[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bbc_children_in_need_3.png]]

Creator/TheBBC's charity and annual telethon, established in 1980. As the name implies, it is dedicated to children and to rectifying "child issues" (child abuse, bullying, youth homelessness, underage prostitution, etc.). Its mascot is a mute yellow teddy bear called Pudsey, with a polka dot handkerchief-bandage tied round one side of his head, covering one of his eyes.

The yearly TV telethon airs in the late autumn on BBC One and involves special musical performances by pop stars, and [[TheMusical West-End casts]] (and, recently, ''the BBC Newsreaders''). It also includes skits and spoofs like UsefulNotes/ComicRelief, although the focus is more on light entertainment than actual comedy. It is one of the few events where programmes from [[Creator/{{ITV}} "the other side"]] [[EnemyMine will take part]] (the cast of ''Series/TheBill'' are game for a lot of things). Includes an annual charity single.

The BBC News goes in the middle, separating the show into a family-friendly and not-so-family friendly part. This is usually opposite a special edition of a PanelGame on BBC Two.

After ''Series/DoctorWho'' successfully revived, the BBC has twice made seven-minute shorts to be aired during Children in Need. The first was [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CiNSDoctorWhoChildrenInNeed a transition]] from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]] to [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion "The Christmas Invasion"]] (2005); the second, [[Recap/DoctorWho2007CiNSTimeCrash "Time Crash"]] (2007) is a meeting of the Tenth Doctor (Creator/DavidTennant) and the Fifth Doctor (Creator/PeterDavison) which also explains the transition from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E13LastOfTheTimeLords "Last of the Time Lords"]] to [[Recap/DoctorWho2007CSVoyageOfTheDamned "Voyage of the Damned"]]. In 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and the entirety of the Twelfth Doctor's run from 2014 to 2017 they instead aired excerpts from the upcoming [[ChristmasEpisode Christmas Specials]]. In 2011 this was preceded by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwy-_jbACFM&feature=emb_title blatant fanservice]]. 2012 saw [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33CINTheGreatDetective "The Great Detective"]], a short exploring the Doctor's emotional state between [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E5TheAngelsTakeManhattan "The Angels Take Manhattan"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWho2012CSTheSnowmen "The Snowmen"]], while 2013 had an excerpt of [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor "The Day of the Doctor"]]. Segments for the Thirteenth Doctor (Creator/JodieWhittaker) live up to the name "Children in Need": 2018 had a non-fiction short where Whittaker brings a young fan with cystic fibrosis on a tour of the TARDIS set and 2019 saw her make a surprise appearance live on stage and in costume to meet another young fan.

They'd previously done one in 1993 ([[Recap/DoctorWho30thASDimensionsInTime "Dimensions in Time"]], written off as [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]] by the Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse[[note]](''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresFirstFrontier First Frontier]]'' wrote it off as AllJustADream)[[/note]] and much later by [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E12ArmyOfGhosts "Army of Ghosts"]][[note]](by means of MutuallyFictional)[[/note]].) to celebrate the show's 30th Anniversary. Due to contract thingies, this will probably never be aired again or turn up on DVD... not that the fans would mind. The [[MilestoneCelebration 20th Anniversary special]] [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors "The Five Doctors"]] aired on the night in 1983.

This telethon is best watched recorded and with liberal use of the Fast-Forward button.

