes, I'm tapping my toe already.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11That went well.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Yes, it did. Can I have your job?
0:02:13 > 0:02:14- No.- Only asking.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Thanks to the Great British Bake-Off,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29our next guest has got the nation back into the kitchen.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Today, Mary Berry is putting her faith into practice,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38on a mission for Comic Relief.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Every weekday,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46the Good Shepherd Project offers free food to anyone who needs it.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50As a Christian, we've always been taught,
0:05:50 > 0:05:55and I've been brought up to look after our neighbours.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I'm going to be very much part of what's happening today.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03I'm going to see what they're cooking,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and I want to talk to the people who are preparing it.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09They've chosen to help, and I want to know what's behind it.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18It isn't what you call a wishy-washy soup. It's full of real goodness.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19It's lovely.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26There is a sizeable portion of people who have probably very little,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30because of the poverty of our times, and some of them may be
0:06:30 > 0:06:34dependent on the food to feed the family for what they receive from us.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37To me, serving the poor, providing for the poor,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Comic Relief do the very same thing,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42because when people support Comic Relief
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and they support an agency like this,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47they really are feeding the poor, and to me, you have to look at that.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50The broad picture is quite an amazing one.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53One o'clock, doors open.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59So what we do is we go around to each of the service users.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Whoever's got an empty bowl, we just fill it up.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Those who have had already and want seconds, we just top them up.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Hello. This is chicken soup today. Nice and full?
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Mary Berry is a cook.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Hello.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Are you not working at the moment?
0:07:16 > 0:07:17No, I'm not.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I lost my job last January.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22And what do you think of it down here?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- I think it's good.- Do you?
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Putting it mildly.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- Do you find it quite rewarding?- Yes.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30It makes me very grateful for what I've got.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- Yes.- I bet it does.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33Puts your life in perspective, as well.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39The best bit about it is that we try to make a small difference
0:07:39 > 0:07:43to their lives, to those that are homeless,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47to those that haven't got much, just to see them fed, really.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52And a special treat for today, my own apple cake for pudding.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56The staff here have prepared it. I just hope everybody likes it.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Oh, you're having my pudding!
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Yes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02- What do you think of it, then? - It's really nice.
0:08:02 > 0:08:03- Is it?- Yes.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Like what my mum used to make when I was about four years of age.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08How long have you been coming here?
0:08:08 > 0:08:11On and off for about four or five years.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15'Brother Stephen is a whirlwind. He never keeps still.'
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Why did you choose to do this?
0:08:20 > 0:08:23I find the God I worship in the people I serve,
0:08:23 > 0:08:28and I feel that this is an expression of my faith experience,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32and it's a journey that I share with all sorts of different people.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Help yourself.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37There have been over 100 people coming through the doors
0:08:37 > 0:08:41and enjoying a really good, nutritious lunch.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45They come here for friendship, they come here for warmth,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48they don't have jobs, some of them have lost their families,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50and some of them are sleeping rough.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Smile!
0:08:51 > 0:08:52I'm taller than him!
0:08:54 > 0:08:55I'm so thrilled,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59I'm so proud that the money from Comic Relief is being used
0:08:59 > 0:09:05so wisely by people who are serving them through their Christian faith.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06Oh, it suits you!
0:11:10 > 0:11:13As well as concerns at home, a major driving force
0:11:13 > 0:11:18behind the founding of Comic Relief was African famine and unrest.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21That's why, 25 years on, it still gives just over half
0:11:21 > 0:11:26of all money raised by Red Nose Day to groups working across Africa.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29# Baby Jesus, baby Jesus. #
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Charity leader Mary Mosinghi
0:11:31 > 0:11:34has very personal reasons for being involved.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36# You're my saviour You're my saviour
0:11:36 > 0:11:39# Every day, every day. #
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Around the mid-'80s, there was a lot of instability in Uganda,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47and my father, cousins and my uncle were murdered as a result of that.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I came here to find some peace,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and also to further my education and my teaching career.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01It was here in the UK Mary was able to set up her charity Africare,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05to help communities back in her homeland struggling to cope
0:12:05 > 0:12:07with the effects of HIV and AIDS.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13I went back to Uganda in 1995, and I visited this village,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16and this frail-looking woman came up to me and told me,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18"Please help us, we're dying."
