Annual fundraiser expects record takings

Generous Scots have contributed £2.2 million so far to the country’s biggest annual fundraiser – Children in Need.

It means the UK total now stands just shy of £33m – with forecasts pointing to a potentially record year.

It is more than the £31.1m raised on the night of the 2013 gala and the final total is expected to be higher once all donations are in.

However last year’s figure for Scotland was £100,000 higher than this year’s total for the night.

The extravaganza was watched by an average of 8.3 million people on BBC One between 19:30 and 22:00 GMT.

Audience peaked at 10 million for a special children's Strictly Come Dancing around 20:15.

In Scotland Jackie Bird presented live throughout the night from BBC Scotland’s Glasgow studios and highlights included a choir of 140 children from schools across Fife performing with hundreds of others across the country.

The pupils took part in a UK-wide rendition of I’ll Stand By You, with a special version of Make Your Own Kind of Music aired exclusively in Scotland.

Performing together for the first time, members of Nae Direction included Jackie Bird, River City’s Tom Urie and Scott Fletcher, Radio Scotland’s John Beattie, weather forecaster Judith Ralston and actress Katrina Bryan. There was also an exclusive Still Game sketch starring some of the soap’s most popular characters.