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!!This telethon series contains examples of:
* AirGuitar: In the Medley, Andy Pandy does this while the Wombles are rocking out on their real guitars.
* BigEater: In the medley, [[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends Sir Topham Hatt]] is shown gorging himself on doughnuts while everyone else is singing.
* BlackComedy: In the medley, Big Chris briefly tries to cut the strings holding up Parker from ''Thunderbirds'' with scissors.
* CharityMotivationSong:
** Their cover of "Perfect Day" by Music/LouReed. Featuring Reed, Music/DavidBowie, Music/EltonJohn, and many other singers performing a line or two.
** The BBC Children in Need Medley was basically a "who's who" of the British cartoon industry, with some American toons as well. It featured ''WesternAnimation/RoaryTheRacingCar'', ''WesternAnimation/FifiAndTheFlowertots'', ''WesternAnimation/TheWombles'', ''Series/InTheNightGarden'', ''WesternAnimation/AngelinaBallerina'', ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'', ''Series/{{Bagpuss}}'', ''WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder'', ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'', ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'', ''WesternAnimation/PostmanPat'', ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', ''WesternAnimation/FiremanSam'', ''WesternAnimation/CamberwickGreen'', ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Pingu}}'', ''Series/{{Teletubbies}}'', ''Series/TheSootyShow'', ''WesternAnimation/TheKoalaBrothers'', ''WesternAnimation/PeppaPig'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Rubbadubbers}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Paddington|1975}}'' amongst others, singing a variety of songs mashed together.
* CoolShades: Paddington wears these in the Medley.
* CrossOver: Not on crack, but a bath full of baked beans (i.e., intensely silly), such as:
** ''Series/DoctorWho''/''Series/EastEnders'' (the aforementioned "Dimensions In Time")
** ''Series/TopGear''/''Series/AshesToAshes2008''
** For a short period of time, opposite the news, ''[[Series/HaveIGotNewsForYou Have I Got]] [[Series/NevermindTheBuzzcocks Buzzcocks]] [[Series/TheyThinkItsAllOver All Over]]'' before the third part of that was canned. This slot is now usually filled by a VerySpecialEpisode of ''Series/{{QI}}''.
** Peter Kay's Animated All-Star Band; a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover of nearly every significant British StopMotion kids' cartoon (with a few 2D British and American cartoons being shown on TV screens with "Live via Satellite" on, most likely to avoid serious MediumBlending), doing "The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" as a charity single.
** The 2010 edition gave us ''[[Series/EastEnders East]][[Series/CoronationStreet Street]]''.
** In 2011, ''[[Series/DragonsDen Dragons']] [[Series/TheApprentice Apprentice]]''.
* CrowdSong: The end of the medley has the entire cast joining in for a rendition of Music/TheBeatles' "Hey Jude" and Music/{{Elbow}}'s "One Day Like This".
* DistaffCounterpart: In 2009, Pudsey was joined by his 'best friend', a female brown bear called Blush, who wears [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics a bow]] made from the same spotty material as Pudsey's eyepatch. She's still not actually used much outside of TheMerch though.
%%* {{Filler}}
* GoKartingWithBowser: In the medley, the heroes casually sing and dance with Stingo from ''Fifi and the Flowertots'', the BigBad of that show.
* LittlestCancerPatient: Pudsey, symbolically.
* MediumBlending: Although the 2D characters like ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' and ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' are shown on screens in the Medley, the song shows live-action characters like ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' and ''Series/{{Teletubbies}}'' alongside stop-motion characters like ''WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder''.
* {{Medley}}: The BBC Children in Need Medley is a mashup of "[[Music/TheJacksons Can You Feel It]]", "[[Music/FleetwoodMac Don't Stop]]", "[[Film/SlumdogMillionaire Jai Ho!]]", "[[Music/{{Chumbawamba}} Tubthumping]]", "[[Music/TakeThat Never Forget]]", "[[Music/TheBeatles Hey Jude]]", and "[[Music/{{Elbow}} One Day Like This]]".
* OneOfTheGirls: In the medley, when Fifi, Wendy, Marsha, Primrose, Penny, Big Christine, and Nisha perform "Jai Ho!", Nisha's husband Ajay joins their flash mob, much to the disapproval of Bob, Big Chris, Mr. Carburettor, Sam, Elvis, Steele, Pat, Virgil, Parker, and Brains. Ajay realizes his mistake and joins the guys for their performance of "Tubthumping".
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