This years’ event raised more than £40 million.

Some of the money raised in this year’s BBC Sport Relief will be used to support those affected by coronavirus, organisers have confirmed.

This year’s event raised a grand total of £40.5 million on the night, with the amount set to rise as donations continue to come in from individual fundraisers.

The figure is more than £2m higher than that raised by the last Sport Relief in 2018, but lower than the record £55.6m raised in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Department for International Development, the Youth Endowment Fund and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have pledged additional funding totalling more than £11m.

Ruth Davison, deputy chief executive of organising body Comic Relief, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the wonderful, generous people who have helped raise this unbelievable amount of money.

“During the challenging months ahead, we want to ensure the donations raised help as many people as possible.

“Sport Relief is committed to helping vital projects all across the UK and internationally, including those facing an increasing demand on services from people who need extra support because of coronavirus.”

Sport Relief itself was itself affected by the outbreak, with host Gary Lineker noting that we are currently living in “unprecedented times”. A scheduled performance by a Welsh choir took place, but without some of the choir’s older members, who had been warned to avoid travel.

A celebrity charity trek by stars including Nick Grimshaw and Samantha Womack was also relocated from Mongolia to Namibia in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Other highlights included parodies of Line of Duty and Killing Eve and interviews with radio presenters Jo Whiley, Rev Kate Bottley and Richie Anderson, who raised £500,000 by completing three triathlons in as many days.

A tribute was also paid to TV presenter Caroline Flack, who took her own life earlier this year. Flack, who was 40, had worked with both Sport Relief and Comic Relief.