'Four Weddings and a Funeral' reunion massive hit for Comic Relief

Greer McNally
·Contributor
Rowan Atkinson was just one of the many original stars who returned for the Richard Curtis reunion
Rowan Atkinson was just one of the many original stars who returned for the Richard Curtis reunion

Love is all around us, or at least that’s what Marti Pellow claimed when he sang the words on the Four Weddings and a Funeral soundtrack 25 years ago.

And in the reunion One Red Nose and a Wedding, filmed especially for this year’s Comic Relief, you could still feel that love – for Richard Curtis’ film, for the characters and for the script itself.

Read more: Get your first look at the Four Weddings Comic Relief sequel

Screened in two parts, the short film kicked off with yet another wedding, this time for Miranda (Lily James) and Faith (Alicia Vikander) – a nuptials that got returning cleric Father Gerald (Rowan Atkinson) all in a fluster. But who was this mysterious happy couple? The guests after all were a sea of famiilar Four Weddings faces – from Tom (James Fleet) and Matthew (John Hannah) to Bernard (David Haig) and Lydia (Sophie Thompson). Whose children could they be?

Hollywood stars Lily James and Alicia Vikander were new additions to the Four Weddings cast list.
Hollywood stars Lily James and Alicia Vikander were new additions to the Four Weddings cast list.

Read more: Lily James and Alicia Vikander confirmed for Four Weddings sequel

The question was quickly answered. They were, in fact, the daughters of original characters Charles (Hugh Grant) and Carrie (Andie MacDowell) – who are still not married – and the seemingly single Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas).

After the ‘I dos’ the second half jumped to the reception and of course to Charles’ speech. After joking about leaving all his money to Fulham football club, brother David (David Bower) jumped in with a signed speech that helped out the meandering father of the bride.

There were lots of nods to the original film, from the return of Duckface (Anna Chancellor), who brought her much-older third husband along to proceedings, to a musical segment by pop star Sam Smith and Nicola Walker.

Anna Chancellor returns as Duckface in One Red Nose and a Wedding
Anna Chancellor returns as Duckface in One Red Nose and a Wedding

The part of the singing hippy in the original film is actually the first credit on Walker’s IMDb page. Since then she’s become a household name in TV dramas such as Unforgotten and Last Tango in Halifax.

Nicola Walker and Sam Smith in One Red Nose and a Wedding
Nicola Walker and Sam Smith in One Red Nose and a Wedding

The warmly received sketch was just one part of an evening that went on to raise over £63 million for Comic Relief.

Read more: Star-studded sketches help Comic Relief top £40 million mark

The Four Weddings And A Funeral concept is currently being rebooted in the US as a TV drama. Mindy Kaling is the driving force behind the project and original writer Richard Curtis will executive produce.

One Red Nose and a Wedding is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.


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