Children in Need raises £12m

The show aimed for and beat a £12m total

A retired builder has pledged to donate £1m to the BBC's Children In Need Appeal, helping push the event's initial total above £12m.

The generosity of Robert Hitchins, 86, meant that the appeal beat last year's £11.6m.

Mr Hitchins rang BBC Radio Guernsey to make his pledge at 2340GMT on Friday, with just over two hours left of the seven-hour TV marathon.

He told the station he had been to Ascot earlier in the day, one of his racehorses had won and he had decided to make the donation as a result.

Star studded show

The pledge from Mr Hitchins, who moved to the Channel Islands as a tax exile many years ago, came during the 21st televised Children in Need event.

S-Club 7 kicked off the appeal with their new single - the official Children in Need song - Never Had a Dream Come True.

Stars from the world of television, pop and sport joined forces with members of the public to help raise money for children's charities.

Ronan Keating and Melanie C from the Spice Girls were among the performers.

Presenters Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin hosted the live studio event from the BBC's Television Centre in London.

They announced £12,244,764 had been raised by the show's end at 0200GMT on Saturday.

Throughout the day, people across the country took part in a wide range of fund-raising activities.

S Club 7: Official Children in Need song

Other pop stars to provide musical entertainment included All Saints, Texas, Billie Piper and Lionel Ritchie

Writer Carla Lane created a special one-off episode of her hit 1980s sitcom Butterflies for the event, which reunited original cast members Wendy Craig, Geoffrey Palmer, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Andrew Hall.

Television chef Jamie Oliver was flown by the RAF to the home of a caller to cook them an al fresco meal.

Dale Winton took on the role of quizmaster for a special "A Question of Sport meets A Question of Pop" quiz, with team captains Sue Barker and Jamie Theakston.

Dance extravaganza

And soap stars tested their knowledge with actors from EastEnders taking on cast members of Emmerdale and Coronation Street in a pub quiz.

BBC royal correspondents Jennie Bond and Nicholas Witchell joined television personalities including Wogan, Angela Rippon, Philippa Forrester, Peter Snow and Vanessa Feltz to take part in a dance tribute to the movie world.

After last year's appeal, £18.8m was eventually distributed to children's charities.

Since the event was first televised in 1980, £273m has been raised.

Donations can be made by calling 08457 33 22 33

The first coin of the millennium donated by the Royal Mint to the BBC Children in Need Appeal has been sold for £3,500.

Terry Wogan auctioned the coin on his Radio 2 breakfast show to the highest bidder, Maureen Boiardi.

Mrs Boiardi, originally from Treorchy in the Welsh Valleys but now living in America, said: "I was delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause and thrilled to be able to acquire such an historic coin."