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Children in Need
BBC Children in Need is the BBC's UK charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised more than £1 billion as of 2023 through its fundraising efforts.
The charity's flagship event is an annual telethon broadcast every November on BBC One and BBC Two. Pudsey Bear has served as its mascot, while the late Sir Terry Wogan hosted the event for 35 years. As a cornerstone of British television, Children in Need is one of the UK's two major telethons, alongside Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. It remains the BBC's sole in-house charity.
Originally broadcast from the BBC Television Centre, the telethon relocated to the BBC Elstree Centre between 2013 and 2020 following the closure of the former. Historically lasting up to seven hours, the event was streamlined to a three-hour programme (7:00 pm to 10:00 pm) from 2020 onwards. To accommodate family-friendly content, the television watershed is postponed until 11:30 pm on the night of the broadcast.
The 2020 telethon, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, featured a significantly reduced format with just four presenters: Mel Giedroyc, Alex Scott, Chris Ramsey, and Stephen Mangan. Since November 2021, the event has been staged at Dock10, MediaCityUK in Salford. In October 2023, it was announced that Lenny Rush—a children's television star and future Doctor Who actor—would become the first child co-presenter in the charity's history during the 2023 appeal broadcast. In October 2025, it was announced that TV personality and British rapper Big Zuu would debut in the presenting lineup for the 2025 appeal show.
The BBC's inaugural charity appeal was a five-minute radio broadcast on Christmas Day 1927, raising approximately £1,342 for four children's charities.
The first televised appeal, the Children's Hour, aired in 1955. Fronted by Harry Corbett and the yellow glove puppet Sooty Bear, these appeals continued annually on television and radio until 1979, raising a total of £625,836. Sir Terry Wogan made his debut during the five-minute appeal in 1978 and returned in 1979. Animated characters such as Peter Pan and Tom and Jerry occasionally featured in these broadcasts.
The first dedicated Children in Need telethon aired in 1980, replacing standard continuity segments with fundraising appeals during evening programming. Presented by Terry Wogan, Sue Lawley, and Esther Rantzen, the event raised £1 million, exclusively for UK-based children's charities—a significant increase from previous campaigns.
By 1984, the telethon evolved into a single continuous programme, abandoning regular programming slots. The format expanded to include radio and online content, with Wogan remaining the primary host until 2014. He stepped down due to health issues and died in 2016.
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Children in Need
BBC Children in Need is the BBC's UK charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised more than £1 billion as of 2023 through its fundraising efforts.
The charity's flagship event is an annual telethon broadcast every November on BBC One and BBC Two. Pudsey Bear has served as its mascot, while the late Sir Terry Wogan hosted the event for 35 years. As a cornerstone of British television, Children in Need is one of the UK's two major telethons, alongside Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. It remains the BBC's sole in-house charity.
Originally broadcast from the BBC Television Centre, the telethon relocated to the BBC Elstree Centre between 2013 and 2020 following the closure of the former. Historically lasting up to seven hours, the event was streamlined to a three-hour programme (7:00 pm to 10:00 pm) from 2020 onwards. To accommodate family-friendly content, the television watershed is postponed until 11:30 pm on the night of the broadcast.
The 2020 telethon, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, featured a significantly reduced format with just four presenters: Mel Giedroyc, Alex Scott, Chris Ramsey, and Stephen Mangan. Since November 2021, the event has been staged at Dock10, MediaCityUK in Salford. In October 2023, it was announced that Lenny Rush—a children's television star and future Doctor Who actor—would become the first child co-presenter in the charity's history during the 2023 appeal broadcast. In October 2025, it was announced that TV personality and British rapper Big Zuu would debut in the presenting lineup for the 2025 appeal show.
The BBC's inaugural charity appeal was a five-minute radio broadcast on Christmas Day 1927, raising approximately £1,342 for four children's charities.
The first televised appeal, the Children's Hour, aired in 1955. Fronted by Harry Corbett and the yellow glove puppet Sooty Bear, these appeals continued annually on television and radio until 1979, raising a total of £625,836. Sir Terry Wogan made his debut during the five-minute appeal in 1978 and returned in 1979. Animated characters such as Peter Pan and Tom and Jerry occasionally featured in these broadcasts.
The first dedicated Children in Need telethon aired in 1980, replacing standard continuity segments with fundraising appeals during evening programming. Presented by Terry Wogan, Sue Lawley, and Esther Rantzen, the event raised £1 million, exclusively for UK-based children's charities—a significant increase from previous campaigns.
By 1984, the telethon evolved into a single continuous programme, abandoning regular programming slots. The format expanded to include radio and online content, with Wogan remaining the primary host until 2014. He stepped down due to health issues and died in 2016.