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 usually on the third Friday evening of November on BBC One and BBC Two. Pudsey Bear was its mascot, and 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 Paddy McGuinness and TV personality and British rapper Big Zuu would debut in the presenting line-up 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. In 2007, it was reported that Wogan had received an annual honorarium since 1980 (amounting to £9,065 in 2005); the BBC stated that the payment came from BBC resources rather than from the Children in Need charity fund. Two days before the 2007 event, Wogan waived his fee. 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 (no. 802052), followed by Scottish registration (SC039557) 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.

In November 2006, Children in Need faced public criticism after Intelligent Giving published an article, titled "Four Things Wrong with Pudsey", which questioned the efficiency of its grant-giving model and the quality of some of its public reporting as "shambolic".

Simon Antrobus has been 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 raised funds for Children in Need. Criticism

A former BBC governor said that Jimmy Savile was kept away from Children in Need. Sir Roger Jones who was also chairman of the charity said he had suspicions about Savile a decade before the news of Savile's sexual abuse scandal came to public light in 2012. His comments came on the day an inquiry began into whether the BBC's child protection and whistle-blowing policies were acceptable.

In November 2006, Intelligent Giving published an article about Children in Need, which attracted wide attention across the British media. The article, titled "Four Things Wrong with Pudsey", described donations to Children in Need as a "lazy and inefficient way of giving" and pointed out that, as a grant-giving charity, Children in Need would use donations to pay two sets of administration costs. It also described the quality of some of its public reporting as "shambolic".

In 2007, it was reported that presenter Terry Wogan had been receiving an annual honorarium since 1980 (amounting to £9,065 in 2005). This made him the only celebrity paid for his participation in Children in Need. According to Wogan's account, he would "quite happily do it for nothing" and had "never asked for a fee". The BBC stated that the amount, which was paid from BBC resources rather than from the Children in Need charity fund, had "never been negotiated", having instead increased in line with inflation. Two days before the 2007 event, Wogan waived his fee.

There has been concern about the type of groups receiving funding from Children in Need. Writing in The Spectator, Ross Clark noted that funding goes towards controversial groups such as Women in Prison, which campaigns against jailing female criminals. Another charity highlighted was the Children's Legal Centre, which provided funding for Shabina Begum to sue her school as she wanted to wear the jilbāb. Clark pondered whether donors seeing cancer victims on screen would appreciate "that a slice of their donation would be going into the pockets of Cherie Blair to help a teenage girl sue her school over her refusal to wear a school uniform".

During November 2024, Rosie Millard stepped down as chair of BBC Children in Need after protesting over grants awarded to an LGBT youth charity whose former chief had been involved in a child abuse scandal.

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 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 (2017) and Michael Ball (2021).

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

BBC One 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