BBC's Children In Need returned last night with a star-studded show featuring pop group Abba, actor Stephen Fry and an appearance from Strictly professional dancer Oti Mabuse.
But how much did the 41st Children in Need appeal show raise?
As the show came to a close, co-hosts Graham Norton and Mel Giedroyc thanked viewers for their “amazing generosity” as it was announced that a total of £39,389,048 had been raised.
Welsh weatherman Owain Wyn Evans contributed £3,601,138 to that total with a 24-hour drumathon, which saw the presenter drumming through the day and night along with some celebrity guests.
Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor raised £1,009,317 with her 24-hour danceathon, inspired by her lockdown kitchen discos.
Friday night's live show, which was broadcast from Salford for the first time, opened with a vibrant performance by Ed Sheeran to his latest single Overpass Graffiti.
The first segment of the show saw Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Max Whitlock, diver Matty Lee and cyclist and swimmer Dame Sarah Storey, compete against one another in school sports day games, such as the sack race and egg and spoon race.
Ru Paul’s Drag Race stars Veronic Green, Divina de Campo and Tia Kofi joined the cast of the Dolly Parton musical for a rendition of the country singer’s hit song 9 to 5, while EastEnders’ Janine Butcher and Coronation Street’s Steve McDonald starred in a sketch where they go looking for love on Channel 4’s First Dates.
The music video for Children In Need’s 2021 charity single was shown for the first time during the live show.
The cover of Fleetwood Mac’s classic track Everywhere by Niall Horan and Anne-Marie also features Ed Sheeran on guitar, Lewis Capaldi on tambourine, Griff on synths and Yungblud on bass.
Children in Need chair Rosie Millard said the “generosity of the British public” has been “fantastic” this year and assured viewers the organisation is “very careful” about which charities receive the funding.
She told BBC Breakfast: “The generosity of the British public every year is remarkable, and this year it was fantastic.
“We distribute it (the funds) to over 2,500 charities, often grassroots, tiny charities, which have enormous impact, these charities are right across the UK.
“What Children In Need does, because we scope who we’re giving the money to, we look at how it’s being spent, these are durational grants for three years.
“So, we really examine and are very careful about the charities we give our money to.
“It shows the integrity of the charity and it basically encourages the charity to raise money from other sources, people say if Children In Need are funding it, it’s bound to work, so it really helps local charities.”
