BBC Children in Need began as a charity appeal in 1927, with the first radio broadcast appeal taking place on Christmas Day that year. The modern TV telethon format that people know today started in 1980, when the first dedicated Children in Need evening was broadcast on BBC One.

Quick Scoop

  • The very first Children in Need appeal was a BBC radio broadcast on Christmas Day 1927, raising money for childrenā€™s charities.
  • TV appeals began later, with the first televised Children in Need appeal airing in 1955 as a Christmas Day special.
  • The modern Children in Need telethon, held annually in November with a full evening of fundraising segments, started in 1980 and raised over Ā£1 million in its first year.

So, if you are asking ā€œwhen did Children in Need startā€ in the broad sense, the answer is 1927 for the first BBC appeal, but 1980 for the start of the familiar annual TV telethon format.

ā€œChildren in Needā€ has evolved from a short radio appeal in the 1920s into a flagship BBC telethon that now supports thousands of projects across the UK every year.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.