Charitable work

Basanti Chaudhary listens to her radio at home in Nepal. Improved weather programming carried on local radio and social media in Nepal, supported by BBC Media Action, is helping people in remote and rural areas better prepare for extreme weather, saving lives and livelihoods. (Credit: Anish Tamang/BBC Media Action)

BBC Charity appeals encourage all of us to come together to support charities and to be connected as helpers and givers through shared experiences and the power of storytelling. Last year’s appeals gave audiences a rich diversity of content, from challenges for BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief to the regular BBC Access Appeals. Audiences responded with amazing generosity, donating millions to help individuals, communities and organisations across the UK and internationally. We are so grateful to them for this continuing support.

BBC Children in Need has helped improve the lives of 363,000 children and young people over the past grant year
78.2m people reached by BBC Media Action in more than 30 countries in 2025/26

This year 60 charities featured on the Radio 4 Appeal and BBC One’s Lifeline. Charities are selected for these appeals after a rigorous application and assessment process. The appeals showcased a range of stories from across the UK and internationally and the impact of the audiences’ donations can be found on the BBC Charity Appeals website.

In Northern Ireland there were seven Broadcast Appeals on BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle/Sounds in 2025/26. These were accompanied by short films for social media. Applications were also invited for upcoming Appeal slots. Broadcast Appeals in Northern Ireland remain focused on awareness-raising about the work of local charities, their services and support needs.

The annual Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity aired in December. The Appeal, which had its first broadcast 99 years ago, is dedicated to supporting people affected by homelessness.

This year it raised £2.6 million with further donations throughout the year influenced by the Appeal bringing the total to £6.9 million. These vital funds will help people across the UK find a safe place to call home and access the support they need.

The BBC broadcast the Myanmar Earthquake Appeal on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) in early April 2025, and funds have continued to come in for this, raising over £28 million to date. The Middle East Humanitarian Appeal which was broadcast in October 2024 was still open for donations this year and has raised over £65 million to date.

BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need supports over 1,600 local charities and projects across the UK, helping to transform the lives of 363,000 children and young people in the last grant year. Appeal night 2025 raised £45.5 million, powered by extraordinary generosity inspired by BBC programming and fundraising.

Standout moments included the Countryfile Ramble; an epic DIY SOS build; CBeebies and Tom Fletcher’s uplifting Pudsey and the Thread of Hope animation; the Celebrity Apprentice specials; BBC stations across the nations and regions tackling the Thousand Mile Challenge; the Newscast Team’s 25‑hour podcast‑athon; The One Show’s Challenge Squad; and BBC Radio 2’s Great Northern Marathon Challenge, where Sara Cox covered 135 miles, raising £11.7 million as of 31st March 2026. For more information visit the Children in Need website.

BBC Media Action

The BBC’s international charity, BBC Media Action, worked with over 500 media partners, trained over 3,500 journalists and civil society representatives, and reached nearly 80 million people in more than 30 countries in 2025/26.

Highlights included continued support for public service broadcasters in Ukraine and local radio stations in Afghanistan; a major project supporting local broadcasters to share trusted weather and climate information in Bangladesh, Nepal and Kenya; supporting investigative journalism into the artisanal mining industry in Sierra Leone; developing our training to partners around the world on the responsible use of AI in newsrooms and the launch of a new podcast season for traumatised children in Gaza. Learn more on the Media Action website.

Comic Relief

The BBC continued to give wide-ranging support to Comic Relief. Red Nose Day 2026 benefited hugely from multi-faceted BBC linear and digital support, including the television show’s first ever BBC livestream on YouTube.

A revamped format featured strong comedic focus and an array of co-hosts. Memorable and shared content included The Bank Job, Amandaland and The Traitors sketches, plus moving appeal films on food poverty, homelessness and refugees.

Audiences nationwide came together to raise over £30 million (and counting) which will help 1.3 million people eat, sleep and feel safe. BBC Radio 1 and Local Radio engagement helped the Greg James challenge capture the nation’s imagination and raise over £4 million.