The BBC's seven-hour long Children In Need telethon raised a massive, record-breaking £26.7 million last night (16 Nov), with millions more expected to be raised by fundraising activities happening across the UK in the name of the children's charity.
The night-long extravaganza was introduced by life-long patron to the charity Sir Terry Wogan, who referred to the ongoing Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal plaguing the BBC to emphasis the importance of the work the charity does. He was then joined by the nights co-hosts; Fearne Cotton and Tess Daily who introduced the first act of the night, the newly reformed Girls Aloud.
The ladies made their way to the stage in matching orange dresses for their long-awaited comeback after three years apart as they performed the new singles 'Something New' and 'Beautiful Because You Love Me' for the first time on television.
One Direction were the next entertainers to take to the stage, also performing their new single, which was then followed by a Strictly Come Dancing special and then a one off EastEnders episode featuring East-End native Lord Alan Sugar. This was then followed by a joint effort from 20 of Team GB's Olympic and Paralympic heroes who featured in a music video that saw them dancing to Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' and Psy's YouTube hit 'Gangnam Style.'
With further performances from Leona Lewis, Ellie Goulding and Kylie Minogue, and the usual video snippets showing the audience just where their money goes, the night proved a massive success for a more than worthy cause. With fundraising evens taking place up and down the country, the total is expected to reach even higher figures when all the sums are added together.