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 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.

History

Earlier BBC appeals

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.

''BBC Children in Need''

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.
In 1988, BBC Children in Need registered as a charity in England and Wales, followed by Scottish registration in 2008. A notable partnership in 2020 saw the charity collaborate with the McLaren Formula One Team at a race to support initiatives in Turkey.
Simon Antrobus has served as chief executive since 2016.

Sponsorships

Corporate partners have played a key role in fundraising. Asda, McDonald's, One Stop, Greggs, Enterprise, and Cineworld are among the charity's longstanding sponsors. Welcome Break—whose service stations host outlets such as WHSmith, Waitrose, Subway, Burger King, Pret a Manger, Starbucks and Harry Ramsden's—has also supported the cause. The 2025 Sidemen Charity Match, scheduled for Wembley Stadium, will raise funds for Children in Need.

Sir Terry Wogan Fundraiser of the Year Award

The Sir Terry Wogan Fundraiser of the Year has been awarded annually since 2016 to individuals demonstrating exceptional commitment to raising funds for BBC Children in Need. Established by Wogan's family in memory of the late Sir Terry Wogan—the charity's long-standing host—the award was first presented by his son, Mark, during the 2016 telethon. Subsequent ceremonies have featured notable presenters, including Joanna Lumley and Michael Ball.
Since 2024, the award has not been handed out.

Year	Winner
2016	Lauchlan Muir
2017	Ellie and Abbie Holloway
2018	Keeley Browse
2019	Austin and Esther Atkins
2020	Brian Pitt
2021	Amy Wright
2022	Aileen Kane
2023	Joel

Telethon

Acts

The telethon features performances by prominent singers, musical groups, and celebrities, often participating in sketches or musical numbers during the 6.5-hour-long programme. Notable appearances include actors from ITV programmes—sometimes in character or from their show's sets—as well as BBC newsreaders, whose performances became an annual tradition. Stars of West End musicals frequently perform excerpts from their productions after their theatre curtain calls.

Broadcast

dedicates its entire evening schedule to the telethon, pausing only for a 35-minute break at 10:00 pm to air BBC News at Ten, weather updates, and regional news. Simultaneously, BBC Two broadcasts complementary programming, such as Mastermind Children in Need, which is a form of Celebrity Mastermind. Pre-telethon specials include DIY SOS: The Big Build, Bargain Hunt, and The One Show, featuring challenges like the hosts' rickshaw ride and a celebrity edition of Pointless hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman, assisted by Pudsey Bear.
Regional contributions play a significant role: BBC England's regions provide hourly updates, while BBC Scotland, BBC Cymru Wales, and BBC Northern Ireland historically aired extended local segments before rejoining the network broadcast around 1:00 am. From 2010, however, these nations adopted the English regions' hourly update format.

''Children in Need'' Choir

Since 2011, a central feature of the telethon has been a live choir performance involving more than 1,000 children across 8–10 UK locations, singing in unison.

