Comic Relief has stopped using celebrities such as Ed Sheeran and Eddie Redmayne for 'poverty porn' appeals that reinforce white saviour stereotypes.

Liz Warner, CEO of Comic Relief, said the organisation had taken its 'first steps' towards change.

It comes after David Lammy MP slammed the charity for portraying Africa as a continent of poverty-stricken victims and stereotypes.

Aid watchdog SAIH also criticised a video of pop star Sheeran meeting a street boy in Liberia and offering to pay for his housing.

'The video should be less about Ed shouldering the burden alone but rather appealing to the wider world to step in,' the watchdog said

The watchdog said: 'This is a video is about Ed Sheeran. It’s literally poverty tourism.

'The video should be less about Ed shouldering the burden alone but rather appealing to the wider world to step in.

'Massive improvement in the end. But is Ed Sheeran willing to pay for the boy's housing forever?

'What an irresponsible thing to do, and for this video to glorify that is terrible.'

Other fundraising challenges fronted by celebrities included Dermet O'Leary's 24-hour Comic Relief Dance Challenge in 2015.

Ms Warner said Comic Relief had replaced celebrity storytellers with Africans, following a record-breaking 24-hour telethon that raised £55.4million in 2016.

She said it allowed Africans to speak for themselves.

'You'll see the films we put into Sports Relief are a step towards that, towards change. People talking in the first person in their own voices, with local heroes and local heroines talking to us about the work they're doing.

'You won't see a celebrity standing in front of people talking about them. You'll see people talking for themselves.'

One film that will be broadcast on Friday night is about street children in Kampala, Uganda.

The clip will be introduced by Rio Ferdinand — but he will not appear in the film.

The Disasters Emergencies Committee's East Africa appeal, which featured Oscar-winner Redmayne, was dismissed as being ‘awful’ and ‘close to poverty porn’

Other fundraising challenges fronted by celebrities included Dermet O'Leary's 24-hour Comic Relief Dance Challenge in 2015

Instead a Ugandan charity worker, named Elvis, will explain issues to viewers alongside the street children.

However, Ms Warner admitted such a strategy was a risk one because celebrities are a sure-fire way to bring in funding.

It comes amid plummeting public trust in the aid sector following the abuse scandal that rocked Oxfam and sexual harassment revelations at other charities, including Save the Children.

Comic Relief was asked to report any safeguarding cases to the Department of International Development but had none to declare.

Ms Warner she she was 'personally affronted' by the scandals.

She also wants to see more women CEOs heading up charities and has recently appointed appointed three new trustees, including a woman and someone who was previously homeless.

Ms Walker added: 'I am a woman working in the sector and it's highly repugnant and it's a violation of the people and the women we seek to help. It's a wake up call and we need to change'.