BBC CHILDREN IN NEED LAUNCH ‘GAME TO GIVE’ & URGE PUBLIC TO RAISE MONEY THROUGH GAMING

· BBC Children in Need launch campaign to unite gamers up and down the country to help raise money for BBC Children in Need

· Campaign culminates in new TV show Game to Give (working title). Live on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, a host of celebrities, content creators, influencers and gamers and members of the public will challenge one another in a two-hour spectacle to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

· This innovative and ambitious show will also see all the backstage action live streamed in a 5 hour TikTok live…The Pudsey Games in partnership with Connect Management

· BBC Children in Need partner with entertainment platform TikTok, for exclusive LIVE content, gifts and a donation from the company of £400,000

BBC Children in Need have today (Wednesday 27th September), launched a brand new activation – Game to Give (working title) – to encourage gamers to join forces and help raise money for the charity, all whilst competing to take part in a live BBC TV show.

The show, made by BBC Studios Entertainment and Music and commissioned by the BBC, will broadcast live on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer from Confetti X in Nottingham on Friday 10th November. Members of the public will have the chance to compete in the epic live show by playing three iconic games through the BBC Children in Need Sim Rig Tour, BBC Children in Need’s Just Dance for Pudsey and the Hado Tournament for BBC Children in Need (working title).

A gaming launch extravaganza took place at MediaCity UK today (Wednesday 27th September) to launch the events. Former Strictly professional Aljaz Skorjanec will lead a mass dance-a-long on BBC One’s Morning Live to mark the opening of the Just Dance for Pudsey ballot. In addition there will be Sim Rigs running the EA SPORTS™’‘ F1® 23 racing tournament and a Hado court set up within Dock 10 Studios to give members of the public the chance to take part in all of the different events, before they embark on a UK tour which will enable as many people as possible to get involved. Participants can make a donation to BBC Children in Need when taking part, which will go on to benefit young lives across the UK.

Across the UK, BBC Children in Need is funding many charities who are using video games to help support children and young people through various challenges that they may be facing. There are many benefits to responsible gaming, such as its power to unite people through play, its potential to boost creativity and offer escapism, as well as encouraging skills in problem solving, co-ordination and fine motor skills. Projects benefiting from BBC Children in Need funding include:

· In Teeside, Matrix Neurological benefit from BBC Children in Need funding to use gaming to help and support to children with acquired brain injuries.

· The Community Court Yard in Northampton benefit from BBC Children in Need funding to support their ‘Game Against Gangs’ project which encourages young people to come in off the streets to enjoy their gaming hub in a safe space.

· BBC Children in Need fund GAP CLUB (Gaming, Arts & Pokémon Club) at The Autism Group in Berkshire to support children and young people feel less isolated, make new friends and improve their self-esteem.

Tommy Nagra, Director of Content at BBC Children in Need said: “We’re thrilled to be launching this brand new venture to unite gamers up and down the country to help raise money for BBC Children in Need. We will be celebrating the potential of gaming to highlight how we can unite new audiences through play and show the positive impact that gaming can have. We hope that lots of gaming fans will get involved in our trio of games!”

In addition to the live programme on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three, on Friday 10th November BBC Children in Need will be running The Pudsey Games in partnership with Connect Management in a TikTok livestream from 5-10pm at Confetti X in Nottingham. The Pudsey Games will see some of the biggest content creators across the UK, including Luke Vernon, Richard Sales, Formz and Paige Thorne, go head to head to claim the ultimate prize… The Golden Pudsey!

Benjy Leslie, CEO of Connect Management, commented: “Following two successful years of bringing BBC Children in Need to the social-first generation through TikTok LIVE, and now working as the charity’s Official Social Partner, we are so excited to be making this third year bigger and better than ever.

“This year’s theme of gaming makes complete sense, as gaming is an integral part of the social landscape. As the fastest growing social-first talent agency, we’re proud that our talent are leading and presenting this year’s event and we’re looking forward to aiding BBC Children in Need to raise more money than ever before.”

To further make a difference to young lives in communities across the UK, today the charity is proud to announce a brand new partnership with TikTok who will be supporting the campaign through TikTok LIVE gifting – making it easier than ever for the social community to support the charity’s important work by sending and receiving virtual gifts during a LIVE video with six brand new limited edition Pudsey gifts for supporters to choose from. Through the partnership, TikTok will be donating a minimum of £400,000 to help children and young people thrive and be the best they can be.

