Text Santa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Text Santa |
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| Presented by | Holly Willoughby Phillip Schofield Katy Hill Declan Donnelly Michelle Visage Ant McPartlin Christine Lampard Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon RuPaul Amanda Holden Ore Oduba Caroline Flack Olly Murs |
| Opening theme | "Text Santa" theme by A-MNEMONIC Music |
| Composer(s) | Jonny Vere |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | The London Studios Television Centre, London |
| Production company(s) | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 16:9: 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | 11 December 2011 – 25 December 2015 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | From the Heart |
Text Santa was a special charity event created by ITV in 2011. It aimed to help UK charities during the Christmas season. People were asked to donate money, mostly by sending text messages or buying special merchandise. Famous ITV presenters like Phillip Schofield, Christine Lampard, and Ant & Dec hosted the TV shows. The last Text Santa appeal was in 2015. ITV decided to stop the show to start a new charity appeal that would run all year round.
Contents
Music for the Appeal
The main music for the Text Santa 2015 appeal was made by a company called A-MNEMONIC Music Official Website: http://www.a-mnemonic.com. Before 2015, the music was created by British composer Leigh Haggerwood from The Florin Street Band. He changed his Christmas song "My Favourite Time of Year" especially for the appeal. This song became very popular around the world. Leigh Haggerwood was proud that his song was part of Text Santa and promised to support it every year.
Official Charity Song
In 2013, the stars from the TV show The Big Reunion released their own version of "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". All the money from this song went to the Text Santa charities. The song reached number 21 on the UK music charts.
Charities Supported
All the money raised by Text Santa was shared among the different charities it supported. In 2011, nine charities were chosen. From 2012 to 2014, six charities were helped each year. In 2015, three charities received support.
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age UK | Macmillan Cancer Support | |||
| Crisis | Anthony Nolan | BeatBullying | The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association | Make-A-Wish Foundation |
| Carers UK | Save the Children | Carers UK | Save the Children | |
| Samaritans | Marie Curie Cancer Care | British Heart Foundation | Teenage Cancer Trust | N/A |
| WRVS | Together for Short Lives | CLIC Sargent | Together for Short Lives | |
| Great Ormond Street Hospital | Whizz-Kidz | Help the Hospices | WellChild | |
| The Noah's Ark Appeal | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Helping Hand | ||||
| Yorkhill Children's Foundation | ||||
Show Highlights and Presenters
Text Santa featured many popular TV presenters and raised millions of pounds for charity. Here's a quick look at how much was raised each year and who hosted the main shows.
| No. | Broadcast date | Total raised | Presenters | ITV rating (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 December 2011 (launch show) 24 December 2011 (main show) |
£4,200,000 | Phillip Schofield (launch show) Christine Lampard (launch show) Anthony McPartlin Declan Donnelly Holly Willoughby |
3.79 (launch show) 3.87 |
| 2 | 21 December 2012 | £5,500,000 | Phillip Schofield Christine Lampard Anthony McPartlin Declan Donnelly Holly Willoughby Paddy McGuinness |
4.82 |
| 3 | 20 December 2013 | £5,100,000 | 4.41 | |
| 4 | 19 December 2014 | £6,200,000 | Phillip Schofield Christine Lampard Anthony McPartlin Declan Donnelly Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon |
3.86 |
| 5 | 18 December 2015 | £11,000,000 | Phillip Schofield Christine Lampard Holly Willoughby Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon Stephen Mulhern Amanda Holden Caroline Flack Olly Murs |
3.23 |
2011 Appeal Details
The first Text Santa appeal in 2011 was shown in two parts. The first part, a launch show, aired on December 11, 2011. It was hosted by Phillip Schofield and Christine Lampard. The main show was on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011, with Ant & Dec and Holly Willoughby as presenters.
| Show | Date | Timeslots | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch show | 11 December 2011 | 21:30–22:35 | Phillip Schofield Christine Lampard |
| Main show | 24 December 2011 | 19:30–21:00 | Ant & Dec Michelle Visage |
| 21:00–22:00 | Holly Willoughby |
Fun Events in 2011
- On November 27, 2011, thousands of people tried to set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of Santas at The Kia Oval Cricket Ground. However, not enough Santas (13,200 were needed) turned up to break the record.
2012 Appeal Details
The 2012 Text Santa telethon was broadcast live on December 21, 2012, from The London Studios.
- The first hour was hosted by Ant & Dec.
