...all for Sport Relief

Des Clarke is learning to drive, cycle and swim, all for Sport Relief.

The comedian has got to the age of 37 without mastering any of those skills, and has chosen a particularly demanding way of learning them.

His gruelling three-day efforts will be shown in a documentary entitled The Big TRY-athlon, to air on BBC One Scotland in the run-up to the charity’s telethon on March 23,

On day  one, Des takes a 4x4 motor up a hill, cycles across Glasgow to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, then goes to the New Cumnock open air pool to conquer his fear of water and swim 100 metres.

On the second day, he drives a taxi in Edinburgh,  attaches stabilisers to his mountain bike to head  up the Great Glen Way to Fort Augustus, where he braves the bitterly cold Loch Ness awaits for a 200 metre swim, his first in open water. 

Finally he joins some celebrity pals and some serious drivers for a  Rookie Race,  then ditching the stabilisers to lead peloton road race through the borders to Coldstream. And for his finale, Des will then swim to England across the River Tweed, where a welcoming committee and a strong cup of tea will await him.

The comic and radio presenter said: ’I’ve been challenged to a lot of weird and wonderful things on the radio across the years but this is about as big as it can get for me. It’s going to be really tough, especially conquering my lifelong fear of swimming. I hope I can rise to the occasion and raise some serious money for Sport Relief in the process.’

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In other Sport Relief programming announced today, John Bishop will try to help England win the World Cup by teaching the current players the values of the 1966 winning team; Frank Skinner is among the panellists in a special edition of A Question Of Sport; and Rob Brydon performs a sketch with the cast of his upcoming synchronized swimming film, Swimming With Men. 

And as previously announced, Miles Jupp joins Susannah Constantine, Les Dennis and Tameka Empson in trying to get into shape ahead of a Tough Mudder-style run. Their efforts are documented in Famously Unfit… for Sport Relief for BBC Two.

Published: 6 Mar 2018