Annual telethon overview

No.	Broadcast date	Broadcast total	Total raised	Main presenter	Co-presenters	BBC One rating
1			£1,200,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Lawley Esther Rantzen
2		£508,625	£1,008,697	Sir Terry Wogan	Esther Rantzen
3		£603,440	£1,050,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gloria Hunniford Fran Morrison
4	25 November 1983	£839,429	£1,158,737	Sir Terry Wogan	Gloria Hunniford Fran Morrison
5	23 November 1984	£1,459,283	£2,264,398	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Joanna Lumley
6	22 November 1985	£2,431,085	£4,476,780	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook John Craven Joanna Lumley
7	21 November 1986	£5,264,655	£8,687,607	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Joanna Lumley
8	27 November 1987	£8,735,657	£13,916,326	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook
9	18 November 1988	£13,099,246	£17,563,458	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Joanna Lumley
10	17 November 1989	£17,213,664	£21,671,931	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook
11	23 November 1990	£17,547,227	£20,921,929	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Dave Benson Phillips
12	22 November 1991	£17,182,724	£20,819,508	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Andi Peters
13	20 November 1992	£11,549,490	£16,700,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Andi Peters
14	26 November 1993	£12,386,866	£17,300,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Andi Peters
15	25 November 1994	£12,012,524		Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Andi Peters
16	24 November 1995	£11,843,385		Sir Terry Wogan	Sue Cook Gaby Roslin
17	22 November 1996	£11,847,168	£18,700,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin
18	21 November 1997	£12,034,235	£20,900,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin
19	20 November 1998	£11,380,888	£17,900,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin
20	26 November 1999	£11,639,053	£16,700,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin	6.61
21	17 November 2000	£12,244,764	£20,000,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin	6.8
22	16 November 2001	£12,895,853	£25,900,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin	7.12
23	15 November 2002	£13,501,375	£26,200,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin	7.56
24	21 November 2003	£15,305,212	£31,400,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin	10.49
25	19 November 2004	£17,156,175	£34,200,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Gaby Roslin	8.48
26	18 November 2005	£17,235,256	£33,200,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Natasha Kaplinsky Matt Allwright	9.07
27	17 November 2006	£18,300,392	£33,600,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Natasha Kaplinsky Chris Moyles	7.72
28	16 November 2007	£19,089,771	£37,500,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton	9.56
29	14 November 2008	£20,991,216	£38,500,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Tess Daly Alesha Dixon	9.83
30	20 November 2009	£20,309,747	£40,200,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Tess Daly Alesha Dixon Peter Andre	10.08
31	19 November 2010	£18,098,199	£36,600,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Tess Daly Peter Andre	9.36
32	18 November 2011	£26,332,334	£46,100,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Tess Daly Alesha Dixon	10.01
33	16 November 2012	£26,757,446	£43,300,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Tess Daly Nick Grimshaw	8.22
34	15 November 2013	£31,124,896	£49,600,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Tess Daly Nick Grimshaw Zoe Ball Shane Richie	9.99
35	14 November 2014	£32,620,469	£49,100,000	Sir Terry Wogan	Fearne Cotton Tess Daly Nick Grimshaw Rochelle Humes Shane Richie	8.54
36	13 November 2015	£37,100,687	£55,000,000	Dermot O'Leary	Fearne Cotton Tess Daly Nick Grimshaw Rochelle Humes Shane Richie	7.95
37	18 November 2016	£46,624,259	£60,000,000	Tess Daly	Rochelle Humes Greg James Graham Norton Ade Adepitan Marvin Humes Russell Kane	6.60
38	17 November 2017	£50,168,562	£60,750,000	Tess Daly	Rochelle Humes Graham Norton Ade Adepitan Marvin Humes Mel Giedroyc Matt Edmondson	7.12
39	16 November 2018	£50,595,053	£62,072,000	Tess Daly	Graham Norton Mel Giedroyc Rochelle Humes Marvin Humes Ade Adepitan Rob Beckett	6.44
40	15 November 2019	£47,886,382	£57,346,000	Tess Daly	Graham Norton Mel Giedroyc Rochelle Humes Marvin Humes Ade Adepitan Tom Allen	6.13
41	13 November 2020	£37,032,789	£63,443,000	Mel Giedroyc	Alex Scott Chris Ramsey Stephen Mangan	5.12
42	19 November 2021	£39,389,048	£50,991,355	Mel Giedroyc	Ade Adepitan Graham Norton Chris Ramsey Alex Scott	4.56
43	18 November 2022	£35,273,167	£43,400,000	Mel Giedroyc	Ade Adepitan Jason Manford Chris Ramsey Alex Scott	3.96
44	17 November 2023	£33,513,325	£46,200,000	Mel Giedroyc	Ade Adepitan Jason Manford Chris Ramsey Alex Scott Lenny Rush	3.77
45	15 November 2024	£39,210,850	£52,700,000	Mel Giedroyc	Ade Adepitan Vernon Kay Chris Ramsey Rochelle Humes Lenny Rush	3.88
46	14 November 2025	£45,507,536	TBA	Mel Giedroyc	Vernon Kay Paddy McGuinness Lenny Rush Rochelle Humes Big Zuu
-	-	-	-	Mel Giedroyc	-	-