Children in Need viewers thrilled by fundraiser which saw EastEnders honour the 80s, Mary Berry bring Eddie Redmayne cake and Michael Buble perform
CHILDREN in Need viewers have shared their delight over the latest telethon - which raised a record-breaking £46.6 million on the night total.
Friday saw the first annual telethon since Sir Terry Wogan passed away in January aged 77 following a secret battle with cancer.
While the show paid a touching tribute to Sir Terry, and saw a visit from his son Mark to present the first Sir Terry Wogan Fundraiser of the Year Award, it also had many upbeat moments for the viewers to enjoy.
One particular highlight was the EastEnders cast performing an 80s film medley routine.
The skit started with Danny Dyer channelling Top Gun, jumping on to a motorbike and tearing through Walford in air force leathers.
After taking directions from a yellow New York cab, the scene was set in the BBC studios - and for things to literally kick off.
Bonnie Langford - who plays Carmel Kazemi in the long-running soap - showcased her incredible dancing skills as she led her castmates in to a Fame medley.
Hot on her heels were her on-screen nephew Lee Carter, actor Danny-Boy Hatchard, and his new wife Whitney, played by Shona McGarty.
The pair of them channelled Dirty Dancing - and people at home loved it, with many calling for Danny-Boy to join next year's Strictly Come Dancing.
Another standout moment from the night was a sketch featuring Eddie Redmayne trying to get hold of Pudsey Bear.
Former Bake Off presenters Mel and Sue acting as the incompetent switchboard operators trying to connect him.
As he kept being put on hold or transferred to the wrong celebrity - including The Apprentice's Lord Sugar, Doctor Who and even Britney Spears - Bake Off judge Mary Berry kept entering the scene to bring the actor a different cake.
The sketch ended with the hapless duo cutting him off completely.
The telethon also featured special editions of some of the BBC's best shows including Would I Lie To You? and Strictly Come Dancing, which saw Olympic silver medal taekwondo star Lutalo Muhammad win the sparkly Pudsey trophy.
joined by fellow medallists Helen Glover, Hollie Webb and Joe Clarke who all achieved success at the 2016 Rio Olympics earlier this year.
The members of Team GB joined forces with the show's professional dancers Janette Manrara, Pasha Kovalev, Karen Clifton and Neil Jones to perform a showstopping Paso Doble routine, each getting a solo segment to show off their moves.
While Strictly was all about the razzledazzle, there were of course more sombre moments, such as Michael Buble performing God Only Knows.
The Canadian crooner appeared on the BBC fundraising show despite reports that he would not sing again until his son Noah, 3, had beaten his liver cancer battle.
However, the stripped back performance of God Only Knows was recorded earlier this month before he discovered that his son was unwell.
Introducing his VT, hosts Rochelle and Marvin Humes - who announced yesterday they are expecting their second baby - mentioned the struggle faced by the family.
Rochelle said: "To kick us off we have one of the smoothest and most handsome guys in the business.
"We thank you so much and of course our thoughts are with you at this difficult time for you and your family."
Speaking ahead of his performance, Michael said to the camera: "Hey everybody it's Michael Bublé and I'm delighted to be part of this year's Children In Need."
He then gave a somewhat haunting rendition of The Beach Boys' 1966 classic.
Viewers also got to see sneak peaks of the Doctor Who and Call The Midwife Christmas Specials as well as performances from Craig David, Busted and the West End productions of Aladdin and Motown The Musical.
The extravaganza delighted viewers, with one writing on Twitter: "Come on people, DONATE! DONATE! DONATE! Let's get so much more.. Terrt would have been overjoyed at the total so far" while another added: "You know what @BBCCiN Mr Sir Terry Wogan would be so proud of everyone getting in the #ChildrenInNeed spirit #SirTerryWogan we miss you."
A third added: "I am in pieces here but what amazing work. Sad without Sir Terry but he would be so proud."
And it seems the hard work indeed did pay off, as at the end of the show, hosts Rochelle and Marvin Humes announced the total for the evening was £46,624, 259, a record breaking amount.