Fitness trainer Joe Wicks to do 24-hour workout for Children in Need

The British fitness coach will carry out an all day and all night PE challenge for charity, and we can all tune in

Joe Wicks to do a 24 hour fitness session for Children in Need (Getty Images)

The nation’s beloved fitness coach, Joe Wicks, is embarking on a 24-hour PE challenge for Children in Need on Thursday, and viewers can join him for a workout at any point or join from the start and see how long they can last.

The 34-year-old Body Coach’s day-long keep-fit session will start at 9.25am, and can be watched on BBCiPlayer and YouTube.

Wicks has been praised for getting the nation active during the coronavirus pandemic and received an MBE last month for his fitness efforts. His free online classes for children and parents during lockdown stacked up more than 70 million views.

Now he’s urging the public to join him once again, during a day of marathon fitness, for indoor rowing, cycling and boxing, and of course his famous HIIT (high-intensity) workouts. People are encouraged to post messages and pictures to spur him on.

“2020 has been a challenging year for us all,” said father-of-two Wicks, "so what better way to end it than by raising money for BBC Children in Need, a charity very close to my heart".

To keep Wicks motivated, and break up the day, he’ll be joined by various guests, including BBC radio DJs.

Wicks from Epsom, Surrey, has previously spoken about growing up with a father who used heroin. His father’s addiction led him to exercise. "I was scared of [drugs] and I got into exercise and fitness and so his mistake changed my life," he said in interview this summer.

Children in Need will air on BBC One from 7pm on Friday 13 November. It’s not the first time Joe Wicks has helped raise money for the cause. 

In April, he appeared on Children in Need’s and Comic Relief’s The Big Night In, where he did a humorous skit and played lazy, drinking coffee and ordering pizza while instructing viewers to exercise.