Star Wars Sketch To Appear on BBC’s “Children in Need” Telethon
By Ani Bundel
For those who aren’t UK based, you may not have heard of the BBC’s Children In Need telethon, a yearly staple of the holiday season on the network. Hosted by Sir Terry Wogan since time immemorial, the fundraiser, which raising money for a variety of children’s charities is a hodge podge of performances and clips from some of the BBC’s biggest shows, including Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who, as well as appearances from rival network ITV and current stage and musical acts.
This year will be the first time the BBC will team up with Lucasfilm and Disney to bring a Star Wars themed sketch to the program. As The Mirror reports:
An exclusive sketch inspired by George Lucas’ beloved sci-fi saga will air on Appeal night as the feared Stormtroopers march into frame for the annual charity’s appeal.
It’s not immediately clear if the sketch will be humorous (many of the sketches usually are) a clip from the forthcoming movie (in recent years, Doctor Who has used the telethon to drop a promotional clip from the upcoming Christmas special, rather than do a stand alone sketch), or some actual serious inworld new story. But from the gif released along with the article, in which the famous Stig attempts to line up with Stormtroopers, this looks to be a funny one.
Along with the sketch, Warwick Davis will also team up with C-3P0 and R2-D2 to trigger “the first Children in Need totaliser of the night.” (For those who might not know, Warwick Davis, before he was famous for playing Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter series, was the Ewok named Wicket in Return of the Jedi.
Whatever the piece may be, BBC posts all the “Children in Need” sketches to their YouTube channel directly following the program, so whatever it is, it will not only be seen in the UK by those who wish to give money to charity, but across the globe by Star Wars fans of all ages. The telethon airs this year on November 13th, 2015.
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