Although Eddie Redmayne may be currently (rightly) busy hoovering up the awards for his portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking's life in the critically-acclaimed film The Theory of Everything, Hawking himself is not letting the grass grow under his feet in any shape or form neither. His latest venture will demonstrate his comedy abilities to a mass audience, as he takes part in a sketch for Comic Relief alongside Little Britain star David Walliams.
After dedicating a large chunk of his life so far to determining the mysteries of the universe, you would think that a little bit of comedy in his spare time would be relatively easy for him to adapt to.
However, starring in a Little Britain sketch may test his acting skills more than he first envisaged, with Walliams popular character Lou becoming the carer to Hawking, for a special one-off that will be shown as part of the Comic Relief fund raising activities on 13th March on the BBC.
In order to film the special sketch, Hawking and Walliams spent a day back at Cambridge University, where the professor is a director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology. The other mainstay of the show, Matt Lucas, who usually pairs up with the character of Lou in his role as Andy, is also believed to make an appearance in the sketch at some time.
Clearly excited by the thought of making the new sketch, Walliams tweeted: "#Little Britain is returning for @rednoseday Lou is now the carer to Professor Stephen Hawking.
@BBCOne Fri 13 March."
Comic Relief first came to our attention in 1985, with its showpiece Red Nose Day becoming a popular event both in terms of the Television extravaganza and the fund raising activities that accompany it, when it comes around every two years, alternating with the sport-themed Sport Relief event. The Comic Relief charity was founded by Richard Curtis and Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia.
After the last Red Nose Day appeal in 2013, the charity had raised a total of £950 million over the years since its inception.
Walliams is also multi-talented, with a particular skill in writing and has sold over 4 million books during his career so far, being described as "the fastest growing children's author in the UK" and drawing comparisons to no less than Roald Dahl as a consequence. He also famously swam the English Channel in aid of Sport Relief in 2006.