0:12:19 > 0:12:22They'd lost their sons, their husbands,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and they were looking after very young children,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and we used to question, I did, and a number of my friends did,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30"Where is God in all this?"
0:12:30 > 0:12:35But I think our faith, or my faith was strong, and that didn't
0:12:35 > 0:12:41divert me from trying to understand how God is looking at all this,
0:12:41 > 0:12:46and ways in which we can address HIV and AIDS and its impact.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'Eight years on, and with the support of Comic Relief,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'Mary's charity is helping villagers to face the future with hope.'
0:12:57 > 0:13:02And how do you feel when you see the good work that's happening there?
0:13:02 > 0:13:07I feel very honoured. I also feel very humbled.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Sometimes I get really excited, because ten years ago, people
0:13:11 > 0:13:14were crossing the road because they didn't want to be seen.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19Now they're walking in and saying, "I'm HIV positive, I need help."
0:13:19 > 0:13:22You see children playing football, netball.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25These are children of families affected by HIV and AIDS,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28which they wouldn't have done ten years ago.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29Is faith important out there?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31When someone is unwell,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35the first person they go to is the faith leader.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38If they're told, "Just pray and you'll get better,"
0:13:38 > 0:13:39that's what they'll do.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43But I believe that faith, being a Christian,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47and seeing a doctor can get you better, the three can get you well,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51so it's around relaying that message to people.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Through Comic Relief,
0:13:56 > 0:13:57we've been able to get these funds to work
0:13:57 > 0:14:01with our partners in Uganda to make a difference in the lives
0:14:01 > 0:14:06of very poor people in society, and we do thank Comic Relief,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and we thank God for giving us this opportunity.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44So, Tim, why are we here with the marvellous Songs Of Praise
0:16:44 > 0:16:45senior school choir of the year?
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I can tell you exactly why we're here, Aled.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49We're here because we want you people at home to raise
0:16:49 > 0:16:52as much money as you can for Comic Relief and Red Nose Day.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- Fantastic. We're going to have a hymnathon.- What on earth's that?
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Well, it's when a congregation sings hymns
0:16:56 > 0:16:58and raises money at the same time.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- They already do that. It's called a collection.- Oh, yeah.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- I don't like the collection. - Why?- I'm afraid of change.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07On that note, the choir here at St Georges College have agreed
0:17:07 > 0:17:08to demonstrate.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11What you need to do in the next fortnight is get together
0:17:11 > 0:17:14with your congregation or singing group, and sing as many hymns
0:17:14 > 0:17:16as you possibly can, as creatively as you wish.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Yes, so for example, you could sing one hymn as quickly as possible.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23# Praise my soul The King of Heaven #
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Have you ever heard a line sung quicker than that?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29No. How about as slow as possible?
0:17:29 > 0:17:35# To his feet thy tribute bring. #
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Hold me.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39How about backwards?
0:17:40 > 0:17:46# Forgiven, restored, Healed, ransomed. #
0:17:46 > 0:17:48As quiet as possible?
0:17:48 > 0:17:53# Who like me his praise Should sing? #
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Quite similar to slow, that one.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01And finally, the same words, but to a different tune.
0:18:01 > 0:18:07# Praise him, praise him, Praise him, praise him. #
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Ah, wonderful. Shall we have a massively over-the-top version?
0:18:12 > 0:18:13Yes.
0:18:13 > 0:18:19# Praise the everlasting King. #
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Those guys are bonkers.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- They know how to have a good time, don't they?- They certainly do.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Now then, if you visit our website, there's information on there
0:18:27 > 0:18:29from Comic Relief on how to run your own hymnathon.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31That's right, and if you tune in to BBC1 on March 15
0:18:31 > 0:18:34and watch Red Nose Day, maybe one of your efforts will get a mention.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Yes, go to..
