BBC Children in Need 2026 is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer tonight, Friday, November 13, from 7pm, in a three-hour live appeal show.[3][4][11] The fastest way to give is online at bbcchildreninneed.co.uk, by phone on 0345 7 33 22 33, or by texting FIVE to 70701 to give £5.[1][2][5] Radio 2's Owain Wyn Evans finishes his 400-mile cycle in Cardiff today with more than £2.6 million already raised.[9][10]
 | |
| Date | Friday, November 13, 2026[3][4] |
|---|---|
| Start time | 7pm GMT, about three hours[3][4] |
| Channel | BBC One and BBC iPlayer[4][11] |
| Presenters | Alex Jones, Mel Giedroyc, Rylan Clark, Sara Cox, Tyler West[4][16] |
| Text to give | FIVE to 70701 = £5 (up to FORTY = £40)[1][5] |
| Phone | 0345 7 33 22 33[2] |
| 2025 total | £45.5 million on the night[12][13][14] |
| Owain's ride | £2.6 million+ (Friday morning)[10] |
What time is Children in Need on tonight?
The appeal show starts at 7pm on BBC One on Friday, November 13, and runs for about three hours, so it ends around 10pm.[3][4] It is also live on BBC iPlayer.[4][11] It comes live from Salford, at MediaCityUK.[4][16]
The 2026 campaign is called Challenge Yourself 2026, and it asks people to set their own challenge inspired by the number 26, the Evening Standard and the BBC report.[6][16] Landmarks including Blackpool Tower, the London Eye and Titanic Belfast will be lit up for the night, according to the BBC.[16]
Who is presenting?
Alex Jones, Sara Cox and Rylan Clark were the first three hosts confirmed in October.[6] The Daily Star lists Mel Giedroyc alongside Jones and Cox, and the BBC and wheretowatch.tv give the full line-up as Alex Jones, Mel Giedroyc, Rylan, Sara Cox and Tyler West.[3][4][16]
Giedroyc told the Daily Star she has presented the show for ten years and called it "a red-letter day".[3] Rylan raised more than £1 million in 2019 by singing non-stop for 24 hours in Radio 2's Great Ka-RY-Oke Challenge, the Standard noted.[6]
What's on the show
The headline sketch has the stars of Dune: Part Three, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa and Anya Taylor-Joy, pranking Rylan in a stunt that "descends into complete chaos".[4][16] Wheretowatch.tv also lists the Children in Need Choir, a performance from "a huge chart act", the Dragons' Den stars, Rylan on the Strictly dance floor and a number with the cast of High School Musical.[4]
The One Show's Challenge Squad of four young people, each linked to a charity the appeal funds, will feature too. One of them will dance with the High School Musical cast, another is doing a three-day kayaking challenge, and a third is riding with Owain Wyn Evans on his final leg in Wales.[3][4][16]
How to donate to Children in Need 2026
There are four main ways to give, all listed on the charity's official site.[1][2]
- By text: text FIVE, TEN, TWENTY, THIRTY or FORTY to 70701 to give £5 to £40. Or text DONATE to 70405 (£5), 70410 (£10), 70420 (£20) or 70430 (£30).[1][5] Each text costs the donation plus one standard network message. You must be 16 or over and have the bill payer's permission.[1][5]
- By phone: call 0345 7 33 22 33 with a debit or credit card. The Welsh-language line is 0345 607 0011. Calls are charged at standard geographic rates.[2]
- Online: a single or monthly gift at bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/donate.[2][5]
- Paying in money you raised: at banks, building societies and Post Offices, or by cheque to BBC Children in Need Appeal, MediaCityUK, Salford M50 2BH. Never post cash.[2][5]
If you pay UK income tax, tick the Gift Aid box. It adds 25p for every £1, so a £20 gift becomes £25 at no cost to you.[2][5] Some shows have their own short codes, such as 70705 for Countryfile and 70717 for The One Show Challenge Squad; they take the same FIVE to FORTY words.[1][5] The text codes run from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.[1][5]
Owain Wyn Evans' 4 Nations Cycle Challenge
Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn Evans set off from Glasgow on Monday, November 9, to ride nearly 400 miles across Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales in five days, finishing in central Cardiff on appeal day.[7][9] The Standard says it is the longest distance ever covered in a Radio 2 fundraising challenge.[7]
It has not been easy. He hurt his knee on the first day and later fell off his bike, hitting his shoulder on a kerb.[7] On Thursday he told BBC Breakfast his knee was "playing up" and he had "a bad back", then rode 85 miles from Welshpool to Blaenavon in about 12 hours, including the steep climb known as The Tumble.[11][9] "I did it!" he said afterwards.[9]
The money has climbed fast. His total passed £1 million on Wednesday (£1,049,660 when it was read out live), topped £1.4 million on Thursday and reached £2.4 million by Thursday night.[7][8][9] On Friday morning the BBC put it at £2.6 million as he set off on the last 30 miles from Blaenavon to Cardiff.[10]
"Children in Need can only fund one in six of the projects that approach it for support," he said during the week. "Wouldn't it be amazing to make that number a bit less stark?"[7]
How much did Children in Need raise last year?
