Comic Aid for tsunami victims

Big-named comedy stars have again joined forces to stage the biggest stand-up fundraiser for victims of the Asian tsunami.

Jonathan Ross, Jack Dee, Graham Norton, and Lily Savage will host the Comic Aid gig at the 3,500-capacity Hammersmith Apollo in London.

The bill also includes Dawn French, Julie Walters and Victoria Wood, Lee Evans, Jimmy Carr, Johnny Vegas, Bill Bailey, Jo Brand, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal, John Culshaw, Omid Djalili, Otis Lee Crenshaw, Eddie Izzard, The League Of Gentlemen, Alistair McGowan, Dylan Moran, Dave Spikey, Derren Brown and Stomp.

Dee said; "We are hoping to raise enough money to prevent Sting having to write a song about it.. please help."

Other big names acts for the February 22 show are expected be announced over the coming week.

Tickets will be priced £50 and go on sale from 10am on Friday, on 0870 606 3400.

A DVD of the event will be released just days after it happens, and an edited hour-long version of show will be screened on BBC1. Radio 2 are also recording it for later broadcast.

It is the latest in a long line of comedy benefits, with many clubs donating the proceeds from at least one night to the cause.

Other big gigs include a show in aid of Unicef at London’s Prince Of Wales Theatre on February 6, with a line-up thatncludes Jimmy Carr, Mackenzie Crook, Jeremy Hardy, Sean Lock and Catherine Tate. Tickets, priced £20 to £45, go on sale tomorrow, priced 0870 850 9189.

Johnny Vegas and Daniel Kitson appear at a major fundraiser in Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall this Saturday. For tickets, call 0115 989 5555 or online.

And in London’s Bloomsbury Theatre this Sunday, the likes of John Hegley, Richard Herring, Lee Mack and Boothby Graffoe will be raising money for the orphans of Sri Lanka. Tickets, priced £25, from 020 7388 8822.

In addition to all these live gigs, a £10 DVD entitled The Best Comedy DVD In The World is expected to raise another £10 million for the cause.

Published: 19 Jan 2005