BBC Children in Need’s 2022 Appeal raises £35million
BBC Children in Need thanks the public for their remarkable support in raising £35,273,167 to help make a difference to the lives of children and young people in communities across the UK during the cost of living crisis
BBC Children in Need’s 2022 Great SPOTacular Appeal show saw the UK public once again going above and beyond to support children and young people across the UK to thrive and be the best they can be, raising a whopping £35million during the charity’s 42nd Appeal show.
Live on BBC One and iPlayer from 7.00pm on Friday, the charity’s 2022 Appeal show marked the crescendo of this year’s fundraising activities for BBC Children in Need. Presented by Ade Adepitan MBE, Mel Giedroyc, Jason Manford, Chris Ramsey and Alex Scott MBE from MediaCity UK, Salford, the 2022 show featured a glittering array of famous faces to entertain the nation, whilst shining a light on the children and young people across the UK facing challenges in their lives, and the urgent need for support in light of the cost of living crisis.
The show was opened with a spectacular performance from global superstar, Mimi Webb, who performed Ghosts of You to kick-off the show.
In a world-exclusive, Millie Gibson joined the stage to reveal live on air that she will the Fifteenth Doctor’s companion.
Later in the evening, audiences were treated to an electric performance by Diversity, who brought the stage to life with a brilliant and bespoke live performance especially for BBC Children in Need.
The show also saw Bradley Walsh present a special edition of the popular BBC One gameshow, Blankety Blank, especially for BBC Children in Need. The special edition saw children supported by BBC Children in Need projects trying to match answers given by celebrity guests Maisie Smith, John Waite, resulting in lots of laughs and smiles.
In a fitting tribute to the charity’s Life-President, the show also saw the presentation of the seventh Sir Terry Wogan Fundraiser of the Year Award. The accolade recognises the charity’s fundraisers, of whom Sir Terry was a huge champion, and this year was awarded to 81 year old Aileen Kane from Glasgow, who has fundraised for BBC Children in Need for 35 years. Aileens’ very special award was presented by Michael Ball, who led the call for nominees and championed the award on his BBC Radio 2 show this year.
Another standout moment in the show saw Romesh Ranganathan host a very special Battle of the Soaps edition of The Weakest Link which saw EastEnders’ Max Bowden, Coronation Street’s Antony Cotton, Emmerdale’s Chris Bisson and Hollyoaks’ Kirsty Leigh Porter go head to head in the nail biting special. After several tense rounds, Anthony was victorious.
Elsewhere in the show, a plethora of celebrities came together in a hilarious sketch which saw Lenny Rush take on the role of BBC Children in Need’s celebrity call centre supervisor. The sketch brought a lot of laughs as Lenny tried to keep the phone bank team including Mr Blobby, Natalie Cassidy, Rachel Riley, Lorraine Kelly, Ben Shephard, Rev Kate Bottley, Sir Mo Farah, Iain Stirling, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Lord Sugar, Jonathan Bailey, Darren Harriott, Peter Andre, Richard Madeley and many more, under control.
Other highlights of the evening included:
- Chart-topper Lewis Capaldi brought the stage to life with a performance of Forget You
- A heart-warming special of The Repair Shop, which saw Will Kirk carry out a very special restoration in honour of a young boy named Etienne
- A world exclusive of Junior Eurovision’s Freya Skye singing Lose My Head
- Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice putting on a showstopping performance of Nice ‘N’ Easy
- A stunning performance from children and young people with the BBC Children in Need choir singing a beautiful cover of Keane’s Somewhere Only We know
- A Graham Norton Red Chair special, which saw Mandip Gill, Danny Jones, Jordan North and Big Zuu having their fate decided by a group of children who took control of the notorious lever!
- Joe Wicks MBE completing his Ultra Marathon which saw him walk 30 miles to help raise vital funds for grassroots projects, and local charities supported by BBC Children in Need
- Mason Mount surprising schoolchildren in a special VT filmed at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
- Sam Ryder joining in the fun and leading the 8pm totaliser!
