“If it raises money for the kids, I’ll do it — but I might need a lot of crisps at the finish line.”
“I wanted to walk up Snowdonia backwards with Bob Harris strapped to my back… health and safety said no.” – Tony Blackburn
“It’s not me. I’ve got a doctor’s note, Scott!” – Trevor Nelson
“Whoever’s doing it needs to thank their lucky stars – it’s once in a lifetime.” – Paddy McGuinness
The big build-up
Scott opened Friday’s show in full drama mode: “It could be anyone… Ellie’s shaking, Lisa Tarbuck’s waiting, Jamie Cullum, Elaine Paige — even Dame EP could be on standby.” With the Children in Need challenge reveal set for 8am, the whole show buzzed with nervous energy.
Listeners piled in with guesses, and Scott ruled people out live on air — from Fern Cotton (very much asleep) to Trevor Nelson (grumpy but relieved) and Tony Blackburn, who rang up pitching increasingly ridiculous ideas. His favourite? A “worldwide conga” or parachuting into beans. Classic Tony.
The reveal came live at 8am, with Pudsey Bear in the studio and Vernon Kay and Paddy McGuinness on hand to crank up the tension. Both men know the pain of previous years’ challenges — Vernon running 115 miles and Paddy cycling more than 300 — and they didn’t sugar-coat what lies ahead. “It’s gruelling, your body screams to stop, but it’s once in a lifetime,” said Paddy. That only heightened the drama before Sara’s name was confirmed.
Sara’s reaction was classic Coxy: equal parts nerves and humour. She joked about regretting not “losing the plot in rehearsals” to avoid being picked, but quickly shifted into determined mode. “If it raises money for the kids, I’ll do it — but I might need a lot of crisps at the finish line.” Scott cheered her on, teasing that she’s got the stamina from years of late-night radio and barn parties.
Listeners erupted with support as the texts flooded in. Some offered training tips, others pledged donations there and then. One wrote: “If Sara can do it, we can all dig deep.” Another simply said: “Coxy for Queen!” It captured the spirit of why these challenges matter — a mix of national pride, silliness, and genuine generosity.
The exact details of Sara’s challenge are being held back until Monday, but if Vernon and Paddy’s hints are anything to go by, it’ll test every ounce of her resilience. What’s certain is that she’ll face it with humour, warmth, and grit. Sara Cox is now officially the face of Children in Need 2025, and the countdown has begun.
The Good Morning Minute
Friday’s roll call included:
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Dave in Manchester walking Rocky the schnauzer.
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Ed in Cheltenham rescuing a frog from his cat.
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Rachel from Southampton off for a weekend of wine and fine times in Spain.
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Nanny Liz on Cloud 9 after helping deliver grandson Ralph.
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Abbey in Greenwich counting down the hours till Busted vs McFly.
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Jim Taylor building a garden sauna.
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Emma in Somerset dodging slugs on her morning dog walk.
Scott summed it up: “Friday mornings are chaos — frogs, sausages, and saunas.”
Pause for Thought – Reverend Matt Woodcock
Matt reflected on the perils of forgetting people’s names — from mixing up parishioners at church to dreading teenage reviews of his haircut. He told the brilliant story of Wendy, who marched back into church wearing a T-shirt reading “It’s Wendy, Vicar.”
Scott admitted: “I’ve just called an Emily an Emma, so I feel this one hard.”
Quiz chaos: meet Xander
Xander from Bishop Stortford, once snubbed on Antiques Roadshow, was nominated by his mother-in-law (who described him as a human encyclopaedia). He rattled through questions about Garibaldi biscuits, waxy Babybels and Wallace & Gromit’s cheese moon.
He finished with 37 points — a strong score any other week, but nowhere near Monday’s record-breaking 54 with Dave in the New Forest.
Scott laughed: “Respectable — but this week you’ve been thrashed by the South Coast.”
Other gems from Friday
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Pete Murray’s 100th birthday got a big on-air shout, with Scott marvelling: “If I make it to 100, I’ll be doing my own chart countdown in the lounge.”
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Balamory news — Miss Hoolie’s house is up for sale, complete with tourist knock-ons and daily sweet deliveries.
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Scott sent Ellie out on “journalist duty” to chase a mystery pop announcement, teasing fans that it involved a huge 90s star.
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