Children in Need 2023 on TV and BBC iPlayer - How to watch the entertainment extravaganza

Children in Need 2023's live entertainment extravaganza promises three-hours of comedy, music and surprise guests, all to help raise vital funds for BBC Children in Need. Here's everything you need to know about the big night... When is Children in Need 2023 on TV and BBC iPlayer? The live extravaganza kicks off from 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 17 November.

Doctor Who is set to blast this year’s BBC Children in Need broadcast into outer space with an exclusive scene that is not to be missed. Ahead of the three specials for the 60th anniversary, the brand new exclusive scene will have viewers smiling from ear to ear, as David Tennant stars as the Fourteenth Doctor who shares an encounter with a mysterious new character, played by actor and comedian Mawaan Rizwan. It is then that the Doctor uncovers an age old mystery involving one of the his oldest foes… Written by Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T Davies, this other-worldly special is made specifically for BBC Children in Need, just before viewers hop back into the TARDIS for a brand new set of adventures for three special episodes set to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary this November.

Basil Brush, Zippy and George from Rainbow, Hacker T Dog and Dodge, and Tinky Winky are among the puppet legends set to invade the hallowed MasterChef kitchen of presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace . The show’s catchphrase ‘cooking doesn’t get tougher than this’ is set to be mashed up and smashed to bits as the British children’s TV favourites cause chaos among the pots and pans trying to impress Gregg and John with their culinary skills. From the chaos, who will emerge and be crowned Puppet MasterChef for BBC Children in Need 2023?
• Read more: BBC Children in Need introduces Puppet MasterChef

Three well-known pairs of TV characters compete to be the first to make it across the rolling dales and dramatic moors of UK’s biggest county, but as per the rules of Race Across The World, their budget is limited and no mobile phones or credit cards are allowed. All they have is a map of Yorkshire, a GPS tracker and their wits as they aim for the final checkpoint which is - where else? - the town of Pudsey located between Leeds and Bradford. Coincidentally Pudsey is also the name of BBC Children in Need’s mascot and iconic yellow bear). From EastEnders, Ian and Cindy Beale (Adam Woodyatt and Michelle Collins) race against Birds of a Feather’s Dorien and Tracey (Lesley Joseph and Linda Robson) and Waterloo Road’s Noel and Samia (Liam Scholes and Priyasasha Kumari). Along the way the three teams bump into some famous Yorkshire faces including Emmerdale’s Kim Tate, Marlon Dingle and Cain Dingle, Bradford’s very own Gareth Gates, Wakefield’s Jane McDonald and one half of Rotherham’s legendary Chuckle Brothers, Paul Chuckle. Spanning almost three million acres, there are plenty of places to get lost in Yorkshire. Our couples have a tight travel budget and so to reach the finish line, must work to earn extra cash, using good, old-fashioned Yorkshire graft. Who crumbles under the pressure? Who loses it big-time? Who wins? All the answers are revealed at the Pudsey finish line in BBC Children in Need’s exclusive Race Across Yorkshire.
• Read more: Race Across Yorkshire for BBC Children in Need

Graham Norton's notorious Big Red Chair lies in wait for six brave celebrities on BBC Children in Need 2023. An EastEnders actor, a famous pop star, a Strictly pro dancer, an England footballer, a TV doctor and a podcaster-presenter must tell jokes in an attempt to impress three children who are guests on Graham’s infamous sofa. All three children have benefited from BBC Children in Need-funded projects. If the jokes don’t cut it with the kids then the lever is pulled and the Big Red Chair fires the celebs into orbit. The famous six are: Perry Fenwick (Eastenders), Karen Hauer (Strictly Come Dancing), Matt Goss (Bros), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea and England footballer), Dr Ranj (TV Doctor), and Rosie Ramsey (Podcaster, Presenter and Author).

In the studio, singer songwriter JERUB takes to the stage to perform his latest single There Till The End, the UK’s Junior Eurovision act STAND UNIQU3 sing their anthemic entry Back to Life’ and Leigh-Anne who – having performed on BBC Children in Need with Little Mix many times - performs her track My Love for the first time on TV. The cast of the brand-new stage musical I Should Be So Lucky perform a medley of songs from Stock Aitken Waterman acts (Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley etc.) including classic hit Especially For You, with a very special duo taking on one of the trio’s biggest hits... To celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary, viewers will be treated to a British TV debut performance from Walt Disney Animation Studios upcoming film Wish, sung by West-End musical star Merryl Ansah. The amazing BBC Children in Need Choir is back, drawn from the Nations and Regions of the UK, to sing a heart-felt rendition of You Raise Me Up.

Money raised through BBC Children in Need’s 2023 Appeal will help children and young people overcome the additional challenges they currently face, including supporting children and young people living in poverty, providing emergency support to families in crisis, providing comfort to children feeling sad, lost and alone, helping children overcome social injustice and supporting children to feel safe and secure. Throughout the show, appeal films feature some of those whose lives have been changed through the support of BBC Children in Need, and the project workers who work tirelessly to help them.

The annual Children in Need extravaganza hits our screens again this year and BBC Scotland will also have its own special Children in Need programme for the annual appeal from 10pm. This special live showcase for Children in Need funded projects, making a difference here in Scotland, is being hosted by Jackie Bird, with guests from the comedy and music scene. Reports from various projects around the country will highlight heart-warming stories of young people who have benefited from Children in Need funding. And as well as tear-jerking moments, there will be some laughs and good tunes. Providing some banter are Burnistoun supremos Robert Florence and Iain Connell, who are also at the heart of hit Scottish comedy series The Scotts in which they play brothers Henry and Vincent Scott. Jackie will be chatting with Two Doors Down stars Kieran Hodgson, who plays Gordon, and Elaine C Smith who plays Christine. And Strictly Judge Anton Du Beke will help put Pudsey through his paces! Highland folk pop band Tide Lines will be performing and there will be more music from rising star Rianne Downey, the singer-songwriter from Bellshill, who was one of the stand-outs hits of this year’s TRNSMT performing with Paul Heaton. Among the Scottish projects to feature in the show, with stories of children who have had invaluable support, are East Ayrshire Young Carers, The Ocean Youth Trust and Sports Driving. Children in Need on BBC iPlayer