Sir Lenny Henry set to host Comic Relief for the final time

Sir Lenny Henry is set to host 'Comic Relief' for the final time in March.

The 65-year-old comedian co-founded the charity organisation in 1985 and he's helped to raise more than £1 billion over the years - but Lenny will host the 'Red Nose Day' broadcast for the final time on March 15.

He said in a statement: "When we first started 'Comic Relief' back in 1985, I never dreamed we'd still be here today.

"I thought we'd probably do three shows and that would be it, but fast-forward nearly 40 years, and that enthusiasm and determination to step up and help others has never wavered.

"As life president of 'Comic Relief', I'm excited to see some new and familiar faces come forward now to present the big night and lead us into the next chapter."

Lenny actually co-hosted the inaugural 'Comic Relief' show in the 80s, and over the years, the donations have helped to tackle poverty, as well as providing healthcare, food and safe shelter for people around the world.

The comedian has been amazed by the generosity of the British public, especially during tough economic times.

He said: "The British public are brilliant - you're so kind and generous, if somebody has a problem, you always want to help out."

By contrast, Lenny previously claimed that some big-name stars were initially reluctant to support the 'Comic Relief' cause.

The veteran TV star shared: "You know, there were quite a lot of the older school who thought that getting involved with something like 'Comic Relief' would be some kind of bizarre political thing. And of course, everything you do is political. So it doesn't matter. If you want to help, you help, if you don't, you don't.

"What was great was on the night, we ended up with Victoria Wood, Julie Walters, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, me, Jonathan Ross, Griff Rhys Jones, you know, we ended up with a great many fantastic people who kick-started it in a way that means it's still going today."