0:18:37 > 0:18:38And whilst you're there,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40you can vote for your favourite hymn or carol.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42So grab a hymn book, start singing,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and raise as much money as you possibly can for Comic Relief.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48In the meantime, just to prove that these guys are the real deal
0:18:48 > 0:18:50and they can do it properly, here's their winning performance
0:18:50 > 0:18:54from the 2012 Songs Of Praise school choir of the year competition.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56This is Be Thou My Vision.
0:18:57 > 0:19:04# Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
0:19:04 > 0:19:10# Be all else but naught to me Save that thou art
0:19:12 > 0:19:17# Be thou my best thought In the day and the night
0:19:19 > 0:19:22# Both waking and sleeping
0:19:22 > 0:19:26# Thy presence my light
0:19:31 > 0:19:37# Be thou my wisdom Be thou my true word
0:19:37 > 0:19:44# Be thou ever with me And I with thee, Lord
0:19:44 > 0:19:51# Be thou my great Father And I thy true son
0:19:51 > 0:19:57# Be thou in me dwelling And I with thee one
0:20:02 > 0:20:09# Be thou my breastplate My sword for the fight
0:20:09 > 0:20:15# Be thou my whole armour Be thou my true might
0:20:16 > 0:20:22# Be thou my soul's shelter Be thou my strong tower
0:20:22 > 0:20:28# O raise thou me heavenward Great power of my power
0:20:33 > 0:20:39# High King of Heaven Thou Heaven's bright sun
0:20:39 > 0:20:45# O grant me its joys After victory is won
0:20:45 > 0:20:52# Great heart of my own heart Whatever befall
0:20:52 > 0:20:56# Still be thou my vision
0:20:56 > 0:21:01# O Ruler of all
0:21:04 > 0:21:08# Still be thou my vision
0:21:08 > 0:21:15# O Ruler of all. #
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Well, it's not everyday Songs Of Praise gets to talk
0:21:21 > 0:21:24to one of the nation's favourite comedians.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25What time's he getting here?
0:21:25 > 0:21:29A little bit later on, actually. Don't be hard on yourself.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Comic Relief is almost upon us. You're involved, are you?
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I am, yes. I'm doing Let's Dance.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41In 25 years, though,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45it's become a really important date on the comedy calendar.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46Yes, it certainly is, yes.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48I haven't got a comedy calendar.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Well, actually I have got a comedy calendar.
0:21:50 > 0:21:51It goes "January, April, March."
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Months are in a completely different order.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57You were awesome!
0:21:58 > 0:22:02You still look good, even with the moustache coming off.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04How did you get into comedy in the first place?
0:22:04 > 0:22:05Well, I don't know.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I think I messed about at school, like a lot of people did,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10and I thought I'd like to continue that into my adulthood,
0:22:10 > 0:22:16but I do think that laughter is a gift, if you like, from God.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I mean, there's nothing you can think of about laughter
0:22:19 > 0:22:20that's bad, can you?
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Only one of you will go straight through to the final,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and that act is...
0:22:25 > 0:22:26Tim Vine!
0:22:28 > 0:22:30But you have a personal faith.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34I have a faith, it's where I keep my eyeth, my nothe and my mouth!
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Yes, no, I do, yes, and I think that if you're making people laugh
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and laughter is a healing thing, it's a good thing.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43If I'm ever going off my job slightly, thinking,
0:22:43 > 0:22:44"What am I doing this for?"
0:22:44 > 0:22:46I can at least say, well, that's why I'm doing it,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49because if you make someone laugh, it's a nice thing to do.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51So faith and comedy can go hand-in-hand?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53They can, I think, and they go skipping down a lane together.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Nice.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Listen, it's always great to catch up with you.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58Yes, you too.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59Good luck with the dancing.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Thank you. I'm actually on anti-barn-dance pills.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03I'm not allowed to exceed the stated do-si-dosage.
