BBC Children in Need 2014 raised a record £32.6m on Friday night as the televised appeal was watched by 8.3 million people.
The on-the-night total is up from £31.1m last year, and £26m the year before. The seven-hour fundraiser was broadcast on BBC One and presented by Sir Terry Wogan, Fearne Cotton, Rochelle Humes, Tess Daly and Nick Grimshaw.
The fundraising total will increase as donations continue to come in. Last year’s final total was £49.6m.
The televised appeal included acts such as S Club 7 performing for the first time since they split in 2003 and One Direction playing on the set of Eastenders.
David Ramsden, chief executive of BBC Children in Need, said: “People of the UK should be feeling incredibly proud of what has been achieved this evening.
“Their remarkable generosity will help us to change a lot of young lives.”
The BBC Children in Need charity single, a cover of Avicii’s Wake Me Up, sung by choirmaster Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir also topped the UK top 40 chart last night.
Band Aid 30
Separately, Chancellor George Osborne has agreed to waive VAT on sales of the Band Aid 30 anniversary single. Sir Bob Geldof is re-recording the ‘Do They Know Its Christmas?’ single 30 years after its original release in 1984.
The proceeds of the single will go towards the fight against Ebola. Unveiled for the first time on ITV’s X Factor, artists taking part include Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, Chris Martin and Elbow.
The song, which includes rewritten lyrics, is now available to download for 99p. A CD version will be released in three weeks, costing £4.
George Osborne said on Friday: “I spoke to Bob Geldof this morning and I confirmed that we would waive VAT on the Band Aid anniversary single.
“It’s fantastic that he’s got so many musicians together again to help fight Ebola – and I wanted to make sure every penny raised goes to combat this terrible disease.”
