Another victim of Covid

Kylie Minogue will not be appearing in a sketch with the Ghost cast on tonight’s Comic Relief telethon, after she contracted Covid.

Her appearance with the stars of the hit BBC One sitcom was to be one of the highlights of the Red Nose Day broadcast.

But she broke the news that she won’t be appearing in a tweet to her 2million Twitter followers, writing: ‘So sorry to miss my planned visit to #BBCGhosts Button House for #ComicRelief2022 as I’ve been recovering from Covid. I WILL, however, be watching  @BBCOne 7pm Friday to see what fun  @comicrelief has in store for us! Don’t forget to tune in & support the incredible work they do!’

The news comes after Joel Dommett was also force to pull out of hosting part of the show after contracting the coronavirus.

And fellow presenter Zoe Ball has also been tested positive, forcing her to step aside, too. She said she would be ‘watching & supporting from bed’

Dommett had been due to  present the Great Comic Relief Prizeathon portion of the night, after the 10 O’Clock News, with AJ Odudu. But now Vernon Kay will be taking his place.

Dommett wrote on Instagram: ‘Super annoyed to report that I have the vid.  This unfortunately means I have to pull out of hosting @comicrelief. My incredible replacement is the better looking, more talented @vernonkay who is ace. I’ll be watching from home donating loads of money like everyone else;

Kay responded: 'Covid has caught Captain Fantastic @joeldommett so I’m gonna be trying to fill his size 11.5shoes on Fridays @comicrelief Prizeathon with @ajodudu Get the Vits in Joel kick it’s ass and join in the fun from the sofa?(You could win a CAR!)'

The main portion of the show, from 7pm, will be hosted by David Tennant,Sir Lenny Henry, Alesha Dixon and Paddy McGuinness.

Highlights of the evening will include  David Walliams and Matt Lucas bringing back Rock Profile, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders popping into The Repair Shop; Rosie Jones and other celebrities learning to sing opera in just 24 hours; Stephen Fry and others reading a one-off Bedtime Story, for adults; a special edition of QI with Sandi Toksvig and Alan Davies joined by Jo Brand, Sally Phillips and Guz Khan; and Mischief Theatre introducing TV viewers to The Mind Mangler from their West End show Magic Goes Wrong.

Published: 18 Mar 2022