The show was closed with a truly special performance of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill. The poignant rendition was curated by Gareth Malone and included the Military Wives, choirs from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and a ‘commonwealth’ of Drummers outside the Royal Albert Hall. The beautiful rendition was made all the more special thanks to the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, who joined in to perform live.
The real stars of the night however have been the children and young people who shared their stories and brought to life how money raised this evening will go on to make a difference to children and young people in urgent need of support across the UK.
Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive, BBC Children in Need, says: “Tonight will be an evening I will never forget, not least because of the overwhelming kindness and generosity shown at a time when things are incredibly hard for so many. We have laughed, we have cried and we have been thoroughly entertained, but above all, we have shown the UK’s children and young people that we are here for them. Too many children and young people across the UK are being impacted by the cost of living crisis, but the money raised this evening will quite simply, change their lives and their futures. I would like to thank each and every person that gave so generously this evening, our supporters really should feel incredibly proud, I know I do. Thank you.”
This evening’s night of entertainment marked the crescendo of this year’s Appeal which has seen a plethora of fundraising feats and inspiring programming, including:
- The Great Rickshaw Relay Challenge which saw Matt Baker MBE and a team of incredibly inspiring young people, all of whom who have all been supported by BBC Children in Need funded projects, take on a relay-style ride across the UK, raising a phenomenal £1,259,802
- The One Show’s Surprise Squad for BBC Children in Need, which saw five inspirational young people delivering surprises across the country with the help of The One Show’s presenters, Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas and Ronan Keating, which raised a remarkable £1,226,021
- The DIY SOS team, with the help of Radio 2, built a brand-new home for Leeds based, BBC Children in Need funded project, Getaway Girls., raising £285,824 along the way
- The 2022 Ramble special, which saw Countryfile presenters and inspirational children and young people rambling in breath-taking locations across the UK, contributing to Countryfile’s incredible 2022 fundraising total of £3,023,651
- Scott Mills undertaking the Great Treadmills Challenge, an epic 24 hour treadmill challenge which raised £1,228,209, contributing to Radio 2’s overall total of £1,284,866, which included Radio 2’s Gala performance of Frozen the Musical which raised £56,657.14
The BBC Children in Need Appeal Show is a BBC Studios production, executive produced by Peter Davey and Colin Hopkins. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Sarah Clay.
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- BBC Children in Need contact: [email protected]
- Appeal show photography can be found here
- Backstage photography can be found here
Notes to Editors
BBC Children in Need’s 2021 Appeal show culminated with an on-the-night total of £39 million.
About BBC Children in Need
BBC Children in Need believe every child and young person deserves the opportunity to thrive and be the best they can be.
BBC Children in Need’s ambition is to create lasting, positive change across the UK for the children and young people who need it most. Together with the BBC and partners, BBC Children in Need aim to inspire the nation in support of their work.
BBC Children in Need’s 2,200 local charities and projects work tirelessly in every corner of the UK to help children & young people overcome the additional challenges they currently face, including supporting children and young people living in poverty, providing emergency support to families in crisis, providing comfort to children feeling sad, lost and alone, helping children overcome social injustice and supporting children to feel safe and secure again.
Further information on BBC Children in Need can be found at www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios Production makes around 2000 hours of content annually for the BBC and other UK and international broadcasters and received 79 awards and over 300 nominations over the past year, making it the most awarded producer in the UK. Spanning drama, comedy, factual, factual entertainment, entertainment, music and events, its award-winning credits include Strictly Come Dancing, Blue Planet II, Doctor Who, Good Omens, This Country, Famalam, Louis Theroux and Later With Jools, Glastonbury, Eurovision, as well as much-loved long-running series like Top Gear, EastEnders, DIY SOS and Countryfile. Since launching as a commercial business in April 2017, BBC Studios has won over 30 third-party commissions, including commissions from Apple, National Geographic, Channel 4, Sky, UKTV, Channel 5, Discovery, PBS, Quibi, ABC in Australia and Migu in China.
