BBC fundraising show featuring One Direction raises £1.4m than last year in wake of Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal
The BBC's Children in Need![ext]()
appeal has raised a record £26.7m from donations pledged during this year's live show of celebrity performances.
The charity's chairwoman, Stevie Spring, said she was "absolutely thrilled" by the amount raised during the show on Friday night – around £1.4m more than last year.
Television and music personalities taking part included One Direction, Girls Aloud, Leona Lewis and Kylie Minogue.
Sir Terry Wogan, who launched the event at BBC Television Centre in London, addressed the crisis over the shelved BBC2 Newsnight report on child sex abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile in a video segment he introduced.
The presenter said: "Children should be able to trust adults, that should be a given; our role is to protect them.
"Sadly, as we know, there are times when adults abuse that trust and in the film we're about to show you, three workers from Children in Need-funded projects who help and support children and victims of sexual abuse tell us the dreadful effect that abuse has had on young lives, but how, with your help, we can make a difference."
The segment included the statistics that more than one in three sexually abused children do not tell anyone about it.
Last month, Sir Roger Jones, the former BBC governor and ex-chairman of Children in Need, said Savile had been banned![ext]()
from participating in past Children in Need appeals.
Although he had "no evidence" that Savile had been up to anything, he said he behaved strangely, adding: "I think we all recognised he was a pretty creepy sort of character."
The fundraising show also featured a prequel to the Doctor Who Christmas special, a Strictly Come Dancing segment featuring former MP Ann Widdecombe, and an Eastenders special including The Apprentice star and business tycoon Alan Sugar.
David Ramsden, chief executive of BBC Children in Need, said the total raised was phenomenal. Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.
The BBC's Children in Need
appeal has raised a record £26.7m from donations pledged during this year's live show of celebrity performances.The charity's chairwoman, Stevie Spring, said she was "absolutely thrilled" by the amount raised during the show on Friday night – around £1.4m more than last year.
Television and music personalities taking part included One Direction, Girls Aloud, Leona Lewis and Kylie Minogue.
Sir Terry Wogan, who launched the event at BBC Television Centre in London, addressed the crisis over the shelved BBC2 Newsnight report on child sex abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile in a video segment he introduced.
The presenter said: "Children should be able to trust adults, that should be a given; our role is to protect them.
"Sadly, as we know, there are times when adults abuse that trust and in the film we're about to show you, three workers from Children in Need-funded projects who help and support children and victims of sexual abuse tell us the dreadful effect that abuse has had on young lives, but how, with your help, we can make a difference."
The segment included the statistics that more than one in three sexually abused children do not tell anyone about it.
Last month, Sir Roger Jones, the former BBC governor and ex-chairman of Children in Need, said Savile had been banned
from participating in past Children in Need appeals.Although he had "no evidence" that Savile had been up to anything, he said he behaved strangely, adding: "I think we all recognised he was a pretty creepy sort of character."
The fundraising show also featured a prequel to the Doctor Who Christmas special, a Strictly Come Dancing segment featuring former MP Ann Widdecombe, and an Eastenders special including The Apprentice star and business tycoon Alan Sugar.
David Ramsden, chief executive of BBC Children in Need, said the total raised was phenomenal. Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.