0:23:06 > 0:23:07He's here all day, ladies and gentlemen.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Comic Relief aims to reach every part of the UK with its work.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Often, the charities they support have started with a vision
0:25:31 > 0:25:35of one person, like Jessie, from Stockton-on-Tees.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Growing up in Stockton, I was quite bored.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I began to take risks with my life, really.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47I actually ended up getting involved with a guy who was a drug user.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53The relationship just began to destroy my own self-esteem,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55so I found myself, you know,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58I'd compare myself to, you know,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01a bag of heroin, and be like, "This guy's choosing heroin over me,"
0:26:01 > 0:26:05and not really realising how powerful the addiction was.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11I got to a point where I actually turned to prayer,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15and I started to pray that I'd find a way out of this situation.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Jessie did find a way out.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22She renewed her Christian faith and went to university.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Returning to Stockton, she became acutely aware of the difference
0:26:25 > 0:26:30between the lives of teenagers in church and teenagers on the street.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32I was just broken-hearted.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36How can it be that two groups of young people can be living
0:26:36 > 0:26:39such dramatically different lives in the same town,
0:26:39 > 0:26:40within a mile of each other?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44And so A Way Out was born,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47with the aim of rescuing young women from exploitation.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Comic Relief funded their first worker.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Ten years later, they've helped around 5,000 women.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Before I went there, I used to be an alcoholic,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and they've really, really changed my life.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01They've changed me,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03and they've changed everything that I used to do.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06I was in a domestic violence relationship.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10I got away from my ex with their help, and got my baby back.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14They've helped me through everything.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Some people think that these women have chosen to be on those streets,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21but I know that women feel like they're being abused
0:27:21 > 0:27:24every time they go out there, and they want it to stop.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30You know, it's amazing that organisations like Comic Relief
0:27:30 > 0:27:32get behind projects like A Way Out,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36because that's God's heart, actually.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40And for me, that's what Jesus was, everything he demonstrated,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43what he came to do on Earth was to demonstrate love, and he went
0:27:43 > 0:27:47to the ones who were the most marginalised and the most broken.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57# You knew me at the start
0:27:59 > 0:28:03# You know me at the end
0:28:06 > 0:28:09# Dreams and reality
0:28:11 > 0:28:15# And everything in between
0:28:18 > 0:28:23# Jesus loves me
0:28:25 > 0:28:29# This I know for sure
0:28:31 > 0:28:37# Oh, how he loves me
0:28:39 > 0:28:43# This I know for sure
0:28:55 > 0:28:58# This is the life you made
0:29:01 > 0:29:05# And journeyed with all the way
0:29:08 > 0:29:11# Dreams and reality
0:29:14 > 0:29:18# And everything in between
0:29:21 > 0:29:26# Jesus loves me
0:29:29 > 0:29:32# This I know for sure
0:29:35 > 0:29:40# Oh, how he loves me
0:29:42 > 0:29:46# This I know for sure
0:29:49 > 0:29:55# Oh, how he loves me
0:29:57 > 0:30:02# This I know for sure. #
0:30:14 > 0:30:16'Lord, thank you for the way you love
0:30:16 > 0:30:21'each and every one of us equally, regardless of our circumstances.'
0:30:21 > 0:30:26'For giving everyone the gift of joy and laughter, Lord, we thank you.'
0:30:26 > 0:30:29'Help us to learn from Christ's example,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31'serving others each in our own way.'
0:30:32 > 0:30:35'And thank you for the work of Comic Relief,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40'bringing hope and healing at home and abroad.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41'Amen.'
0:30:45 > 0:30:47And that's almost it for this week.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50They're almost done with the hymnathon. Haven't they done well?
0:30:50 > 0:30:51They've done beautifully.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Do log on to our website and have a go yourself.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56It's for a great cause, OK?
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Comic Relief in 12 days' time promises to be bigger
0:30:59 > 0:31:01and better than ever before.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03He's involved in it, that's why.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Time for our final hymn, so it's goodbye from Tim Vine.
0:31:06 > 0:31:07And it's goodbye from Pam Rhodes.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Next week, Pam will be here to celebrate Mothering Sunday,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19with some great hymns from the congregation
0:33:19 > 0:33:22at St Alban's Church in Bristol,
0:33:22 > 0:33:26and some inspiring stories of motherhood - past and present.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Plus, special guests, the Military Wives.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd