Children in Need 2015: 'Record-breaking' 37m raised as fundraising continues

1. This year a record-breaking amount of money was raised

2015 was another brilliant year for Children In Need, with, at the time of writing, a record-breaking £37 million being raised for good causes, beating last year's total by nearly £5 million. The official Children in Need account tweeted the total:

2. Star Wars

If the world wasn't already in full Star Wars mania awaiting the release of The Force Awakens, we were treated to an exclusive clip featuring favourites C-3PO and R2-D2, and star of the early films Warwick Davis. It was brief but star-studded, with A-listers such as Lewis Hamilton, Martin Freeman and Lord Sugar given the chance to express their love for the franchise. It was all a bit silly, of course, and didn't give anything away about the upcoming film, but was enough to keep us going for the next few weeks and was tonight's stand-out feature.

3. Brucie's back!

Oh how we've missed the twinkle-toed octogenarian! We love Claudia Winkleman, but these days, our Saturday nights are distinctly lacking in his reliable, good clean funnies. Joining long-time companion Tess Daly to host Call the Midwife does Strictly Come Dancing, this national treasure may have only had a brief spell on our screens tonight, but his old-fashioned humour and charm were, as always, an unmitigated delight.

4. Jazz hands and perfect pitches

It seemed not five minutes went by without another musical guest taking to the mic. It's not a competition, but who came out on top? Fittingly, the talented Jess Glynne's heartfelt official single Take Me Home was a highlight, as were the many interludes by affable and lovably oleaginous Peter Andre, if only for his beguilingly cheesy stage presence. Ellie Goulding, Rod Stewart and Selena Gomez also performed.

5. Children in Need stays true to its message

A series of poignant videos reminded us that among all the frivolity, this appeal exists to raise money for a number of crucial, worthy causes. Each different case we were introduced to was as important as the last, but one David Tennant narrated, about a Scottish family's loss of their two children, was difficult for even host Dermot O'Leary to watch. Deeply affected, the choked up last-minute presenter informed us that it was the first time he had seen the clips too. It was moving, and galvanising.

6. Scott Mills's Big Adventure

Having taken on Strictly last year (to several appalling if well-spirited attempts), you'd think nothing could faze Scott Mills. Not so, dear reader, as his abseil from Britain's tallest structure, the Olympic Park's Orbit, was a most entertaining - if nail-biting - segment. Poor Mills hammed it up to begin with, but speedily got his descent over and done with as fast as he could. Back on solid ground, he was drenched with sweat.

7. Danny Dyer surprisingly succeeds at sincerity

The smouldering scene-stealing star managed to use the term "little geezer" while introducing a VT, without taking away from its important, earnest message. Proof, if it was needed, that this cockney caricature vastly improves anything he features in (see I Believe in UFOs).

Call the Midwife and Kinky Boots

Full steam ahead into the late slot, with an exclusive glimpse at period drama Call the Midwife's Christmas Special, and a lively number from the cast of West-End musical Kinky Boots (based on the 2005 film with Chiwetel Ejiofor). They're doing well to keep going with such energy at this hour, I am struggling in attempts to spell and pronounce Chiwetel Ejiofor. Time to wrap up the live blog for now - but the on-air merriment continues until 2am.

Siren Selena Sings

Selena Gomez looked ravishing in her floor-length crimson gown. I cannot comment on her vocal performance.*

*She is best friends with Taylor Swift. I wouldn't dare.

Pudsey's reinvention

After a brief interlude over on BBC Two with Shane Richie, we're back on BBC One now with Nick Grimshaw and Rochelle Humes. It really feels like Olly Murs ought to be here, not just because his X Factor brethren are in attendance, but it's the kind of wholesome event the cheeky chappy have been invited to. We are feeling his absence.

Pudsey the bear's here though, and has been raving it up in all his CGI glory. He's moved comfortably into the digital age but one can't help but notice some unsettling similarities with the decidedly less clean-cut 3D-animated bear, Ted, star of Seth MacFarlane's lacklustre comedy franchise. Well, one might, but not now I have pointed them out. You're welcome.

Highlights from Tom Jones and Rob Brydon's Big Night

A boyband, a comeback crooner and a country duo are a few of the choice clips from last night's showcase. Australians 5 Seconds of Summer and their offering wasn't really worthy of mention, but it will surely have enthralled their young fans, who should probably be in bed by now. James Morrison was enjoyable enough, while British country twosome The Shires journey on in their melodical quest to build their own Nashville - yes, right here in the UK!

Celebs take to Twitter

Commentary and input from the rich and famous. Highlight is of course the wonderful Judy Murray, who is probably the number one mum on Twitter and woefully underappreciated in the social media sphere.

Not everyone's getting into the spirit of things.

Come Fly with Peter Andre

It is very hard to dislike Peter Andre and his guileless charm. He's been doing a stellar turn heading up the house (Queen Vic) band tonight but he's now finally taking centre stage, and gives us a lovely version of Frank Sinatra's classic. As we know from his performance on Strictly (and appearances on numerous reality series long before that), this is not a man who holds back, and that was a vehement, full-hearted performance if ever I saw one. Lovely. Might book tickets for his upcoming tour.

Jess Glynne performs Take Me Home

After a moving film educating us about the great work of bereavement counsellors, the ubiquitous Jess Glynne gives us an emotional delivery of this year's official single, Take Me Home. Such singles used to be shoo-ins for the number one chart position, but fat chance of that when Adele's around. This is a worthy effort, but will it live up to S Club 7's famed back-to-back dominance with "Never Had a Dream Come True" and "Have You Ever", in 2000 and 2001? Probably not.

When it comes to charity singles, Comic Relief tends to monopolise the better tracks, the undisputed and unrivalled best of all being, of course, Boyzone's 1999 cover of "When The Going Gets Tough".

Harry Hill's 40 in 4

Harry Hill has a go at condensing 40 years of telly into four minutes. Trying to guess the shows he's sending up is quite amusing, but it's your usual slapstick pantomime. With a few familiar faces, Tony Blackburn, a Teletubby, it's nothing too grotesque - oh wait, no, Mr Blobby's here. Take it back. This sketch is very much TV burp, and possibly a few other bodily functions as well, but Bake Off's lovely Nadiya is here to rescue what's otherwise a rather soggy-bottomed segment.

David Tennant reminds us of the importance of Children in Need donations

Taking us from the sublimely silly to the tragically sincere, David Tennant introduces an acutely moving film about a family's heartbreaking loss of two children. Robbie and Rosie died of a hereditary condition, and thanks to the work of Children in Need donations and the support of a local hospice, their final days were spent in peace.

Scared Scott abseils

A tense few minutes as a terrified Scott Mills descends from the top of the Orbit, Britain's tallest structure. A more difficult task would have been to ask him to climb up it, but even so, we felt for the man as he shakily lowered himself to solid ground. Cheerful, pudsey-themed get-up, though still nothing to rival his infamous lobster outfit from last year's Strictly. I hope he didn't pass up the chance to take some pictures of that fabulous view.

Rod Stewart's rousing rendition

The sandpapery tones of snakehips's "Way Back Home" ring through the crowd, as the singer positions himself, thumbs in beltloops before the crowd, for a rousing performance of the single. One for the mums and grandmothers, probably a bit of filler as the schoolchildren are put to bed. Here, the One Direction clip is still on loop.

The much-awaited Star Wars sketch arrives

Challenged by Jedi Master Wogan, C3PO, R2-D2 and Warwick Davis are looking for a Star Wars superfan to press the totaliser button. Everyone's vying for a go: Lewis Hamilton, Martin Freeman (cracking Yoda impression), Danny Dyer, will.i.am, Barbara Windsor in an ewok costume, Tom Daley and Lord Sugar are all in the running, but Mel and Sue have baked a cake, and Stephen Merchant is going for the hard sell. And the winner is... Droid BB8. I think Mel and Sue's Princess Leia costumes deserve an honourable mention, though.

ONE DIRECTION are on screen

Be still my beating heart! Their musical career may now be on hiatus but their charitable pursuits go on. The boys tell us about the hard work of Children in Need charities, and dogs. Implosion of the internet is imminent, with the combination of this Rather Popular Boy Band and adorable, unflagging pups.

No Midwife Crises

Didn't they do well? Not a terrible effort from the foursome. According to Len Goodman they "packed more in three days than a baby packs into a nappy". A lovely image, sure to be jumped upon by any attentive 10-year-olds watching at home. Lots of maternity-based lols in this segment. There's quite good praise all round for the two group dances, Jenny came out on top but the true winner is Brucie, I'm scoring him a 10 for his jokes which are on fabulous, face-palming form (according to Twitter).

Brucie's back!!!

Bruce Forsyth's back by Tess's side, as a selection of Call the Midwife stars take to the Strictly dancefloor for one of the jewels in tonight's bestudded crown, a special edition of the dancing competition. Their comrade Helen George is doing swimmingly on the main show, but how will Jenny Agutter, Laura Main, Stephen McGann and Jack Ashton fare?

