Red Nose Day started in the UK in early 1988, with the first official Red Nose Day telethon broadcast on BBC One on Friday, 5 February 1988.

Quick Scoop

  • The first Red Nose Day was held in Britain on 5 February 1988 as a big televised charity event.
  • It was created as part of the Comic Relief campaign, which had already been founded in 1985 to raise money for famine relief and poverty-focused projects.
  • Around 30 million viewers tuned in to that first telethon, featuring more than 150 comedians and celebrities and raising about £15 million.
  • Since then, Red Nose Day has become a recurring charity event (originally biennial, now often annual) that raises funds for vulnerable people in the UK and internationally.

TL;DR: If you’re wondering “when did Red Nose Day start,” the answer is 1988, with the inaugural TV event on 5 February 1988 in the UK.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.