Children in Need 2026 hosts: Who is in the presenting line-up?

Children in Need is back for a spectacular night filled to the brim with star performances, exclusive sketches and surprise appearances this Friday.

Broadcast live from MediaCityUK, the three-hour special will gather some of the nation's most beloved presenters to lead a night of entertainment and fundraising.

This year, the Children in Need appeal is calling on people across the UK to get fundraising, take on a challenge and help ensure there is someone by the side of every child when they need it the most.

But who will be leading the night and presenting that huge reveal of just how much money has been raised by the end of the night?

Below is a list of the presenters confirmed to be hosting Children in Need 2026.

• Alex Jones
• Mel Giedroyc
• Rylan
• Sara Cox
• Tyler West

Read on to learn more about the presenters taking part.

Alex Jones

Welsh presenter Alex Jones is one of the most familiar faces on BBC One as a long-serving host of The One Show, a role she has held since joining in 2010. She spent roughly a decade on Welsh-language channel S4C before being announced as Christine Bleakley's replacement on The One Show, making her debut alongside Jason Manford.

The One Show has long been at the heart of the charity's coverage, and Jones is again fronting its Challenge Squad this year. Describing what the night means to her, she said: "It means the absolute world to be part of the team for the big night of Children in Need, I have watched it avidly since I was a little girl and Sir Terry Wogan was at the helm. It was always one of the big highlights of the year."

Mel Giedroyc

Mel Giedroyc returns to Children in Need for a 10th consecutive year, which she said she is "honoured and privileged to do".

Giedroyc became a household name alongside comedy partner Sue Perkins, with whom she co-hosted The Great British Bake Off from its 2010 debut until 2016, after earlier fronting Channel 4's Light Lunch and Late Lunch. Her more recent television credits include hosting ITV's Pictionary and appearing on The Masked Singer, plus stage and radio work.

Giedroyc, who helped launch this year's appeal, said: "Being part of Children in Need every year, as I have been for the last 10 years as presenter, which I'm so honoured and privileged to do, is everything to me. It's a red-letter day, and one of the most life affirming and important for me in my calendar."

Rylan Clark

Rylan Clark will make his Children in Need hosting debut in 2026 after years of involvement with the charity. He first found fame on The X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother before building a presenting career across This Morning, Strictly: It Takes Two and the BBC's Eurovision coverage. He has also hosted Rylan on Saturday on Radio 2 since 2019.

His travel series with Rob Rinder, Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour, won a BAFTA, while recent work includes ITV's The Assembly and MTV's Dating Naked UK.

Rylan said: "It's amazing to be part of Children in Need's appeal show, obviously it's something that I have grown up watching and loved and have been involved in in the past, so to be asked to host this year is a real honour."

Sara Cox

Sara Cox joins the Children in Need hosting team the same year that she took over the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, having previously fronted the station's teatime programme from 2019. Cox presented the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in the early 2000s and later hosted eight series of BBC Two's book show Between the Covers.

In November 2025 she completed the Great Northern Marathon Challenge, covering 135 miles on foot from Kielder Forest to Pudsey in Leeds — raising £11.5 million for the charity in the process.

Cox said: "It's a huge honour to be part of the 2026 Children in Need hosting team. It promises to be a spectacular night, that will hopefully raise oodles and oodles of cash for much needed projects. And after completing my Children in Need Ultramarathon Challenge for Radio 2 last year, it will be quite nice to be somewhere warm and cosy and close to the event, instead of running in sideways rain!"

Tyler West

Tyler West is a television and radio presenter who co-hosts KISS Breakfast and began his career on CBBC before presenting MTV News and BBC Three's Flat Out Fabulous.

He competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 with Dianne Buswell, and in 2025 reached the final of Celebrity Race Across the World alongside fiancée Molly Rainford, finishing runners-up and going on to present the companion podcast.

West said: "Being part of Children in Need this year means everything to me! I never felt that I had a voice when I was younger, so the fact I can be part of such a special cause, helping other young people find theirs, means the world. I grew up watching this show every year with my family through so many moments in my life."

Children in Need 2026 airs on Friday 13 November at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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