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Super scientist Stephen Hawking was going through audition tapes recently. He needed to pick a new voice.

Celebrities excitedly tried their luck, hoping theirs would be the one he’d choose for his speech synthesiser, which turns the sentences he pecks out, letter by letter, into speech. You can’t blame Hawking for wanting a new voice – the old one was just too unreal.

The video above is a spoof, of course, for Hawking doesn’t really plan to change his voice. The clip was aired on Friday as part of the charity Comic Relief’s annual Red Nose Day. And several stars rose to the occasion, giving it their best in these pretend auditions.

On the list were celebrities like Stephen Fry, Liam Neeson, Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson , Lin-Manuel Miranda and even Bill Gates. Eddie Redmayne, who played Hawking in the movie The Theory of Everything, couldn’t believe he would have to audition.

Chef Gordon Ramsay couldn’t resist making an appearance, peppering his performance with the choicest swear words. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber sang.

“Stephen, it’s me, surely it has to be me,” Neeson pitched. “Listen to my voice. It’s deep, it’s sexy, it’s got a tinge of…physics.”

After making his choice, Hawking declared, “I’m pretty happy with my new voice though, I think it’ll give my lectures a bit more oomph.”