Kevin Cahill CBE

How did you get involved in Comic Relief?

I was working at the National Theatre on the South Bank, running the education programme there, loving it. It was a fantastic place to be. There was 600 staff. There were a repertoire of brilliant plays. I was working with amazing actors like Judy Den and Anthony Hopkins and this young, fresh-faced writer called Richard Curtis. Turned up one day I'd had a call to say, would I be happy to meet him? And he came along and said, starting this thing called Comic Relief. And I've heard about your work here, and we're looking for someone who might come and join us and tell people the reasons behind why an organisation like Comment Relief needed to exist. So it was basically a kind of educational and information role really, because Comment Relief always believed in trying to get a mature response to its request for money out of its supporters. And I said, well, I think I'm really is a brilliant thing, even though I've only just heard about it, but I love my job here. So unfortunately I'm flattered that you asked me if I would like to join, but I love my work here too much. So it's not on really this time. But I did say to him, if you keep looking and in three months you haven't found someone who you think might be right for the job, and do, feel free to come back and ask me again. He came back three months later and said, would you like to work for Comic Relief? And you know what? I thought its Social mission was very strong. Its purpose was strong. It was starting to make a few kind of noises around the country with the stuff it was doing. And I'd been at the National Theatre for about eight years and thought, well, when would you ever leave? You could become institutionalised there because it's such a fantastic place to be. So I said, why not? Yeah, I'll come and join. And I went along as the first director of education was the job. But it was mainly to do that thing of explaining why extreme poverty existed, what could be done about it, and the roles that individuals could play to try and help change the world a little bit. So that's how I got involved in comic Relief.

What was your role within Comic Relief?

My first role at Comic Relief was as the Director of Education, but I had a few over the years that I worked there and changed a couple of times, particularly at the beginning. So I was director of Education, then I became Director of Comic Relief because the founder of Comic Relief with Richard Curtis was a woman called Jane Sen, and she had set up a thing called Charity Projects, which was a partner and the parent really of comic relief. So I became Director of Comic Relief and Jane was Director of Charity Projects, and then I became Creative Director of Comic Relief and I finally made the step from that into being effectively the first chief executive. And I did that job for nine on 20 years. Really? So I was CEO, yes, for the best part of best 20 years. I retired a few years ago and I was given the honorary position along with Lenny Henry of Life President, which means kind of something and nothing. I suppose. It denotes your attachment to the organisation and the contribution you've made over the years, and it means you're available to help should they require your help, but there's no executive responsibility or kind of particular role.

Your proudest achievement with Comic Relief?

When you work, like I did a comic relief for so long, it's quite hard to identify a single practise achievement because you see work both nationally and internationally that inspires you, that you feel good about and that you can feel proud of. So you're in a lucky position of having a job that if you do it well and do it properly, should make you feel proud because you're helping change lives for the better. But I think one or two things that would stand out as proud achievements, one would be the establishment of sport relief as a sister brand to comic relief and Red Nose Day, I was able to persuade the people that needed persuading that sport relief was a good thing to do, and it's grown in scale and in scope, and so I feel very good about turning that idea into a practical working project. I think also just before I left Comic Relief, we managed to pass the magical 1 billion pound marker raised and dispersed. And so I feel very honoured and proud to have done a job where we've been able to raise that much money, a billion pounds, to try and help create a fairer, more equitable world. So there will be two things there. Founding sport relief and helping with all the people that worked with me to raise the magical 1 billion pounds.

Who are your top 3 guests ever on Comic Relief?

Most memorable moment at Comic and Sport Relief?