Chris Moyles raises more than £2.4m with 50-hour show

Chris Moyles, the BBC Radio 1 breakfast DJ, on Friday set a new world record by staying on air for more than 50 hours, raising in excess of £2m for Comic Relief in the process. Moyles has been presenting his show with sidekick "Comedy" Dave Vitty since Wednesday morning. They set the record for radio DJ endurance marathon (team) at 8.30am on Friday, when they had been on air for 50 hours and then vowed to carry on for another two hours. They had raised more than £2.4m by midday on Friday. A weary Moyles told listeners: "We're going to carry on for another two hours. Why? I have no idea." Fellow Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton had promised to wear a swimsuit if they broke the £2m mark, and was forced to make good on her promise in the breakfast show studio today, causing the station's website to crash due to the volume of traffic generated by the accompanying webcam footage. The pair, who have done three separate breakfast shows since they started the charity effort, were joined by a series of special guests including Vitty's wife and young daughter and Take That's Gary Barlow, who presented the DJ with a Guinness World Record certificate. They set a new Radio 1 record last night at 7.31pm, breaking the station's previous record set by Simon Mayo in 1999. Other guests who have joined them on the way to setting the record include Katy Perry, Davina McCall, Jimmy Carr, Lily Allen, Chipmunk, Olly Murs, Katy B and Jack Whitehall. Throughout the record-breaking attempt, the duo have been presenting each show in the schedule with the regular DJ as a guest. Presenters including Scott Mills, Greg James, Mistajam, Nick Grimshaw, Dev and Benji B have lined up alongside them. The pair are allowed a five-minute break every hour and have been taking showers to refresh themselves as well as the occasional brief power nap. Perks of the show have so far included the duo receiving a buttock massage from a physiotherapist, and fellow DJ Greg James stripping down to encourage more donations. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".