The Official BBC Children In Need Medley

Album: Single Release Only (2009)
Charted: 1
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This tune is a medley of seven pop songs all performed by over 100 animated characters past and present. All proceeds of the single went to BBC's Children in Need charity.
  • The seven songs that make up the medley are: "Can You Feel It" by The Jacksons
    "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac"
    "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" by A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls
    "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba
    "Never Forget" by Take That
    "Hey Jude" by The Beatles
    "One Day Like This" by Elbow
  • The man behind the single was Nigel Wright, the Grammy-nominated co-producer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Love Never Dies. It took him 132 hours to mix the vocals of the seven different songs.
  • The video, which shows the Animated All Star Band meeting and recording the song in a studio, took two years to create. It features over 100 animated characters past and present, including The Teletubbies, Bill and Ben, Andy Pandy, Thomas the Tank Engine, Paddington Bear and Scooby Doo. They were voiced in nearly all the cases by the actors who did the vocals for characters in their original series.
  • The project was fronted by comedian Peter Kay, who in 2005 appeared in the video for Tony Christie's Comic Relief hit "(Is This the Way To) Amarillo." He said: "Children, parents, grandparents - in fact everybody is going to enjoy this. I can't believe it's come together and I'm extremely proud of all the work and time everybody has given to the project."
  • This reached #1 in its second week on the UK singles chart. Two out of the seven songs on the medley, "Never Forget" and "Hey Jude," were previously chart-toppers in their own right.
  • Here are some other UK #1 singles that were sung by animated or puppet characters.
    1969 The Archies Sugar, Sugar
    1986 Spitting Image The Chicken Song
    1991 The Simpsons Do The Bartman
    1998 Chef Chocolate Salty Balls
    2005 Gorillaz Dare

Comments: 1

  • Flynn And Belle from Cranbournecharacters like dennis gnasher noddy shaun the sheep wallace gromit and rastamouse have to be in a animated crossover music video with horrid henry
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)Songwriter Interviews

The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.