To think Children in Need is absolutely shit?

[O6bftdff]

Was it always this bad? I haven’t watched it in years and years but remember once looking forward to it. Turned it on tonight and it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever watched. Almost embarrassing.

Under sufferance, I've had to listen to R2 during my commute this week. It was very telling that Vernon Kay had to "explain" to all the listeners who'd asked why they were talking (but not saying anything new) about Paddy McGuiness's bike ride every 2 minutes. Apparently, it's because "people dip in and out every few minutes" - and I can see why!
The ride was a good, fun thing to do but it was ridiculous to hear people saying they'd been crying all week thinking about it and that Paddy was a national hero.
But this is the BBC all over now, isn't it? The personal stories/journeys behind Strictly, then the stories behind the personal stories of Strictly etc etc
Once you start mindlessly whooping and hyping up nonsense, you end up with Trump as your president.

Quite. I don't donate to any charity unless I am certain there is transparency about where / how my donation is spent.

That's BBC CIN out plus a very long list of other household name charities.

So now my money goes to mainly local (but some national/non local to me) causes that have a very specific objective and that have a good history of fiscal transparency.

The exception to that is donations to crowdfunding campaigns that make legal challenges based on principles I agree with- but again I consider the credibility of the case and legal representation.

An old girl of my school who uses a wheelchair came to give a speech on being disabled. She made a huge impression on me & a lot of us, & I read her blog. Her view on Children In Need is interesting, though need to be a free Substack member to read it, I think.

https://lucywebster.substack.com/p/stop-watching-children-in-need?utm_source=post-banner&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true

I think the selling of tat compensates for the dire "on the night event" entertainment. Obviously viewer figures have dropped enormously and it used to be "phone on to donate". I used to do so but now just donate through school raising funds. The "entertainment' is pretty bad though, if they want to make it what it once was they need a haul-over.

Agree .. I never watch it now

Absolute rubbish, it was embarrassing.

I don't remember watching it ever, I haven't watched live TV for decades. Dimly recall there's an even worse cringe event, - Red Nose Day.

It’s rich celebrities asking every day working class people to donate to the charity whilst experiencing a cost of living crisis.

I remember being really put off and disliking Terry Wogan when I found out he charged the BBC a fee for him to host children in need.

it was shit, absolute drivel. It wasn’t worth watching but glad people donated. I donated recently at a charity event but, where’s comedy gone in this country? And why are Martin Kemps kid, the boring one from the Saturdays and cheater Vernon along with the insufferable Chris Ramsey the best the BBC can muster? It used to have the lovely countdown to see how much was raised to.

I always think this when celebrities plug go fund me…erm you donate first.

It was fun with my children back in the 80's. I had a big red nose on my car, we all had red noses which smelt weird and fell off. The school raised a lot of money, children all dressed up, we sold cakes and drinks. The children would stay up watching people like Mr Bean and other children characters. French and Saunders were on. Lots of stars gave their time. It was on until very late.

Then I had another child in early 2000's. It was still okay I was relieved when he outgrew it.

But today I saw my grandchildren and others in the playground looking wonderful all dressed up.

And thought well it's for them really.

That's Red Nose Day - which is even shitter (if possible). Both should be put in the dustbin of history where they belong.

Children in Need was always serious and boring. Comic Relief was the fun lively one. I haven't watched either in a long time.

I haven’t watched it in years and even then it was getting very tedious. This year I didn’t even know about it until yesterday, despite doing part time supply in primary, so I don’t think there was much noise around it.

Gawd, there were two. I still have Pudsey bear key rings

All that money over the years, and they still haven't addressed Pusey's eye.

Why can't the BBC donate all the licence fee money to Children in Need? Instead of asking people who already pay them a fortune to fork over even more of their hard earned moeny?

I imagine they've done a profit/loss analysis and worked out they do still raise more doing it this way

What do you mean addressed Pudsey's eye? Presumably he only has one. Is that an issue for you?

Never watch the show or indeed Comic Relief, badly scripted and predictable, and much of the special bits are nothing special in my opinion.

Will support someone fundraising.

I’ve never ever watched it.

Not specific to Children in Need, but I think the era of it being seen as a good thing for very rich people to nag at everyday people to give more money has passed. The optics are rubbish.

See also: people who fly around the world to tell us to cut our climate impact. And people who operate and succeed in a bullying, vicious industry who want to tell us how important it is to be kind to each other.

I think the tolerance for hypocrisy from celebrities is lower than ever.

I haven't been able to even look at these things since it became more about Davina McCall gurning and crying into the fucking camera than about the cause. I've no idea if she is still involved or not but she was my cut off point. Sending celebrities out to form the main focus in the sad bits to guilt the viewer was a no from me.

Edit for typo.