The 2025 appeal raised £45.5 million on the night (£45,507,536), up from £39.2 million in 2024.[12][13][14][15] That was a 16% rise and the best on-the-night total since 2019, Civil Society reported, despite fewer people watching live TV.[13] Sara Cox brought in about £9.5 million of that by running the equivalent of five marathons in five days, from Kielder Forest in Northumberland to Pudsey in Leeds.[12][13][14]
On-the-night totals are only part of the story. Money keeps arriving for weeks, so the final appeal figure is announced later.[13][14]
Key facts at a glance
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Show time | 7pm to about 10pm, Fri Nov 13, BBC One and iPlayer | Daily Star, wheretowatch[3][4] |
| Quickest text | FIVE to 70701 = £5 | BBC Children in Need[1] |
| Phone line | 0345 7 33 22 33 | BBC Children in Need[2] |
| Gift Aid | +25p per £1 for UK taxpayers | BBC Children in Need[2] |
| Owain's total | £2.6 million+ (Friday morning) | BBC[10] |
| 2025 on the night | £45.5 million | Charity Times, Civil Society[12][13] |
| 2024 on the night | £39.2 million | Charity Times, MEN[12][15] |
Frequently asked questions
What time does Children in Need start tonight?
7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday, November 13, 2026. The show lasts about three hours.[3][4]
How do I donate to Children in Need by text?
Text FIVE to 70701 to give £5, or TEN, TWENTY, THIRTY or FORTY for £10 to £40. You must be 16 or over with the bill payer's permission.[1][5]
What is the Children in Need phone number?
0345 7 33 22 33, or 0345 607 0011 to give in Welsh.[2]
How much has Owain Wyn Evans raised?
More than £2.6 million by Friday morning, November 13, before the final leg to Cardiff.[10]
How much did Children in Need raise in 2025?
£45.5 million on the night, up from £39.2 million in 2024.[12][13][14]
References
- "Text to donate terms and short codes", BBC Children in Need, retrieved 13 November 2026.
- "Ways to donate and pay in your money", BBC Children in Need, retrieved 13 November 2026.
- "BBC Children In Need start time and what to expect from tonight's three-hour show", Daily Star, 13 November 2026.
- "What's happening on Children in Need night? Strictly, Dragons' Den, Dune stars and more", wheretowatch.tv, 12 November 2026.
- "How to Donate to BBC Children in Need: Every Official Way to Give money", wheretowatch.tv, 13 November 2026.
- "Rylan Clark 'honoured' to join BBC's Children In Need appeal show as a presenter", Evening Standard, 17 October 2026.
- "Owain Wyn Evans fights back tears as cycling challenge raises over £1m", Evening Standard, 11 November 2026.
- "Owain Wyn Evans shares touching moment with husband as Children in Need total tops £1.4 million", Attitude, 12 November 2026.
- "Owain Wyn Evans' route as he heads to the Cardiff finish line", WalesOnline, 13 November 2026.
- "Owain Wyn Evans sets off on final day of cycling challenge that's raised £2.6m so far", BBC via Yahoo, 13 November 2026.
- "Owain Wyn Evans makes 'hard' admission hours before Children in Need challenge ends", WalesOnline, 12 November 2026.
- "BBC Children in Need on the night total up £6.3m on last year", Charity Times, November 2025.
- "Children in Need beats last year's total to raise £45.5m despite falling viewership", Civil Society, November 2025.
- "How much has BBC's Children in Need 2025 raised?", Liverpool Echo, 14 November 2025.
- "How much did BBC Children in Need raise in 2024?", Manchester Evening News, November 2025.
- "Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya prank Rylan Clark for Children in Need", BBC News, 13 November 2026. Also reported by Radio Times.