Blimey, Peter Kay did not look well there at all. He wasn’t his usual self larking about.
He did sound a bit slower than usual, but I'd be more concerned if he hadn't just done the Car Share audio special (where he didn't sound that different to usual) and he was also about to go on tour for the first time since his hiatus with his charity dance-a-thons, until all this.
It's a shame Christopher Eccleston was the notable exception. We all know he's not on great terms with the BBC, but I'd have hoped this could have brought him back for a few words. But who knows, could be any number of reasons why he couldn't appear at this time.
He's been in a couple of series of 'The A Word' for the BBC since then - but I think his recent discussions of his severe depression and anorexia may mean it's better for his health to draw a line under his Doctor Who stint?
It's a shame Christopher Eccleston was the notable exception. We all know he's not on great terms with the BBC, but I'd have hoped this could have brought him back for a few words. But who knows, could be any number of reasons why he couldn't appear at this time.
He's been in a couple of series of 'The A Word' for the BBC since then - but I think his recent discussions of his severe depression and anorexia may mean it's better for his health to draw a line under his Doctor Who stint?
Check out his instagram and his absence becomes pretty clear.
I don't think we'll ever see him do anything Doctor Who related again. He hasn't since 2005 as far a I'm aware after all.
Eccleston and Doctor Who seems to be a love/hate relationship and is a shame as I loved him in the role and he was my first Doctor. He does do comic cons and stuff like that now but it seems for the 5 or 6 years after he left he either didn't talk about it or didn't talk in glowing terms about it. He was apparently considering going back for the 50th as he loved Steven Moffat's work but decided against it as well and the War Doctor was written in.
£27m is a brilliant amount, especially in the current climate and that The Big Night In didn't have all the preceding fundraising events that noemal telethons have in schools and workplaces, for obvious reasons.
What with this, and Captain Tom's £38m, I think this shows that even when times are dark, the British public can be incredibly generous.
I didn't think the show was amazing but it made me chuckle a few times. I think they did well to pull it together quickly with all the restrictions in place.
A brilliant total raised and I was impressed by the number of sketches that were produced given the circumstances. The musical performances were very well put together, Times Like These was also a wonderful cover.
Paddy brought a lot of energy into the studio which must have been hard to do with three presenters and four crew members (that they referenced a few times).
He was apparently considering going back for the 50th as he loved Steven Moffat's work but decided against it as well and the War Doctor was written in.
I think the main sticking point was that he wanted to work with a particular director. I don't think there was any ill will towards the director they used, but maybe he just wanted to know someone he trusted was in charge. I actually think it worked out for the best because a hidden Doctor was a brilliant twist.
Obviously he doesn't share the same enthusiasm for the role as the rest. I hope he'd have been tempted for a good cause - he did a small bit in character for a young fan going through a tough time after a couple of the others did the same - but perhaps he just didn't want anyone to get overexcited and distracted by the fact that he was "back" rather than listening to the message.
I liked the understated reveal of the total at the end of the night. Presumably that was without government doubling?
I think the main sticking point was that he wanted to work with a particular director. I don't think there was any ill will towards the director they used, but maybe he just wanted to know someone he trusted was in charge.
I think he did have a problem with the director they used, but I don't think anyone was very happy with them as they didn't work on the programme again. But seemingly the damage was done as far as Eccleston was concerned.
Nish Kumar was about as funny as the Daily Covid 19 update as per usual.
And even that's being kind.
Nish’s “joke” about Jesus not being white - I mean, talk about misreading the room. Why was it relevant? What was he prattling on about? It wasn’t funny, it wasn’t edgy, it was just meh. What a prize tool.
Catching up on this thread this morning having not read it last night I can't help thinking some posters come across as being rather miserable and overly critical.
Watching the show last night with my wife we both enjoyed, and going outside briefly at 8pm. For me having three presenters in the studio wasn't a problem, and made sense rather than risk technical problems with live link ups if presenting from their homes. The corporate sponsor items/adverts seem pretty much standard with all big fundraising programmes these days.
I guess adding to total at the end might have been to save having someone work on the graphics throughout the night. Also more recently both Children in Need and Comic/Sports Relief seem to have been cutting back on totaliser updates during their programmes. I suspect a significant amount came in before the show began through corporate donations, and they didn't wish to 'drip feed' it into the total during the night as per the normal telethons.