Children in Need returned last night (Friday, November 15) with its three-hour show packed full of entertainment.
Ade Adepitan MBE, Mel Giedroyc, Rochelle Humes, Vernon Kay, Chris Ramsey and Lenny Rush took viewers through the night as presenters.
Some of the features of the telethon included Strictly Come Dancing professionals teaming up with worldwide TV sensation Bluey for a routine in the ballroom.
Elsewhere, the Brockman family returned for an Outnumbered sketch ahead of its Christmas Special airing in December and Gary Oldman read a very special CBeebies Bedtime Story.
'I'll Stand By You - Sarah's Version'
— BBC Children in Need (@BBCCiN) November 15, 2024
The official BBC Children in Need single and a wonderful tribute from @girlsaloud to Sarah Harding 💛
You can donate and Make Life Lighter for children at https://t.co/CfmlzQwh5f#ChildreninNeed | @BBC One & @BBCiPlayer pic.twitter.com/6XFiYA9oGN
Finally, Ncuti Gatwa introduced a world-exclusive preview of the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special.
There was plenty for viewers to enjoy but how much money did the night help raise towards Children in Need’s 2024 total?
How much did Children in Need raise this year?
At the end of the show, co-host Vernon Kay thanked viewers for their generosity as he announced that a total of £39,210,850 has been raised so far.
TV presenter and radio host Paddy McGuinness helped to raise £8,856,580 of this as part of his BBC Radio 2 ultra-endurance cycle challenge.
This saw him travel through three nations and eight counties to finish a 300-mile cycle ride.
What an INCREDIBLE total raised for BBC Children in Need this year!
— BBC Children in Need (@BBCCiN) November 15, 2024
Thank you to everyone who donated, your support is going to help Make Life Lighter for so many children and young people all over the UK 💛
You can still donate and Make Life Lighter for children at… pic.twitter.com/0r1EjCPILY
Meanwhile Children In Need’s 2024 charity single was played for the first time during the live show, which features a new version of Girls Aloud track Stand By You (Sarah’s Version) with the late Sarah Harding on lead vocals.
The song was originally released in 2004 as a Children In Need single and topped the UK chart for two weeks.
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The 2024 version features Harding’s solo recording, with unseen archive footage used in the video. The singer died in 2021 at the age of 39.
The live show also featured famous faces including JLS star Aston Merrygold, Strictly’s Nikita Kuzmin, and Olympian Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill taking a seat on Graham Norton’s famous red chair, as they attempted to make a group of children laugh.
While stars of the BBC’s Gladiators took part in a dance class alongside unexpected new recruits – hosts Ramsey, Rush and Kay.
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