Sir Terry Wogan had to pull out of presenting charity fundraiser Children In Need at the last minute due to health reasons, but this year promises some very special treats – from Brucie’s Strictly return to a celeb-studded Star Wars adventure.
Last year’s appeal night raised a whopping £32.6 million and this year the BBC have pulled out the stops to smash that record.
The bumper evening kicks off at 7.30pm on BBC One with Tess Daly, Nick Grimshaw, Fearne Cotton and Rochelle Humes on hosting duty.
Here are some of the highlights you can expect this year.
1. Bonus Brucie.
Sir Bruce hung up his Strictly shoes in April last year but for one night only the legendary presenter will be back.
Nurse Trixie Franklin, aka Helen George, is already strutting her stuff on the dancefloor this year. Now Brucie will be guiding Jenny Agutter, Jack Ashton, Laura Main and Stephen McGann from Call The Midwife as they swap babies for the ballroom in a one-off special.
2. In a TV studio far, far away…
C3PO and R2-D2 are joining forces with Warwick Davis for a Star Wars inspired skit in search of a fan to trigger the first totaliser of the night.
But there’ll be plenty of famous faces along the way, including Martin Freeman, Lewis Hamilton and Lord Sugar (a worthy replacement for Darth Vader if ever we saw one), trying to steal the job for themselves. If you’ve been itching to see celebrities do their best lightsaber impression, this is it.
3. Alfie Moon returns as Astaire.
Albert Square is about to get a very special new resident in the form of Peter Andre. He’ll be serenading the punters at the Queen Vic while landlord Shane Richie returns to lead a 30-strong cast in a vintage number from the musical Top Hat.
4. Scott Mills will be defying gravity, somewhere.
It was revealed that Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills will no longer be abseiling down the 400ft Blackpool Tower on the night due to bad weather. BUT we’ve been promised that Scott will be facing his fears at another secret location instead. What’s the betting the BBC decide to make the new abseil just a little bit higher too?
At least we got to see Scott go through his gruelling military training for the descent, wearing Pudsey ears and all!
5. Top of the Pops.
On top of the sketches, there’ll be live music from raspy-voiced rocker Rod Stewart and pop princesses Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding – who’ll be giving the first performance of her new single Army.
Jess Glynne’s single Take Me Home has been selected as this year’s official song, so expect a performance from her, plus a special appearance by the Children’s Choir.
6. Harry Hill takes on history.
TV Burp’s Harry Hill will be squeezing 40 years of TV history into just four minutes in his own inimitable style. We don’t know quite what will happen, but this won’t be the time to pop the kettle on or go to the loo.
7. Bend It Like Pudsey.
The casts of musicals Beautiful, Kinky Boots and Bend It Like Beckham will be transforming the studio into the West End stage with dazzling performances of their most popular songs.
8. The Rickshaw Challenge rolls into town.
The One Show’s rickshaw will cross the finish line at Elstree on appeal night after being ridden 470 miles for the show’s Rickshaw Challenge.
The team of six young riders set off from Land’s End in Cornwall on November 6 and we’ve been eagerly watching their progress towards the East End on the show. So far they’ve raised a whopping £1,266,106.
Children in Need 2015 kicks off on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article