May Huang, Head of LIVE Europe, TikTok, said: “The TikTok community loves to get behind causes that matter to them, and it’s great to be working with BBC Children in Need to help them reach even bigger audiences.

TikTok LIVE is such a unique way for our users to engage, and it’s amazing to see the iconic Pudsey Bear transformed into one of our special virtual gifts for our community to share across millions of TikTok LIVE’s and support such a worthy cause.”

Further details on Game to Give (working title), including the celebrity line-up and presenters will be shared in the coming weeks. Game to Give, a 1×120’ show for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, is made by BBC Studios Entertainment and Music. It was commissioned by Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment Commissioning and Fiona Campbell, Controller, Youth Audiences. The Commissioning Editors for the BBC are Jo Wallace and Jamie Dodds. Creative Director is Pete Ogden, Creative Director BBC Studios and will be Executive Produced by Gareth Edwards, BBC Studios.

To find out more about how to get involved, visit www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey.

~ENDS~

Notes to Editors

BBC Children in Need Sim Rig Tour

Throughout the summer, BBC Children in Need have been taking their Sim Rig Tour to various events, with drivers 16+ being invited to set their best lap time in EA SPORTS™’‘ F1® 23 on the virtual Silverstone circuit. From tomorrow, (Thursday 28th September) the Sim Rig tour will visit 10 locations across the UK so members of the public in all regions will have the opportunity to compete. The

fastest 50 drivers will go into a ballot, with two lucky names being selected at random and invited to race on the live show.

Tour Dates:

· Friday 29 September – Gateshead Metro Centre

· Tuesday 3 October – Belfast Victoria Square

· Thursday 5 October – Glasgow St Enoch’s

· Monday 9 October – Leeds Trinity

· Wednesday 11 October -Birmingham Bullring

· Friday 13 October – Nottingham Victoria

· Monday 16 October – Cardiff St David’s

· Wednesday 18 October -Bristol Cabot Circus

· Friday 20 October – Bluewater

BBC Children in Need’s Just Dance for Pudsey

The Just Dance for Pudsey ballot is open to teams offering the chance to win a place on the live show. There are two ballots – one for schools and one for families. A winning team will be selected at random from both ballots and invited to dance live on the show. The ballot is now open and closes on Monday 9th October. BBC Children in Need has collaborated with Ubisoft, UKIE and Digital Schoolhouse to create this exciting opportunity.

Shahneila Saeed, Director of Digital Schoolhouse said: “We see daily the profoundly positive impact that video games can have on children, on everything from academic achievement to mental health and wellbeing as well as supporting the development of social skills. So we’re thrilled to be supporting BBC Children in Need this year by bringing our ever popular tournament to an even wider cohort of schools in aid of a fantastic cause.”

Mark Slaughter, General Manager Marketing, Northern Europe & Canada at Ubisoft said “We are extremely proud that the videogame Just Dance is part of this fantastic partnership, supporting such an important UK charity! Good luck to all those that enter!”

The Hado Tournament for BBC Children in Need (working title)

The Hado Tournament for BBC Children in Need (working title) is open for teams aged 16+ to compete in this brand new augmented reality game. The tournament will travel to eight locations across the UK. Teams will compete at each venue and the top two will be invited to take part in the live show.

Tour Dates: · 5 October: Barnsley College: https://www.barnsley.ac.uk/hado/ · 9 October: The O2, London: https://www.theo2.co.uk/do-more-at-the-o2/virgin-media-gamepad · 10 October: Queen Mary’s College, Basingstoke: https://www.qmc.ac.uk/qm-leisure-hire/qm-esports-arena/

· 13 October: Belfast Met College, Belfast

· 16 October: Bangor University, Bangor · 17 October: Coventry Arena: https://hado-official.com/en/arena/hado-arena-coventry/

· 25 October: Edinburgh Hearts FC · 26 October: Newcastle: NUCastle, https://www.nufoundation.org.uk/nucastle

About BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need’s vision is that every child in the UK has a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential. The charity will realise this vision by supporting, promoting and publicising work that addresses the challenges that children and young people face and work that builds their skills and resilience.

BBC Children in Need’s 1,700 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

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