Children in Need

It was BBC’s Children in Need on Friday night and already it has raised over £23m for children’s charities in the UK. An annual event in the UK calendar, the evening of entertainment and money-raising /pledging is great fun, all united behind the ‘Pudsey’ banner. The yellow mascot, "Pudsey" Bear, was created in 1985 by Joanna Ball. The bear was named after her home town of Pudsey, West Yorkshire, where her grandfather was mayor.

The highlight for me this year was the song produced by the Children in Need Animated All star Band.

The brainchild of comedian Peter Kay who has co-ordinated the project it is a fantastic example of the animators art. And the sorting out of copyrights to get the permission to use all the characters must have been a nightmare. Well done, Peter.

The stellar line up includes over 100 world famous icons from the past such as The Thunderbirds, The Wombles, Bagpuss and Postman Pat, lining up alongside contemporary faces including Fifi and the Flowertots, In The Night Garden, and of course, Pudsey Bear. The single includes a medley of popular songs for all generations to enjoy; Can You Feel It (originally by The Jacksons), Don't Stop (originally by Fleetwood Mac), Jai Ho (originally by Pussycat Dolls), Tubthumping (originally by Chumbawamba), Never Forget (originally by Take That), Hey Jude (originally by The Beatles), and One Day Like This (originally by Elbow).

I can thoroughly recommend it and it can be bought on-line by going to Pudsey’s website.


The only problem with watching the show is you cannot help crying at the moving films about the projects that the money goes towards. I defy one not to have tears in the eyes seeing the Oncology Department at Alder Hey and hearing a child say “It’s not very nice for the parents of children who don’t make it “.

The BBC's first broadcast appeal for children 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. The annual appeal format transferred to television 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 right up until 1979, with stars such as Terry Hall, Eamonn Andrews, Leslie Crowther and Michael Aspel. 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. The first BBC "telethon" event—a single programme lasting a whole evening devoted to raising money—was held in 1980.