The smouldering Danny Dyer delivers a dramatic appeal

Everyone's favourite East Ender and all-round "proper sort" introduces us to a "lovely little geezer" in Nottingham whose life has been transformed by the work of a Children in Need charity. Reaction on Twitter is of bafflement.

Peter Andre

Peter Andre performs a jazz-infused, house-bandy rendition of his Canonical Power Ballad, Mysterious Girl. I smell a re-release. Maybe that's just the cheese. (Only kidding Peter. I love you)

EastEnders stars Put on the Ritz

Who was impressed by that spectacular display from the cast of EastEnders? It is a bit of a tradition for the soap's cast to have a bash at a musical number, and this year it was Puttin' On the Ritz from Top Hat - The Musical. Quite a good job from all involved, and probably quite a strenuous effort, going off their facial expressions. Bonnie Langford is putting in her all on the far right.

Little Mix trolley dash in Boots

Did you know they were selling Pudsey charms for your glasses in Boots? I did not and am disappointed at the missed opportunity to jazz up my specs. Acclaimed four-piece, the lovely Little Mix took to Boots to promote the Children in Need gear, including some delightful yellow ears which will hopefully not resurface in future Halloween costumes of students. Here they are doing their best Barbie impressions.

Grimmy reminds us how to donate

As Tess, Dermot and the crowd thank Paula for her hard work, here's a reminder from Nick Grimshaw of how to donate.

Ellie Goulding performs

Great Friend Of Children in Need Ellie Goulding delivers an impassioned and, according to Dermot O'Leary, "magnificent" performance of her song "Army". Judging by the lyrics, Goulding is not to be messed with - a repetition of "I'm standing with an army" - so we won't be too harsh on her; it's a charity event after all.

Scott Mills trains for his Big Drop

Scott is abseiling down the Orbit at the Olympic Park later - it was going to be the Blackpool Tower but Hurricane Abigail got in the way of that. He looks extremely worried, but he should count himself lucky that he has Marines spotting him as he trains at an assault course. The rest of us accomplished in the outdoor pursuits had no such glamorous treatment on our Year 6 school trips.

Dermot O'Leary is Tess's knight in shining armour

Well, a rather fetching grey suit. Terry Wogan will be sorely missed, but we've missed Dermot on our telly since he handed over X Factor duties to Olly Murs and Caroline Flack, and have much faith that he will fill Wogan's shoes most adequately. As well as the coterie of stars helping him out with the presenting, a spate of A-Listers are here to tell us about the fantastic, life-changing causes that are benefitted by Children in Need donations across Britain. Characters involved include Danny Dyer, Dame Helen Mirren, David Tennant, and lots of other celebs whose names don't start with D.

And we're off!

The night is upon us – after weeks of fun runs, rambles, bake sales and sponsored silences, it’s finally time for the annual, colossal, Children in Need appeal show. It was announced today that sadly, for the first time in 35 years, Sir Terry Wogan will not be hosting, but the trusty Dermot O’Leary has stepped in last-minute to take the helm with Pudsey and co (Tess Daly, Nick Grimshaw, Rochelle Humes, and Fearne Cotton), in what promises to be a mammoth evening of mild entertainment and monster money-raising.

I’m Sarah, and I’ll be live blogging the whole extravaganza – please join me in my running commentary, let me know your thoughts on the goings on in the comments section below or by tweeting me @carsonsarah. The theme for this year’s appeal is “Superheroes”, with schools and workplaces across the country encouraged to dress up as theirs for the day. In that spirit, I am channelling mine – Denise Best from The Royle Family – and will not be moving far from the telly for several hours. And neither should you, as such treats before us include Call the Midwife does Strictly, a brand new Star Wars sketch (intriguingly involving Alan Sugar), a “glitzy” musical number from the cast of EastEnders and the compulsory Daring Feat From A Young Broadcaster (this time, it’s Radio 1’s Scott Mills, abseiling down the Olympic Park’s AcelorMittal Orbit). Plus, a range of musical performances from such diverse talents as Selena Gomez, Peter Andre, Ellie Goulding and Rod Stewart. Not forgetting, of course, the real centrepiece of the evening, the collaboration we’ve been waiting for since 2004: the debut duet from Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle and Westlife’s Shane Filan.

Things get underway at 7.30pm on BBC One, and the sprawling affair will dart between BBC One and BBC Two all the way until 2am, so get comfortable, keep your phones at hand and ready to donate, and let’s hope they can smash last year’s final total of £49,100,100.

Who is Pudsey Bear?

BBC Children in Need's cuddly mascot is 30 years old this November. Pudsey Bear was created by BBC designer Joanna Lane in 1985, and proved immediately popular - the bear has since appeared on a video-game and postage stamp. Lane named the bear after her home town of Pudsey, Yorkshire, where her grandfather was mayor.

