Annabel RackhamCulture reporter
BBCChildren in Need returns to our screens once again on Friday night for a night of fundraising, with a live three-hour broadcast from Salford raising money for children and young people across the UK.
The presenting team features a number of returning hosts, including Paddy McGuinness, Mel Giedroyc, Lenny Rush, Rochelle Humes and Vernon Kay.
Bafta-winning TV presenter, chef and rapper Big Zuu is also making his first appearance in the line-up.
The show will include performances from Lewis Capaldi, McFly’s Tom Fletcher and his son Buzz, and Eurovision contestants Remember Monday, plus sketches from popular BBC shows including Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice and Gladiators.
The programme will conclude a week of Children in Need-related content, including the completion of Sara Cox’s 135-mile challenge.
The Radio 2 presenter is taking part in five marathons in five days, running, jogging and walking through northern England as part of the race.
She’s travelled through Northumberland, Durham, North and West Yorkshire and will end her race at the Salford studio during the show, and will find out how much she has raised for charity.
Big Zuu has also collaborated with Pudsey Bear and a group of children from a theatre project funded by Children in Need to present his first CBeebies Bedtime Story, Basil Dreams Big by Lu Fraser and Sarah Warburton, about resilience, bravery, and believing in yourself.
It was broadcast on Thursday night and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
He said the charities that resonate most with him are “ones that take care of carers, and also take care of parents”.
I think youth work projects are very close to me, because I used to be a youth worker.
“I know how crucial it is for young people to have a trusted adult that they can talk to who believes in them and the power this can have in helping unlock their potential,” he said.
Rush, who is hosting for his third year, added that his favourite thing about presenting, along with meeting “so many amazing, inspiring people” was “having the opportunity to hear their stories”.
Newscast, the BBC’s daily news podcast, has also been getting in on the action, with presenter Adam Fleming taking on a 25-hour podcasting mission between Thursday and Friday.
He has welcomed a host of BBC radio presenters and podcasters, including the regular Newcast team, the CBeebies Radio and 5 Live Daily podcast teams.
There will also be some special sketches on the night, including an appearance from Lord Sugar, who will be grilled in the boardroom by some budding junior apprentices.
Fans of his show will also get a sneak peek of the upcoming The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials as this year’s contestants take on a charity challenge.
Gladiators also gets the Children in Need treatment, as some mini gladiators enter the arena and The One Show’s The Challenge Squad are also set to feature.
The Challenge Squad are a group of young peopleon a mission to achieve their own fundraising goals, with the help of some famous faces.
The BBC Children In Need choir will also be returning to perform Coldplay’s Yellow as a tribute to Pudsey’s favours colour.
