Children in Need is an annual UK charity event that finishes with a 7-hour, all evening, TV extravaganza show on the BBC.

Children in Need started in 1980 and between then and 2009 it had raised over £470 million directly for the Children in Need charity.

The Children in Need TV Programme

The Children in Need TV show runs for a full 7 hours of entertainment, with a whole line of celebrities and stars coming out to entertain, or donate money. There are also lots of recorded interview clips shown where the presenters visit those people and organisations who have been helped by the charity, to show how the money will be spent, or is being spent.

The BBC also have reporters based throughout the UK, who go out on the evening of Children in Need interviewing groups and individuals who have collected money. It is very common for companies and staff to have Dress Down Days, where they pay £1 to wear their normal clothes, or they dress up in a theme for the day - with all cash collected going to the Children in Need charity.

Sponsored Events

In the weeks leading up to the main event day, individuals and groups are out running fundraisers, running marathons, holding coffee mornings - and 1000 more bizarre initiatives - purely to raise money for this national charity.

Throughout the evening of entertainment on the TV, viewers are invited to phone in and make a pledge over the telephone using their debit or credit card.

Call Centre Staff

To stage an event like Children in Need takes a lot of organisation - and staffing. It's become customary for large organisations to donate their staff and equipment for the night. For example, BT will donate their call centre staff and lines to answer the phones to take donations over the phones.

As a backdrop to the stage on the TV show there's always a running total of how much has been raised to date - and every year the objective is to raise more money than the year before.

Every programme has a mascot - and Pudsey Bear is the well-known mascot for Children in Need.

Pudsey Bear is a golden-coloured teddy bear, with a patch over one eye.

 Friday 20 November 2009

Full details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/

Donate: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/donate/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_in_Need

There are literally hundreds of celebrities that take part in Children in Need - some by recording something, or doing som fundraising before the event, some booked for the night, some by satellite on the night - and some just find themselves available and in the area so make their way down to the studio.

It isn't possible to keep a list of everybody who is expected, or who turns up, but below is a fairly short list of some of those expected.

For presenter Terry Wogan, this will be his 30th year of presenting the show, so there should be some fun at his expense!

Terry Wogan, Sir Paul McCartney, Alan Carr, Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, McFly, Take That, Girls Aloud, The Sugababes, Leon Jackson, Boyzone, The Stereophonics, Alesha Dixon, Razorlight, John Barrowman, Il Divo, Jason Donovan, Russell Watson, Will Young, Sharleen Spiteri

There are hundreds of ways you can get involved in Children in Need - if you're not already doing something, then how about checking out the official BBC website for ideas.

Many other organisations are supporting Children in Need, a few are listed below:

Fonebak: Recycle Your Old Mobile phone and donate to Children in Need.  Some or all of the value of your mobile phone will be donated.

If your company is national and are supporting Children in Need, leave a comment below and I'll add the bigger ones to the list.