Children in Need

BBC Children in Need (also promoted as Plant Mewn Angen in Wales) is the BBC's UK charity. Since 1980 it has raised over £600 million to change the lives of disabled children and young people in the UK. One of the highlights is an annual telethon, held in November and televised on BBC One, BBC One HD, BBC Two, and BBC Two HD from 7:30 pm until 2 am. "Pudsey Bear" is BBC Children in Need's mascot, whilst Terry Wogan was a long-standing host.

BBC Children in Need is one of three high-profile British telethons, although the only charity belonging to the BBC, the other telethons being Red Nose Day and Sport Relief, both supporting the Comic Relief charity. Following the closure of Television Centre, the 2013 telethon took place at the BBC's Elstree Studios on Friday 15 November.

History

Earlier BBC appeals

The BBC's first broadcast charity appeal took place in 1927, in the form of a five-minute radio broadcast on Christmas Day. It raised about £1,143, which equates to about £27,150 by today's standards, and was donated to four children's charities. The first televised appeal took place in 1955 and was called the Children's Hour Christmas Appeal, with the yellow glove puppet Sooty Bear and Harry Corbett fronting it. The Christmas Day Appeals continued on TV and radio until 1979. During that time a total of £625,836 was raised. Terry Wogan first appeared during this five-minute appeal in 1978, and again in 1979. Sometimes cartoon characters such as Peter Pan and Tom and Jerry were used.

Children in Need 2005

Children in Need 2005 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for the charity Children in Need. It culmunated in a live broadcast on BBC One on the evening of Friday 18 November and was hosted by Terry Wogan, Natasha Kaplinsky, Fearne Cotton and, from RAF Brize Norton, Matt Allwright. The voice over was Alan Dedicoat. A total of £17,235,256 was raised by the closing minute.

According to the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB), overnight ratings suggested that 10.7 million viewers were tuned into BBC One from 9.00pm to 9.15pm (a 45.1% audience share), the slot in which the Doctor Who mini-episode was broadcast in most regions. This represented the highest ratings that Children in Need had received in eight years.

Television campaign

Artist performances

Children in Need 2007

Children in Need 2007 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for Children in Need. It culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One on the evening of Friday 16 November, through to the morning of Saturday 17 November. The broadcast was hosted by Terry Wogan and Fearne Cotton, joined by other guest presenters throughout the night. The voice over reading out hourly totals was Alan Dedicoat. The event broke all previous records with a total of £19,089,771 raised by the closing minute. The show's average audience was 9.56 million, a huge amount higher than the previous year's event.

Television campaign

Artist performances