Kylie and Jason reunite and Beckham in Peckham as Sport Relief sets record
BBC charity evening raises £51m as 1980s pop couple sing Especially For You for first time in 25 years
EIGHTIES pop power couple Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan were reunited and David Beckham popped up in a special episode of Only Fools and Horses last night as the BBC’s Sport Relief charity raised a record £51m.
The charity telethon, in aid of needy children in the UK and across the world, was hosted by David Walliams and Gary Lineker from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, the Guardian reports.
Highlights of the evening included the first airing of the England football team’s World Cup song, a cover of Take That’s Greatest Day, which was performed by a host of stars, including Gary Barlow, Gary Lineker, Emma Bunton and Pixie Lott.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The first episode of Only Fools and Horses in 11 years featured a cameo by a bespectacled David Beckham. The former England footballer was the butt of several jokes about his perceived lack of intelligence. The episode culminated in Beckham leaning backwards and falling through the bar: a repeat of David Jason’s most famous Only Fools and Horses moment.
But the biggest event of the night was arguably Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan singing Especially for You live on TV for the first time in 25 years (see video). The performance didn’t start well for those people hoping to see the former Neighbours actors reunited: Kylie initially sang the song with David Walliams, dressed to look like a 1980s Donovan. But just when you thought the producers had failed to persuade Donovan to appear, he walked on stage to sing his part.
A previous attempt to reunite Kylie and Jason on stage two years ago was thwarted by poor weather which turned the Hyde Park venue into a mudbath.
The total raised for Sport Relief 2014, at £51m, already surpasses the total of £50.4m raised during the last event two years ago.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Harriet Tubman made a general 161 years after raid
Speed Read She was the first woman to oversee an American military action during a time of war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Chappell Roan is a new kind of boundary-setting celebrity
In the Spotlight She's calling out fans and the media for invasive behavior
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Saudi crown prince slams Israeli 'genocide' in Gaza
Speed Read Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The House of Beckham: why Tom Bower's book won't topple the Golden Balls empire
Talking Point Unauthorised biography of David and Victoria Beckham is met with tepid response
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus: female artists dominate 2024 Grammys
Speed Read SZA, Phoebe Bridgers and Lainey Wilson were also among the winners at LA gala
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Best memoirs and biographies: from Britney Spears to the Beckhams
The Week Recommends Dive into some of the most compelling life stories – including David Bowie to Keir Starmer
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Beckham review: a 'superb' portrait of the footballer and entrepreneur
The Week Recommends Netflix's entertaining four-part documentary has plenty of 'gossipy nuggets' and moving scenes
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binary
Speed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?
Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
By The Week Staff Last updated