Why are Joel Dommett and Zoe Ball not on Comic Relief tonight and who is replacing them?

BBC One is hosting a night full of Comic Relief special shows on Friday night. There are set to be a host of celebrity presenters hosting the charity cause show.

BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball and The Masked Singer presenter Joel Dommett were initially set to be part of this pool of presenters. However, unfortunately, the pair will no longer be presenting the Comic Relief show this evening.

Comic Relief is an annual event held by the BBC to help raise funds for those living in poverty and disadvantaged situations in the UK and internationally. Original presenters of the Comic Relief show this year including Lenny Henry, AJ Adudu, Paddy Mcguiness, David Tennant and more are still set to continue helping to host the show as originally planned. But Zoe and Joel will be replaced.

Read more: What Comic Relief sketches will air on Friday night - including Rock Profile and The Repair Shop

Joel Dommett and Zoe Ball are no longer helping with presenting duties for Comic Relief on Friday night after catching Covid-19. Ball tweeted that she would instead be watching and supporting from bed after testing positive.

Dommett said he was 'super annoyed' that he had caught the virus before Red Nose Day. Dommett and Ball are not the only celebrities who were planning to appear on the show and have caught COVID.

Kylie Minogue told her followers that she also wouldn’t be able to take part in the BBC sketch show, Ghosts, as originally planned for Comic Relief tonight.

There has been a rise in Covid-19 infections in England. According to the Office for National Statistics, around one in 20 people in private households are estimated to have had the virus in the week to 12 March.

Joel will be replaced by Vernon Kay, whilst Alesha Dixon will