Foo Fighters praise Live Lounge charity cover ahead of BBC’s Big Night In

Foo Fighters have praised an all-star cover of their song Times Like These, featuring more than 20 acts including Dua Lipa and Chris Martin, after it debuted on BBC Radio 1.

Musicians including Anne-Marie, Rita Ora and Paloma Faith joined the band in recording and filming versions of their 2003 track for the station’s Stay Home Live Lounge.

Host Clara Amfo debuted the cover on Radio 1 shortly after midday on Thursday, and encouraged listeners to guess which stars were singing at different points.

Afterwards Foo Fighters said on Twitter: “Goosebumps. Fantastic work guys #StayHomeLiveLounge ‘Times Like These’, after all these years, has a new meaning for us all.”

Rag’n’Bone Man, Sean Paul, Sam Fender, Biffy Clyro, Hailee Steinfeld, Yungblud, Dermot Kennedy, Mabel, 5 Seconds Of Summer and Celeste all contributed to the track.

Mabel said she was “honoured” to be part of the charity cover.

She said on Twitter: “Honoured to be a part of this, the Stay Home Live Lounge cover of Times Like These is out now. Thank you for having me.”

An accompanying video will debut during The Big Night In on BBC One on Thursday, and net profits in the UK will be split between Comic Relief and BBC Children In Need.

The Big Night In on BBC One on Thursday will celebrate the British public’s community spirit and resilience.

Matt Baker, Zoe Ball, Sir Lenny Henry, Davina McCall and Paddy McGuinness are all confirmed to be on hosting duties.

The evening will also include a rare appearance from Peter Kay, who is expected to recreate his famous music video for Tony Christie’s (Is This the Way To) Amarillo, with the help of the public.

In 2005, the video helped the song to a seven-week stint at number one, raising money for Comic Relief in the process.

Also returning with a small-screen favourite is Dawn French, who will reprise her role as Geraldine Granger during the live charity programme.

She last played the role of The Vicar Of Dibley in 2015, in a charity short for Comic Relief.

Little Britain will return to TV for the first time in more than 10 years as David Walliams and Matt Lucas perform a new sketch.

And the three-hour show will also see past and present Doctor Who stars salute NHS staff as Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker and Jo Martin have recorded a thank you message for NHS and frontline workers.

Catherine Tate will reprise her errant schoolgirl role – with the character now struggling with home education – and her Doctor Who co-star Tennant as her teacher.

Take That’s Gary Barlow will be joined by Liam Payne, Olly Murs, Leona Lewis, Nicole Scherzinger, Katherine Jenkins and Gregory Porter for a performance during the show.

Peter Davey, the showrunner and an executive producer for BBC Studios, said the show will have a different feel and look to Comic Relief and Children In Need.

He said: “We are in the middle of what can only be described as a national disaster in this bizarre time. A lot of families are facing bereavement and the death toll is very high, as is the economic impact. So, it’s a hard time and we have to recognise that, and tonally it will be slightly different, and obviously because of the nature of the brief we are going to be very targeted.

“The way we are doing the appeal films, which are shorter, will be to look at the charities we have supported before, explain very clearly the problems they are facing now, and how giving them some extra money now will help them alleviate the downsides their people are facing from the impact of the coronavirus. We also want people to know that if they can’t donate that’s fine. Its goal is to pull people together, everybody on their sofas, all in the same boat.”

The Big Night In will be broadcast on BBC One on Thursday April 23 between 7pm and 10pm.