Mitch Benn's Comic Relief challenge

Mitch Benn is to write and record a full album of comedy songs in 24 hours.

The Now Show star intends to start at 9am on Red Nose Day, March 15, and deliver the finished product the following day. It should be available for download soon afterwards, with proceeds going to Comic Relief.

He outlined his plan on his blog, saying he was now seeking a venue near his home in Ham, South West London, where people could watch him work. ‘Although it may be a rather disappointing spectacle’ he admitted, ‘consisting as it will of me staring at my iMac, frowning and drinking coffee.’

The process will also be streamed on the internet.

He’ll also be seeking ideas from fans as to what he should write about, similar to a set piece he does in his tour shows, when he writes a song based on an audience suggestion over the course of an interval. But this will involve ten to 12 songs, enough for an album that’s at least half an hour long.

In the post, entitled ‘Making the biggest rod for my own back yet’, Benn wrote: ‘The BIG question - and one which I'd love to hear your ideas on - is this:  How do I prove that I'm doing it for real?  How do I demonstrate that I'm not just recording stuff which I've "written" previously and memorised?’

Published: 8 Feb 2013