Who are the BBC Children in Need 2024 presenters and hosts?

Children in Need returns for another year with the BBC hoping to raise tens of millions of pounds for the charity.

The three-hour live show takes place on Friday night and will be presented by Ade Adepitan MBE, Mel Giedroyc, Rochelle Humes, Vernon Kay, Chris Ramsey and Lenny Rush.

Highlights this year include the BBC Children in Need Choir, Graham Norton’s Red Chair, The One Show’s Challenge Squad and a world exclusive first look at the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special.

READ MORE: BBC Children In Need 2024 TV schedule, performances and shows

Paddy McGuinness will be in the studio after his gruelling five-day cycling challenge to find out how much he has raised for the charity.

There will also be a very special guest in the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom and BBC’s Gladiators will make an appearance. BBC Children in Need works with children in communities across the UK facing a variety of challenges, including those supporting children with cancer.

The three-hour extravaganza is being broadcast live from Salford's MediaCity UK from 7pm. Here is everything you need to know about this year's Children in Need presenters.

Ade Adepitan MBE

TV presenter and wheelchair basketball player Ade is back to present Children in Need for another year. The 51-year-old has hosted a number of travel documentaries and sports shows including the London 2012 Paralympic Games, 2014 Winter Paralympic Games and the Rio 2016 Paralympics. As a basketball player he was a member of the Great Britain team that won the gold medal at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup.

Speaking ahead of Children in Need 2024, he said: "The generosity of the British public never ceases to amaze me. The last few years have been so tough, so difficult for so many people, I would have understood if people had not donated, or donated a little less.

"But it seems every year people go out their way, they seem to go the extra mile and it says to me how amazing the British public are. It's inspiring and it’s heart-warming. Being part of BBC Children in Need makes me proud to be British when you see how the public respond to the show."

Mel Giedroyc

Comedian and former Greater British Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc is back to host Children in Need. Mel, 56, has been presenting Children in Need since 2017.

She is also known for her radio shows on BBC Radio 2 and Magic Radio, and working partnership with Sue Perkins.

Speaking ahead of this year's live show, Mel said: "It’s one of my very favourite “work” nights of the year. If you can call it work! It’s the incredible feeling in the studio in Salford of everybody coming together for this brilliant life-affirming reason - hearing from kids and watching their stories.

"That’s what it is all about. I think it brings out the very best of us all."

Lenny Rush

Fifteen-year-old Lenny Rush is back for his second year as presenter of Children in Need. Lenny is a BAFTA-winning actor and is best known for his work on the Daisy May Cooper comedy-drama Am I Being Unreasonable? and on the BBC One series Dodger.

He has also won a National Comedy Awards and two awards at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards - winning the Breakthrough Award, and for best Comedy Performance.

This year Lenny appeared in two episodes of Doctor Who has Morris Gibbons. Lenny has a condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita - a condition that affects his growth.

Speaking ahead of the show, Lenny said: "I am so excited, I absolutely love it! It’s an honor host one of the most iconic events on TV.

"I think I am excited to see all the amazing fundraising again and how much everyone puts into everything. I am excited to be up there and presenting. It’s such a buzz."

Chris Ramsey

Comedian Chris Ramsey, 38, is back to present Children in Need for a fifth time - having been host in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Chris appeared in comedy series Hebburn between 2012 and 2013 and on panel shows such as Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Celebrity Juice.

Viewers may also recognise his from Strictly Come Dancing - where he finished forth in 2019 partnered with Karen Hauer

Chris said: "The entire night is honestly phenomenal. It’s funny, warm, moving, emotional as well as being massively entertaining from start to finish… but I’m not going to lie… I absolutely love the totaliser!

"When we get to revel how much we have raised at the halfway point and at the end point of the night, that’s the magic! That’s ultimately why we are all there."

Rochelle Humes

TV presenter and pop star Rochelle Humes is back to present her third Children in Need - having helped host the show since 2014.

Rochelle, 35, is known for being one of the presenters of This Morning and her stint in the girl group The Saturdays. She is married to JLS singer Marvin Humes and the couple have three children.

Rochelle said: "Every year, it just gets bigger and better—more innovative, more creative, and definitely more ambitious. But at its heart, the message is still the same: helping children and families in need. I love how it stays true to its core while constantly pushing forward."

Vernon Kay

Hosting the live show for the first time is TV and radio presenter Vernon Kay.

This year's Children in Need will be more relaxing for Vernon after his fundraising effort last year. In 2023 Vernon, 50, travelled 115 miles by foot, from Leicester to his hometown of Bolton, in just four days. He raised £6m for the charity.

Vernon has been married to Strictly host Tess Daly since 2003, and the couple have two children.

Speaking ahead of the show he said: " I’ve always watched BBC Children in Need and knew it was doing incredibly important work, but until I completed my challenge last year, I had no idea of the sheer scale and number of children BBC Children in Need actually helps.

"It’s absolutely vast. The volume and variety of projects – some big, some small – that are supporting young people in communities across the UK is just mind-blowing. It really is such a privilege to be a part of it."