Los Angeles — NBC is expanding its Red Nose Day charity programming with help from Julia Roberts and other stars.
The network said on Wednesday that its prime-time schedule on 25 May will be devoted to the Comic Relief fundraiser for children in need.
Running Wild with Bear Grylls for Red Nose Day, with Roberts joining the host in Africa.
Roberts and Grylls will show how donations are helping people in Nairobi, Kenya, with other segments addressing how children in the United States and other countries are being helped.
Red Nose Day was founded in Britain by filmmaker Richard Curtis and expanded to the U.S. two years ago, where it has raised more than $60m to date. Donations are made through the sale of red noses at Walgreens and Duane Reade drugstores, neighborhood penny drives and bake sales, and the NBC special.
Beneficiaries of Red Nose Day grants include charity organisations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Save the Children and the Children's Health Fund.
Britain's Red Nose Day, which took place in March, brought in more than $90m, according to Comic Relief Inc. The campaign has raised more than $1bn worldwide since its origin in 1988.