| Children in Need | |
|---|---|
Children in Need logo featuring Pudsey Bear 2007–present |
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| Genre | Telethon |
| Presented by | Sir Terry Wogan Fearne Cotton Alesha Dixon Tess Daly (See full list) |
| Narrated by | Alan Dedicoat |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | BBC Television Centre |
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | Various |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Original run | November 1980 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Comic Relief (since 1985) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long standing host. Children in Need is one of three high-profile British telethons, the others being Red Nose Day and Sport Relief, both supporting the Comic Relief charity.
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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 were used.
In 1980, the BBC held its first telethon, a single programme lasting a whole evening, devoted to raising money exclusively destined for charities working with children in the United Kingdom. The new format, presented by Terry Wogan, Sue Lawley and Esther Rantzen, saw a dramatic increase in public donations: £1 million was raised that year. The telethon format has been retained each year since and grown in scope to incorporate further events broadcast on radio and online. As a regular presenter, Wogan has become firmly associated with the annual event, continuing to front the event through into 2011 after scaling down his other BBC commitments.
In 1988, BBC Children in Need became a registered charity (number 802052) in England and Wales, followed by registration in Scotland (SC039557) in 2008. The 2005 appeal was billed as Children in Need's 25th anniversary "celebrating 25 years of fun and fundraising", with £17 million raised on the night.
A total amount raised is announced at the final minute of broadcast of the telethon. The final total is much greater, with the 2009 appeal raising over £40 million.[1] The 2008 telethon total broke all previous records with a total of £20,991,216 raised by the end of the broadcast.[2] On 19 November 2011 at 02.00 GMT the appeal had raised a new record of £26,332,334 which broke all previous records for the appeal night total.[3]
| Event | Broadcast total | Final total |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | – | £34,200,000[4] |
| 2005 | £17,235,256[5] | £33,200,000[6] |
| 2006 | £18,300,392 | £33,600,000[7] |
| 2007 | £19,089,771 | £37,500,000[8] |
| 2008 | £20,991,216 | £38,500,000[9] |
| 2009 | £20,309,747[1] | £40,200,000[1] |
| 2010 | £18,098,199 | – |
| 2011 | £26,332,334 | – |
The appeal gains the majority of its money from outstanding donations by individuals who may themselves have raised the funds by taking part in sponsored events. Being sponsored to sit in a bath of baked beans is a common favourite. Companies also donate money, either directly or benefits in kind, such as HSBC donating banking facilities, and BT donating telephone lines and operators.
On the night of the televised appeal, donations are solicited through entertainment acts, intermixed with featurettes showing what the money will be used for. The total raised so far during the telethon is frequently flashed on screen, with presenters urging viewers to part with "any penny they can spare" to help push the total beyond the target milestone.
Fundraising activity also extends across the BBC's other television channels and national and local radio channels. Prior to the start of the Telethon, BBC Radio 2 hosts 4 days of fund-raising for Children In Need.[10] The Radio 2 events culminate with a music marathon, ending just as the Telethon starts. For the last few years, Radio 2 listeners have been able to raise in excess of two million pounds.[11]
The money contributed to Children in Need is distributed to organisations supporting children in the UK aged 18 and under who have mental, physical or sensory disorders; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, sexual abuse or neglect.
The telethon features performances from many top singers and groups, with many by celebrities also appearing on the seven-hour long programme performing various activities such as sketches or musical numbers. Featured celebrities often include those from programmes on rival network ITV, including some appearing in-character, and/or from the sets of their own programmes. A performance by BBC newsreaders has become an annual fixture. Stars of newly-opened West End musicals regularly perform a number from their show later in the evening after "curtain call" in their respective theatres.
The BBC devotes the entire night's programming on its flagship channel BBC One to the Children in Need telethon, with the exception of half an hour at 10 O'Clock while BBC News at Ten airs, and activity continues on BBC Two with special programming, such as Mastermind Children in Need in 2010.
