Ever since its first telethon was broadcast back in 1980, Children in Need has raised hundreds of millions of pounds to help out charities working with youngsters in the United Kingdom. The kindness of 'normal' folk like you or I are to thank for the incredible donations given throughout the decades, as well as the famous faces who have given their time to encourage others to jump on board and take part in fundraising.
Sue Lawley, OBE
English broadcaster Sue Lawley joined Sir Terry Wogan as a co-presenter back in 1980-82. Famous for telling the story of changing her Dudley accent to one closer to received pronunciation due to peer pressure at the University of Bristol, she was an asset to the first CiN team, but wasn't the only woman to take part in proceedings...
Dame Esther Rantzen
Journalist and presenter Esther Rantzen joined both Lawley and Wogan between 1980-82, and would go on to set up her own children's charity, ChildLine. The counselling service helps children of all ages up to their 19th birthday, and ams to deal with any issue which causes concern or distress including but not limited to, child abuse, bullying, mental illness, pregnancy and neglect.
Gloria Hunniford OBE
Following Lawley and Rantzen's tenure on the telethon, Gloria Hunniford would sign up for a single year. She again would join Wogan on proceedings, and helped bring the total raised in above £1.1 million for the first time in history. It's a real shame she hasn't returned to hosting duties since.
Sue Cook
Sue Cook would join Wogan for over a decade, from 1984-95 and be part of the first telethon which brought in over £2 million.
Joanna Lumley
The brilliant Joanna Lumley would also serve as a co-host in both 1984 and 1988, bringing her cool, calm and collected personality to the TV fundraiser. Incredibly popular with the Great British public, she's without a doubt a perfect person to encourage those at home to dig deep and give money to those less fortunate!
Gaby Roslin
Following Cook's final years co-presenting, Gaby Roslin would take on the role within CiN, serving as a host from 1995-2004. Her charity work isn't something that came to an end there however, as she juped on to host Sport Relief's Top Dog in 2014, and even competed in The BBC Children in Need Sewing Bee in the same year.
Fearne Cotton
As one of the hosts who have been with the show the longest, Fearne Cotton hosted between 2005-08, and returned from 2010-15 for another tenure. She's one of the most recognisable presenters the nation has ever seen, and so was a perfect choice to join the show.
She's also co-presented the Children in Need Rocks charity concert every year since its conception in 2009 (bar 2015), proving just how faith organisers have in her.
Natasha Kaplinsky
Between 2005-06, Natasha Kaplinsky also jumped on board to encourage viewers to put their hands in their pockets. The newsreader, journalist and presenter also became an ambassador for the UK charity Save the Children in 2010, travelling with them around the world to look at some of the projects and people they're helping.
Tess Daly
From 2008 to this day, Tess Daly has been a vital part of the CiN telethon. It's hard to find a place on television now where Daly hasn't been, but this is of course due to her brilliant hosting skills! Daly hasn't just presented CiN however, but competed against the late Terry Wogan in the special CiN version of Strictly Come Dancing, where she partnered with Anton du Beke. She would go on to win that competition.
Alesha Dixon
Though she's not with CiN this year, Alesha Dixon worked as co-presenter on the telethon from 2008 right up until 2017. Her presence on TV is one that has been boosted ever since her start on Britain's Got Talent, and her short stint as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, and she's worked her way into the hearts of people at home in incredible fashion.
Zoë Ball
Despite only being with CiN's telethon for a single year in 2013, Zoë Ball was at the time heralded for her charming hosting skills. She worked alongside Wogan, Cotton, Daly and Nick Grimshaw, but hasn't returned to the fundraising show as a main presenter since. We imagine her promotion and upcoming time as host for the Radio 2 Breakfast Show will see that continue, though we'd love to see her back for CiN in the near future!
Rochelle Humes
As a member of The Saturdays, Rochelle Humes was always a fan-favourite. Nothing's changed since, and during her time on CiN to-date (2015 to the present day), she's hit all the right notes with those watching.
Mel Giedroyc
From The Great British Bake Off to CiN, Mel Giedroyc's sense of humour is as dry as they come. Her infectious personality is something that really resonated not just with audiences, but event organisers, and so we'll be seeing her on the telethon once again this year, following her hosting debut on it back in 2017.
Children in Need 2018 airs tonight from 7.30pm on BBC One, breaking at 10pm for the news before returning at 10.40pm on the same channel.
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