It’s all in a worthy cause
IDON’T suppose they’ll mention this but tonight’s CHILDREN IN NEED (BBC1, 7.30pm) actually marks a special anniversary. It’s 35 years since BBC1 started clearing its schedules for the entire evening to make way for this marathon fundraiser.
For the four years before that, 1980 to 1983 – and I must admit I only remembered this a couple of days ago while nostalgically flicking through some ancient TV listings (hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it) – the fledgling charity do had been a bitty affair.
The late Terry Wogan, God rest his soul, merely had to pop up intermittently with updates during what was otherwise a standard evening’s viewing – Dallas,Terry And June, a Tommy Steele special, that kind of thing.
It did have some top-notch celebs dropping by to do their bit (Lorraine Chase,Val Doonican, Mollie Sugden, comedy legend Jim
Davidson, need I go on?) but their bit didn’t have to amount to much.
No, 1984 was when the show as we know it today, with more than six solid hours of entertainment, was really born.
Tonight’s line-up – which includes an EastEnders Strictly special, a Crackerjack revival, some kind of DoctorWho thingy and the Countryfile gang apparently doing something bold that no doubt they’ll regret in the morning – may not be a patch on that first star-studded marathon all those years ago (Su Pollard, Bernie Winters, Keith Harris and Orville, it nigh on takes one’s breath away…) but it’s bound to rake in another record-breaking sum, which of course is all that matters. Last year’s show raised an unprecedented £50.6million.
Sharing this evening’s hosting duties are Tess Daly, Graham Norton, Ade Adepitan, Mel Giedroyc,TomAllen and the Rochelle/Marvin Humes combo.
Jim Davidson, since you ask, is busy playing the Burgess Hall in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Twenty-odd quid plus booking fee.
Elsewhere, choreographer Ashley “Cupid” Banjo aims to weave more of his magic in FLIRTY DANCING (C4, 8pm).
The blind date dance he’s devising this week is for Army man Emmerson, 27, and ballet-lover Ruby, 28.
Despite his job, Emmerson insists he’s “just a soft guy who likes romantic movies”. And Ruby? Well, as luck would have it, her ideal man would be “Prince Charming crossed with Action Man”.
Bodes well, eh? Unless she means the sort of Action Man that’s eight inches tall and made of plastic.
Elsewhere, THE GADGET SHOW (Channel 5, 7pm) marks its 400th edition by building a cake out of smartphones and 3D-printed buttercream. I wish I could tell you I was kidding.