Children in Need raises record breaking £37 million

Dermot O’Leary replaced veteran presenter Terry Wogan at the last minute for this year's event

Presenters Dermot O'Leary and Tess Daly during Children In Need 2015 (Kieron McCarron/BBC / PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Children in Need has raised a record breaking £37 million, overtaking last year’s total of £32.6 million.

Selena Gomez, Years and Years and Tom Jones were among the many performers who took part in the charity’s annual fund-raising telethon.

Dermot O’Leary replaced veteran presenter Terry Wogan at the last minute as co-host with Tess Daly for this year's event and was praised on Twitter during the programme.

O’Leary said: “It’s been an absolute blast. Thank you so, so much. To Terry, I hope you’re feeling better, I hope we get to enjoy a drop of the pure very soon and we’re all doing you justice here.”

Sir Terry, 77, who has presented every edition of Children in Need since it began in 1980, was forced to abandon this year’s programme due to health issues.

Viewer Kirsty Hyndes wrote: “Dermot doing a fantastic job tonight with everyone else. Genuine emotion. Amazing results so far! Well done.”

Lind Batt posted: “Brilliant job Dermot filling in got the Wogan… keep going… great night as ever.”

The night began with a video presented by One Direction, Sir Thom Jones and Dame Helen Mirren to thank the public for the £32 million donated last year, which has helped benefit 500,000 children in the UK in 2,500 projects.

EastEnder's cast members performing Top Hat during Children In Need 2015 PA (Kieron McCarron/BBC / PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Ellie Goulding performing during Children In Need 2015 PA (Kieron McCarron/BBC / PA Wire/Press Association Images)

The singer Ellie Goulding performed her single Army on TV for the first time, while Bonnie Langford joined the Eastender's cast to perform an energetic routine to songs from the musical Top Hat.

In the studio and in halls across the UK 1,661 children joined together to sing Miley Cyrus's The Climb as part of the Children in Need's Children's Choir.

Call the Midwife star Laura Main and dancer Brendan Cole were crowned the Children In Need Strictly Come Dancing winners 2015 and Eastender's star, Shane Richie, invited some special guests to the soap's Old Vic pub including Peter Andre, Jess Glynne and Girls Aloud's ’s Nadine Coyle.

The Children in Need Children's Choir performing during Children In Need 2015 PA (Kieron McCarron/BBC / PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Chief executive of BBC Children in Need, David Ramsden, said people “should be feeling incredibly proud of what has been achieved… Their remarkable generosity will save a lot of lives.”

Tony Hall, BBC director general, said: “Thank you everyone who’s taken part – doing whatever they can for Children in Need.

“But, most of all, thank you to all our viewers and listeners for every moment of support they’ve shown and every donation they’ve made.”

Additional reporting by Press Association