Love Actually fans have been sent into meltdown over the release of the first trailer for Red Nose Day Actually by the BBC on Monday. The short preview clip stars Andrew Lincoln as Mark complete with his infamous cards to tease the sequel – which ask “that you’ll join for a very special reunion called Red Nose Day Actually”. Taking to Twitter after the trailer was released on The One Show, fans expressed their excitement at the thought of seeing their favourite characters back together for a good cause. “Looked great! Loved that cheeky head tilt and smile at the end. Can't wait to see it #rednosedayactually,” said one, while another wrote: “Oh my goodness. So excited. Just welled up a bit.”
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Andrew held up a series of cards to promote the Comic Relief special
Fans commented on Andrew's 'cheeky head tilt' at the end of the clip
Over the past few weeks, the writer has been teasing fans with cryptic posts and pictures as production went underway for the upcoming ten-minute Comic Relief special, which will see the original cast members, including Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Nighy and Hugh Grant, along with Kate Moss. However, it was revealed that Emma Thompson will not be reprising her role as Karen, the betrayed wife of Harry, who was played by the late Alan Rickman. Speaking in a new interview with Press Association, Director Richard Curtis has confirmed the movie will not feature a tribute to the late star. He explained: "You know dealing with Alan is very complicated so not really."
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Love Actually was released in 2003 and has gone on to become one of the most watched romantic Christmas films of all time. Richard recently revealed that most of stars had all jumped at the chance to take part. "Amazingly, nobody said no," he said during an appearance on Victoria Derbyshire. "Liam [Neeson] flew over yesterday from America and is going back to America tomorrow. There is a lot of affection for the film." The ten-minute movie, which will centre on what the characters are up to now in 2017, will be shown on 24 March on BBC One as part of the Red Nose Day appeal.