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Comic Relief tops record total

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Red Nose Day has raised more than £35 million for Comic Relief good causes in the UK and Africa.

It is the highest figure raised on the day of the event, with organisers confident they will break the previous record final total of £55 million once all the money from events around the UK has come in.

The day culminated in a BBC telethon, which included sketches, interviews and information on the good causes.

Actor Will Mellor won the BBC's Celebrity Fame Academy after beating comic Ruby Wax in the public vote.

Mellor declared he felt "fantastic" but said it was more important that £600,000 was raised in the process.

The telethon provided the finale to a day of events, which began when millions of red noses and outrageous hairstyles were donned by people across Britain.

Thousands of fund-raising events were held by businesses in an effort to beat last year's record total.

The Big Hair Do

The theme of this year's event was The Big Hair Do and five million red noses - equipped with funny faces and suitably wild red hair - have been sold.

The eight-hour telethon started on BBC One at 1900 GMT, with red-haired host Jonathan Ross barracking Jack Dee about his stunt.

The public rang in with contributions to keep the vertigo sufferer Jack Dee on top of a 50ft pole outside Television Centre in Shepherd's Bush.

Members of the public gave up their dignity for the day, by sporting their own unique hairstyles.

In Barnsley lawyer Ged Hale hopes to raise £14,000 after spending the day locked away in a cell at the local police station.

London Underground staff sported outrageous headwear, with crew at Liverpool Street, Moorgate, King's Cross, Bank and Canary Wharf collecting donations from commuters.

Since it started in 1985, Comic Relief has raised more than £250m for good causes.

Comic Relief was launched live on BBC One on Christmas Day 1985, from a refugee camp in Sudan.

Donations can be made by ringing 08457 910910 or online at www.rednoseday.com.

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