Last night the BBC’s annual fundraiser event Children In Need raised £47m for a worthy cause with a star studded event.
The charity appeal which was in its 40th edition still proves to be ratings draw with the British public who are willing to donate for worthy causes.
Combined with recent success of Comic Relief and Stand Up to Cancer, the question remains should Irish broadcasters consider bringing back the telethon (or something similar) to Irish screens.
It has been a total of 12 years since the telethon last aired on RTÉ, but on its last airing the action packed and Irish star studded event managed to raise €7.5m in funds for the People In Need Charity.
Although unfortunately a recession soon came after the fundraiser’s last airing which obviously hampered the hosting of a national fundraiser, the prospects of one returning to our screens since the upturn in the economy have been slim to none.
Despite calls from stars such as Ryan Tubridy and others in recent years, broadcasters such as RTÉ have decided to rule out hosting an event even though they are proving popular and worthy across the water.
In past the telethon had captured the public’s attention with a number of acts taking part in events such as Charity 252 and many others.
We all know the homeless criss is growing by the day and other serious issues are gripping the nation, but would a national fundraiser be worth while especially when the Irish public have proven they are willing to donate for worthy causes in the past.
Obviously a fundraiser wouldn’t reach donation figures such as those reached by the BBC or Channel 4, but previous telethons have shown that millions have been raised by the Irish public.
Such figures even though relatively small in comparison obviously wouldn’t solve major issues such as homelessness, but they would surely help many people and hard working charity organisations across the country.
Would you support the return of the telethon or something similar? Let us know in the comments section.