Comic Relief's 2001 Say 'Pants To Poverty' campaign made the most successful ever Red Nose Day last March, with £22.5m donated on the night.
Now the Comic Relief team has announced that the campaign total, including proceeds from fundraisers round the country, has reached over £52 million. That compares with 1999's total of £35 million.
CLICK HERE to revisit some of the entertainment highlights of the appeal including French & Saunders cooking with Delia Smith, the Big Brother Celeb Special and Billy Connolly playing his part in Piccadilly Circus.
From this year, Comic Relief benefitted from even more cash thanks to the Gift Aid initiative. The UK Government gives the tax paid on donations back to the charity. Dawn French was handed a cheque for £4.3 million by Prime Minister Tony Blair at Number Ten, Downing Street.
SEE A BBC CLIP OF THE EVENT IN REAL MEDIA
Dawn said, "Everyone out there should give themselves an extremely large pat on the back for helping to raise a record-breaking total."
Lenny Henry, a trustee of Comic Relief adds: "Because of the thousands of amazing people all over the UK that supported us, Comic Relief can carry on helping some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in Africa and the UK to help themselves. To everyone that did something - big respect."