THERE were so many priceless moments in the Rally Against Cancer charity tennis match on Sunday evening it was like 90 minutes of unforgettable telly gold.

But the moment that got me was when presenter Andrew Castle tried to grab a chat with comedian Jimmy Carr, who seemed utterly bewildered that the slapstick contest was being broadcast live.

"You're televising this? What were you thinking? Why are we paying our licence fee – this is mental!" he dead-panned.

The all-star doubles was by far the best thing I've witnessed on the box all year. It was joyous and uplifting family entertainment, the likes of which hasn't been replicated since last summer's Olympics and Paralympics.

To see Andy Murray visibly emotional – not for bagging a third Queen's Club title but raising funds in aid of Davis Cup team-mate Ross Hutchins, who's being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma – will hopefully forever banish the ugly barbs from detractors fond of calling him a dour Scot.

As one London-based hack chose to put it: He transformed in front of our eyes from the surly tartan misanthrope to the model of compassionate benevolence." Hmm, is that right?

It's just a shame that the BBC relegated the match to the interactive 'red button' to view the full delight of Boris Johnson playing with a rickety wooden racquet.

Jimmy Carr wearing the clobber of his world number two Swiss doppelganger, Michael McIntyre displaying a disarmingly good serve, Sir Richard Branson bribing the umpire with first-class upgrades, and Jonathan Ross getting stuck into the Pimm's.

The financial cost of staging an exhibition match like that must have been minimal, but it raised more than £150,000 for The Royal Marsden Hospital in London – plus a tournament winner's cheque of £73,000 generously donated by the Dunblane hero.

I love cheering on Britain's number one, but, come the start of Wimbledon on Monday, I'll be screaming all the louder after last weekend's emotive display.

Like the biennial Soccer Aid match organised by singer Robbie Williams in aid of Unicef, it just goes to prove that there's a demand – and a real, life-affirming goodwill – to be found in one-off exhibition games.

It does seem that all major sporting tournaments have the potential to copy this format by hosting charity games. And wouldn't the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games be the perfect platform for a Scottish version?

The sight of, say, Alex Salmond, Kevin Bridges, Michelle Mone, Gerard Butler, Emeli Sande and Peter Capaldi lacing up their gutties for charity is a sight that I wouldn't want to miss.