Brittas Returns

Chris Barrie stars in Sport Relief pop video.

7 March, 2014

Well, here's a sentence we never thought we'd write: Chris Barrie has recently resurrected the character of Gordon Brittas, appearing alongside pop group Little Mix in the video for the new Sport Relief charity single, "Word Up".

Let's back up a bit. As you're probably aware, the hapless leisure centre manager Brittas is the other legendary sitcom character Chris is known for, having appeared in seven series of The Brittas Empire on BBC1 between 1991 and 1997. Sport Relief, meanwhile, is the sport-themed, biennial alternative to Comic Relief, a charity telethon broadcast on the BBC in which the worlds of sport and entertainment collide.

Although Chris has some experience with charity telethons - having appeared, with the rest of the Red Dwarf cast, in the 1993 "Bohemian Rhapsody" video for Comic Relief as well as a special Dwarf sketch for Children in Need in 1998 - it's nevertheless something of a surprise to see him turning up to dance with Little Mix as they cover the 1986 Cameo hit. On the other hand, if you're going to be doing a pop video with a comedy edge set in a leisure centre... well, who else are you going to get?

Alongside Chris and the band, the video also features appearances from celebrities including Melanie C, Louie Spence, Nick Grimshaw and Victoria Pendleton. And you can watch it right here (Chris shows up just before the two minute mark):

The single is available for pre-order now, and will be available to download from 16th March. The Sport Relief games, meanwhile, take place over the weekend of 21st-23rd March, with the live telethon itself being broadcast on BBC1 on Friday 21st.

Find out more at the Sport Relief website!