Children in Need 2025 kicks off annual show

BBC

Children in Need has returned to our screens for a three-hour live broadcast from Salford to raise 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 has also made 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 Radio 2 presenter took part in five marathons in five days, running, jogging and walking through northern England.

Cox travelled through Northumberland, Durham, North and West Yorkshire, finishing in Salford on Friday. She has raised more than £7.6m for Children in Need over the last week.

Speaking to fellow Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills at the finish line on Friday afternoon, Cox said: "It's just been the maddest, most painful, wonderful thing I've ever, ever done."

"I've never had shapely calves in my life," she joked, "but I have now because they are so swollen, it looks like I've been hit with a bat."

She continued: "We spend a lot of time playing brilliant music on Radio 2... I was singing along at one point like a mad woman, singing along to Blur, and all sorts just to try and push through.

"I would like to thank Chase and Status and Stormzy for [their 2024 song] Backbone. And I'd like to apologise to my son because on telly, if it stays on the documentary, I am singing that song quite a lot and it's so cringe. So I am so sorry to my kids."

Big Zuu has 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.

He read Basil Dreams Big by Lu Fraser and Sarah Warburton, a story about resilience, bravery, and believing in yourself. It was broadcast on Thursday night and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

The rapper and chef 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, got 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 have been some special sketches on the night, including an appearance from Lord Sugar, who was 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 will enter the arena and The One Show's The Challenge Squad are also set to feature.

The Challenge Squad are a group of young people on 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.