The coronavius lockdown presented a few challenges for Bucks New University graduate James Cross as he has coordinated a star-studdied line-up of celebrities to help advertise BBC One's Big Night In fundraising show tonight.

James, who graduated in BA (Hons) Music Industry Management and Marketing in 2002, is Creative Director of BBC Creative, the broadcaster's in-house agency, and worked with the stars to come up with the short trailer for the show.

James coordinated Lenny Henry, David Tennant, Davina McCall, Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman, David Walliams, Romesh Ranganathan, Matt Baker, and Paddy McGuiness to publice the show.

In the trailer Lenny Henry discusses ideas with the other stars, on different screens, to come up with suggestions for a show to celebrate the nation's kindness and resolve. 

The three-hour show, where Peter Kay is expected to make his first television appearance for two years, will raise money for and pay tribute to those on the front line fighting coronavirus and all the unsung heroes going the extra mile to support their communities.

James said: "It was surreal and a privilege to work with all these stars and to be honest I couldn't have done the whole thing without Zoom allowing me to get it all arranged and finished.

"I wrote the script from home and worked with the director and all the celebrities from my bedroom too.

"Plus, all the editing, mixing, colour grading, and approval from the BBC was done from my seven-year-old's desk, which is the only desk I could use in the house as I'd been banished from the dining room table for having too many meetings with people!"

Senior Lecturer Vic Davies said James's success reflects how the University develops a student's ability to problem solve and to think creatively, as well as develop their technical knowledge, so they're ready to cope in all sorts of situations. 

He added: "This is often developed through live briefs and real-world experiences. James's work is a great example of these experiences being put in to practice.

"We have keenly followed James's career as he has progressed to a fantastic job.

"I'm sure this latest project provided plenty of obstacles given the current situation but he has risen to the challenge.

"It's a great trailer and we're proud to say some of its success can be attributed to skills James has applied having learnt them at Bucks."

Comic Relief and Children in Need have come together to organise Big Night In and it will be broadcast from 7pm-10pm with stars also including Zoe Ball, Davina McCall, Gary Barlow, and Catherine Tate.