Children In Need (BBC1, 7.30pm)
Unreported World (C4, 7.30pm)
Janet Jackson – Taking Control (BBC4, 10pm)

IT’S that time of year again when, thanks to the selfless actions of a philanthropic teddy bear by the name of Pudsey, we get to make a big difference to people’s lives through watching some great telly – and maybe making a small donation to the cause.

Of course, it’s the charity that makes the whole thing worthwhile, but the parts that stick in our minds the most vividly from CiNs past involve the celebrities, usually making fools of themselves. It’s this that keeps us coming back year after year.

Memorable moments from past years include 2003’s OzEnders, with the cast of EastEnders parodying The Wizard Of Oz (and featuring an appearance by Ozzy Osborne), a Top Gear/Ashes To Ashes crossover from 2008, Trinny and Suzanna performing Madonna’s Vogue in 2002, top telly chefs doing the Full Monty in 1998 and, of course, countless notorious musical numbers by the BBC Newsreaders.

Who could forget Fiona Bruce and co in their 2009 dance-off against Diversity?

Year after year we’re promised a show that’s bigger than ever before, and every year it somehow manages to achieve this.

Assuming it’s not yet reached critical mass, we should be in for a telethon to remember this year, with highlights set to include the EastEnders cast rocking Albert Square as the Vic does Queen, the Muppets joined on stage by Harry Hill, Davina McCall and the Match of the Day presenters for a performance of Manah, Manah, and Lord Alan Sugar facing the Dragons in The Dragons’ Apprentice.

The words “unstoppable force” and “immovable object” spring to mind...

Of course, the BBC Newsreaders are back, this time facing the Strictly judges in a ballroom dancing contest, and the Doctor Who cast offer a sneak peek at their Christmas special episode.

One of the evening’s cornerstones this year will be Gareth Malone’s choir who, through the course of the evening, will link up with 3,000 children from throughout the UK for a special performance involving a complex operation which promises to stretch the ability of live television to its limits.

The telethon proper starts at 7.30pm.

Before that at 7pm, there’s a special edition of The One Show which features the culmination of The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge which took presenter Matt Baker from Edinburgh to London in eight days.

INDIA’S economy is booming, which given the current state of many other countries, may seem like something to be celebrated.

However, in the Unreported World series, reporter Evan Williams and director James Brabazon are investigating claims that there’s a darker side to this success, and that it’s the country’s children who are paying the price. Across India, more than 60,000 children go missing every year.

It’s claimed that thousands are kidnapped and forced into domestic slavery, where they wait on the country’s growing middle class and businesses.

That doesn’t mean the offspring of the rich are safe though – there have been growing reports of children being kidnapped and held to ransom by those who are desperate for a slice of the country’s new wealth.

Williams and Brabazon head to the capital, which is believed to be a transit point for tens of thousands of children being trafficked into forced labour, prostitution, begging and drug-running in an attempt to get to the heart of the problem.

SHE’S hardly one to shy away from the limelight, but you have to hand it to Janet Jackson – she knows how to put on a good show. Even if it does mean an accidental, ahem, slip-up as she’s performing alongside Justin Timberlake...

One-off documentary Janet Jackson – Taking Control pays tribute to the life and career of the pop star, from her first taste of fame in US sitcom Diff ’rent Strokes to a singing career that has now sold more than 65 million albums worldwide.

In a rare moment which sees Janet open up, she discusses how difficult it’s been juggling her career and private life over the years, and touches upon her troubled relationship with father Joe and her collaborations with influential R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Jackie Jackson, Deborah Allen and Estelle also get the chance to have their say about the pop legend.