Unlike the other BBC charity telethon "Comic Relief", Children in Need relies a lot on the BBC regions for input into the telethon night. The BBC English regions all have around 5-8 minute round-ups every hour during the telethon. This does not interrupt the schedule of items which is shown from BBC Television Centre as the host Terry Wogan usually hands over to the regions, giving those in the main network studio a short break. However BBC Scotland, BBC Wales and BBC Northern Ireland do opt-out of the network schedule with a lot of local fundraising news and activities from their broadcast area. Usually they will go over to the network broadcast at various times of the night, and usually they will show some network items later than when the English regions will see them. This is to give the BBC nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland a much larger slot than the BBC English regions because the "Nations" comprise a distinct audience of the BBC. Usually BBC Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hands back to network coverage from around 1:00 am in the telethon night. For the 2010 appeal this changed, with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales deciding not to have their usual opt outs and instead they followed the English regions pattern of having updates every hour.
| Years | Presenter |
|---|---|
| 1980–present | Sir Terry Wogan |
| 2005–present | Fearne Cotton |
| 2008–present | Alesha Dixon |
| 2008–present | Tess Daly |
| 1994–2004 | Gaby Roslin |
| 2005 | Matt Allwright |
| 2005–2006 | Natasha Kaplinsky |
| 2009–2010 | Peter Andre |
The mascot which fronts the Children in Need appeal is called "Pudsey Bear", created in 1983 by BBC Graphics designer Joanna Ball. The bear was named after her hometown of Pudsey, West Yorkshire, where her grandfather was mayor.[12] A reproduction of the bear mascot (made of vegetation) is in Pudsey park, near the town centre. Originally introduced for the 1985 appeal as a brown bear as a mascot, the design was amended the following year to a yellow bear with a bandage over one eye, becoming also the official logo of the campaign. In 2007 Pudsey and the logo were redesigned. By 2009, Pudsey had been joined by another bear: A brown female bear named "Blush". She has a spotty bow with the pattern similar to Pudsey's bandanna pattern, continuing into 2010.
| Year | Artist(s) | Song(s) | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Clannad | Almost Seems (Too Late to Turn) | DNC |
| 1986 | Suzi Quatro with Bronski Beat and Various Artists | Heroes | DNC |
| 1988 | Spirit of Play with Paul McCartney | Children In Need | DNC |
| 1989 | Clannad | Almost Seems (Too Late to Turn) | DNC |
| 1995 | Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen | You Better Believe It (Children in Need) | 60 |
| 1997 | Lou Reed and Various Artists | Perfect Day | 1 |
| 1998 | Denise Van Outen and Johnny Vaughan featuring Steps | Especially for You | 3 |
| 1999 | Martine McCutcheon | Love Me | 6 |
| 2000 | S Club 7 | Never Had a Dream Come True | 1 |
| 2001 | S Club 7 | Have You Ever | 1 |
| 2002 | Will Young | Don't Let Me Down / You and I | 2 |
| 2003 | Shane Richie | I'm Your Man | 2 |
| 2004 | Girls Aloud | I'll Stand by You | 1 |
| 2005 | Liberty X | A Night to Remember | 6 |
| 2006 | Emma Bunton | Downtown | 3 |
| 2007 | Spice Girls | Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) | 11 |
| 2008 | McFly | Do Ya/Stay with Me[13] | 18 |
| 2009 | Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band | The Official BBC Children in Need Medley[14] | 1 |
| 2010 | JLS | Love You More | 1 |
| 2011 | The Collective [15][16] | Teardrop | 24 |
Although Children in Need is welcomed by a large proportion of the British public, there are some who offer an alternative view, that the portrayal of children, particularly disabled children, as victims is unfortunate and counter-productive. It is argued that a change in social attitudes will benefit the disadvantaged more than money and public sympathy.
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".[18][19]
In 2007, it was reported that Terry Wogan, as the show's host, 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. Wogan, however, stated that 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 and not from the Children in Need charity fund, had "never been negotiated", having instead increased in line with inflation.[20] Two days prior to the 2007 event, it was reported that Wogan had waived his compensation.[21]
There has also been concern about the type of groups receiving funding from Children in Need. Writing in The Spectator, Ross Clark noted how 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 Jilbab. 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".[22]
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