Pudsey's design has changed several times over the years. His bandana, now white with multicoloured spots, was originally red with black triangles. In 2009, Pudsey was joined by a brown, female bear called Blush, and in 2015 the BBC announced he was to be redesigned as "Pudsey Rabbit" - a statement later revealed to be an April Fools' Day hoax.

Who is hosting Friday's show?

The show was due to be hosted by Sir Terry Wogan who has had to pull out due to a bad back. Dermot O'Leary will replace Sir Terry in the main host slot.

Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, Nick Grimshaw and Rochelle Humes will co-host.

Who is performing in Friday's show?

Friday's show will feature a whole host of guest appearances, including live music from Rod Stewart, Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding – who will be performing her as-yet unreleased single, Army.

Shane Richie is back as the host of the BBC2 appeal show, broadasting from Albert Square, where the cast of EastEnders will be having a right old knees up; Peter Andre will serenade the Old Vic's regulars with Frank Sinatra's Come Fly With Me.

TV Burp's Harry Hill will offer his comic history of television, while Sir Alan Sugar – a natural replacement for Darth Vader – will share the screen with Warwick Davis in a new Star Wars sketch, appearing alongside R2D2 and C-3PO.

The West End casts of Beautiful, Kinky Boots and Bend it Like Beckham will be providing a dash of musical glamour, while Westlife’s Shane Filan and former Girls Aloud’s chanteuse Nadine Coyle will sing their duet, I Could Be, for the first time on television.

Singer Jess Glynne's track Take Me Home has been chosen as the official single for this year's BBC Children In Need. The single is available to download from iTunes, Spotify and Deezer and available to buy in CD form from November 13th at HMV, Asda, Tesco, Amazon and independent retailers across the UK.

Speaking of her new single, Jess said: "This is a song about the need to have someone who cares when you are at your most vulnerable. It's an emotional song for me and I have to admit it brings me to tears when I sing it live, likewise when I made the video. I hope it makes people realise that they should reach out to others at a time of need and I’m so excited for it to be part of BBC Children In Need. It's such a special cause."

Glynne is the latest in a line of performers including Ellie Goulding who released How Long Will I Love You in 2013, and Girls Aloud who supported the campaign with their comeback single Something New in 2012.

Last year, Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir secured the Charity a top spot in the charts with their rendition of Avicii’s Wake Me Up.

Strictly Come Dancing: Call the Midwife Special

Meanwhile, Bruce Forsyth returns to Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly, in a one-off special featuring four of the stars from BBC One's Call the Midwife: Jenny Agutter, Jack Ashton, Laura Main and Stephen McGann. Usually, this week's episode of Strictly Come Dancing would be filmed live in Blackpool's Tower Ballroom, but the trip to Blackpool has been pushed back a week, allowing Daly more time for Children in Need.

The Libertines do their bit for chari-tea

Indie rockers The Libertines have launched a specially commissioned tea to raise money for Children in Need. Ten boxes will be given away to randomly selected donors who give £2 or more to their Just Giving page. The band, fronted by Pete Doherty and Carl Barratt, have joined up with Yorkshire tea-makers Taylors of Harrogate to produce the limited-edition blend. So far, more than £2,200 has been raised in donations.

When and how can I donate?

It’s already possible to donate by text message. Donors can text “PADDLE” to 70701 to give £1, “DONATE” to 70705 to give £5, or “DONATE” to 70710 for £10. Text messages cost £1, plus the standard network message rate. These lines remain upon until January 31, so there’s plenty of time to donate after the show.

To donate by post, send a cheque, postal order or CAF voucher (but not cash) to “BBC Children in Need Appeal, PO Box 648, Salford, M5 0LB”. Alternatively, you can donate online by card or Paypal through the Children in Need website.

Anyone who wants to get a little more involved can order or download a fundraising pack from the Children in Need website, and start their own charity campaign.

How much money has been raised in the past?

The BBC first broadcast a charity in 1927, in the form of a five-minute radio broadcast on Christmas Day. The appeal raised about £1,143, (about £27,150 in today's money), and was donated to four children's charities. In 2013, the appeal raised £49,600,000 - the highest amount of any year to date.

The first televised appeal, fronted by Sooty and Harry Corbett (below), took place in 1955 and was called the Children's Hour Christmas Appeal.

The Christmas Day Appeals continued on TV and radio until 1979. During that time a total of £625,836 was raised.

Sir Terry first appeared during this five-minute appeal in 1978, and again in 1979. The avuncular Irishman has long been the face of the annual appeal.