BBC Confirms Star Line-Up for Children in Need 2025 Appeal Night
The BBC has unveiled the full presenting team for the 2025 Children in Need Appeal Night, confirming that rapper and TV personality Big Zuu will join Mel Giedroyc, Rochelle Humes, Vernon Kay, Paddy McGuinness, and Lenny Rush to front this year’s broadcast.
The six presenters will host the much-loved fundraising spectacular live from MediaCityUK in Salford on Friday, 14 November 2025, airing on BBC One and iPlayer.
A Night of Heart, Humour and Fundraising
This year’s appeal promises another packed evening of entertainment, combining comedy sketches, surprise appearances, musical performances, and emotional stories from across the UK. BBC favourites including The Apprentice and Gladiators are among the programmes expected to feature in specially created segments for the broadcast.
As ever, the goal is to raise funds for children and young people facing challenges across the country, with the BBC describing the event as a night “filled with heart and sparkle.”
Choir Returns with Special Performance
The annual Children in Need Choir will return for 2025, bringing together 16 children from across the 15 BBC nations and regions. Each participant has been supported by projects funded by the charity. The choir is preparing a special rendition of Coldplay’s “Yellow” – a nod to Pudsey Bear’s iconic colour – which will feature as one of the emotional highlights of the night.
Further details of the running order, celebrity sketches, and surprise moments will be revealed closer to broadcast.
New Faces Join the Team
This year marks Big Zuu’s first appearance as a presenter on Children in Need. Before finding fame as a musician and television host, he studied and worked in youth work — an experience closely aligned with the charity’s mission to support young people through trusted, trained mentors.
Paddy McGuinness also joins the presenting team for the first time, following his headline-grabbing 2024 fundraising challenge in which he cycled 300 miles across the UK, raising over £10.5 million.
Supporting the Next Generation
BBC Children in Need remains the UK’s largest independent funder of youth work, with youth-focused projects accounting for around 30% of its grant portfolio. Through the creation of safe spaces and the work of skilled youth professionals, the charity helps young people discover their strengths, build confidence, and unlock potential.
The 2025 appeal comes at a critical time for the charity, which currently reports being able to fund only one in six of the organisations seeking support. The funds raised this November will go towards providing essentials like food, clothing, and shelter for children in need, as well as emotional and practical support for those facing illness, disability, or personal hardship.
A National Moment
With new hosts joining returning favourites, this year’s Children in Need promises to deliver another unforgettable night of television — uniting the country in support of children and young people who need it most.
BBC Children in Need airs this November on BBC One and iPlayer.