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Red Nose Day Actually: Everything that happened in Comic Relief's Love Actually 'sequel'

Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon in Red Nose Day Actually 2017
Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon in Red Nose Day Actually 2017

It’s finally happened, we’ve had our long-awaited Love Actually sequel. Well, sort of. During last night’s Comic Relief, we were reunited with with Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bill Nighy and more, and it was marvellous.

It’s been almost fourteen years since we last saw this lot, so what have they been up to? We’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Well Hugh Grant is still Prime Minister. However, we learnt he hasn’t been at Number 10 since 2003. No, he’s back for a second term. He does however still enjoy dancing. We see him dancing to Drake’s Hotline Bling. He looks a little older, a little more creakier, and a little less stable on his feet. But he still gives excellent speeches and gets a laugh during his press conferences. Oh, and he’s married to his former tea lady Natalie too.


Much of Red Nose Day Actually does, unsurprisingly, simply reenact the 2003 film, with a few sketches almost identical to the original. Andrew Lincoln’s Mark, complete with Walking Dead beard, returns with his creepy signs, turning up unannounced on Kiera Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s doorstep. But now for some reason, he’s married to Kate Moss.

Kiera Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor on the Red Nose Day Actually set
Kiera Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor on the Red Nose Day Actually set

Meanwhile, Bill Nighy’s Billy Mack’s is releasing a charity single for Comic Relief – a cover of ZZ Top’s classic ‘Give me all your Lovin”, but cleverly titled ‘Give me all your Money’. He’s returned to Radio Watford to promote it too in an almost line-for-line remake of the original Love Actually scene.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, the little kid drumming his heart out for the affection of Joanna, now better know for Game of Thrones, has come back to visit his old man Liam Neeson from New York. He’s not alone though. Turns out all that drumming worked out, as Joanna has come with him to London to ask for his hand in marriage.

Liam-Neeson and Thomas Brodie-Sangster on the Red Nose Day Actually set
Liam-Neeson and Thomas Brodie-Sangster on the Red Nose Day Actually set

We also catch up with Colin Firth’s Jamie. Yes, he’s still got that lovely turtleneck, yes, he’s still married to Aurelia, he’s still driving his old Volvo, and he’s still struggling with learning Portuguese. But now, they have three kids.

Red Nose Day Actually wasn’t without its faults though. Rowan Atkinson, recreating his famous gift-wrapping scene for a bemused kid in Sainsbury’s just make us all miss Alan Rickman even more. It would have been nice to see Martin Freeman and Joanna Page back too, and maybe even Kris Marshall’s horny caterer. But hey, it was only ten minutes long. We can’t have it all.

Rowan Atkinson back as Rufus on the set of Red Nose Day Actually
Rowan Atkinson back as Rufus on the set of Red Nose Day Actually

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to rewatch Love Actually.

Donate to Comic Relief here.

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