Children in Need all-time total hits £1bn after record-breaking £50.6m is donated for 2018 fundraiser

Stars of film, TV and music took part in the annual charity fundraiser

Roisin O'Connor
Saturday 17 November 2018 11:23 GMT
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Children in Need has now raised over £1bn since it began the annual fundraiser in 1980, it has been announced.

The news comes after a record-breaking £50.6m was donated during Friday's programme, which featured the EastEnders cast performing Disney songs, and Jodie Whittaker paying a special visit to a Doctor Who fan.

The total raised surpassed 2017's previous on-the-night record of £50.1m, which featured stars of film, music and TV encouraging viewers to donate.

Ronan Keating said it was “totally out of our comfort zone” after the four members of Boyzone performed routines on Strictly Come Dancing, while judge Bruno Tonioli praised band member Shane Lynch for “starting like a true leading man”.

Elsewhere, Doctor Who actor Whittaker surprised a young fan who was on a trip to the set of the sci-fi show.

Anna, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, was whisked away to the set courtesy of the new Doctor. She got her own Time Lord makeover before getting to meet the rest of the cast.

She even had a heart-to-heart with Whittaker about the importance of having a female Doctor to look up to: “I think it's good to show the boys that we can do just as much as they can,” Anna said. Viewers were also treated to an exclusive preview of this Sunday's new episode.

In another clip, Eddie Redmayne and Zoe Kravitz played a prank on The One Show presenter Alex Jones, with the help of some children who secretly gave them instructions such as making sheep noises and gargling water.

The pair then admitted to the joke, with Jones saying: “I was thinking what is wrong with these two. They are being so weird.”

Children in Need is the BBC's official UK charity and raised a total of £60.7m for disadvantaged children across the country last year.

The charity is currently supporting 2,400 projects helping children facing a range of disadvantages, such as poverty, abuse or physical disability.

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