- The second hour featured Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
- The third hour was presented by Christine Lampard and Paddy McGuinness.
| Show | Date | Timeslots | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Santa Starts Here! (launch show) |
21-22 December 2012 | 18:55–19:00 | Ant & Dec |
| Main show | 20:00–21:00 | ||
| 21:00–22:00 | Phillip Schofield Holly Willoughby |
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| 22:00–23:00 | Paddy McGuinness Christine Lampard |
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| Text Santa: One More Time (highlights show) |
00:00–01:15 | Ant & Dec Phillip Schofield Holly Willoughby Paddy McGuinness Christine Lampard |
Special TV Show Segments in 2012
Many other ITV shows had special Text Santa editions:
- A special The Jeremy Kyle Show featured people with disabilities and how charities helped them.
- Dickinson's Real Deal and The Chase also had special charity episodes.
- A celebrity Celebrity Juice episode aired, raising more money.
- A special CITV program called Text Santa: CITV Special was presented by Laura Hamilton and Jeff Brazier.
Fun Events in 2012
- On December 2, 2012, about 8,500 people took part in a 'Santa Dash' in Liverpool. They tried to break the Guinness World Record for the largest Santa gathering, but didn't reach the 13,200 Santas needed.
- The 'Biggest Bag Pack Ever' happened on December 6, 2012, in 200 Asda stores. Celebrities like Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford helped pack bags.
- eBay auctions were held, selling items like This Morning's sofa for £1,200!
2013 Appeal Details
The 2013 Text Santa telethon was live on December 20, 2013, from The London Studios.
- Ant & Dec hosted the first hour.
- Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby hosted the second hour.
- Christine Bleakley and Paddy McGuinness hosted the final hour.
Big companies like Morrisons, Santander, and Vodafone were official partners for the 2013 appeal.
| Show | Date | Timeslots | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Santa Starts Here! (launch show) |
20-21 December 2013 | 18:55–19:00 | Ant & Dec |
| Main show | 20:00–21:00 | ||
| 21:00–22:00 | Phillip Schofield Holly Willoughby |
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| 22:00–23:05 | Paddy McGuinness Christine Bleakley |
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| Highlights show | 23:50–01:05 | Ant & Dec Phillip Schofield Holly Willoughby Paddy McGuinness Christine Bleakley |
Special TV Show Segments in 2013
- Votes on Stepping Out helped raise money.
- This Morning's 'Take a Moment' campaign raised £250,000.
- ITV had a "Text Santa takeover" on December 20, with donation clips shown throughout the day.
- Special Text Santa episodes of The Jeremy Kyle Show, Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover, Dickinson's Real Deal, and Show Me the Telly aired.
- A celebrity The Chase episode with ITV News presenters raised £55,000.
- The cast of Sooty appeared in a special five-minute appeal called "Help with Hattitude."
Fun Events in 2013
- On December 5, 2013, Text Santa broke a Guinness World Record for the most pantomime horses in a 100-meter race!
- eBay auctions included unique items like a chocolate face of Phillip Schofield.
2014 Appeal Details
Text Santa returned for its fourth year in December 2014. The main telethon was live on December 19, 2014, a few weeks after a special launch show hosted by Phillip Schofield.
The presenters changed a bit this year. Alesha Dixon joined Paddy McGuinness, and Phillip Schofield reunited with Christine Bleakley. Ant & Dec also returned.
| Show | Date | Timeslots | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillip's Live 24-Hour TV Marathon (launch show) |
1 December 2014 | 11:00–23:59 | Phillip Schofield |
| 2 December 2014 | 00:00–11:00 | ||
| Main show | 19-20 December 2014 | 20:00–21:20 | Ant & Dec |
| 21:20–22:15 | Phillip Schofield Christine Bleakley |
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| 22:15–23:20 | Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon |
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| Highlights show | 00:05–01:25 | Ant & Dec Phillip Schofield Christine Bleakley Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon |
Special TV Show Segments in 2014
- Money from votes on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! went to Text Santa.
- Special Text Santa episodes of The Jeremy Kyle Show, Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover, and Tipping Point aired.
- A celebrity The Cube special with Paddy McGuinness and Alesha Dixon won £100,000 for the charities.
- There were fun sketches from popular shows like Coronation Street, Birds of a Feather, and Downton Abbey, featuring guest stars like George Clooney and Paul O'Grady.
Fun Events in 2014
- eBay auctions sold tickets to The X Factor final and a tour of the Downton Abbey set.
Phillip's 24-Hour TV Marathon
Phillip Schofield hosted a live 24-hour TV show on ITV3 for Text Santa. It ran from December 1 to December 2, 2014, at The London Studios. This marathon raised over £100,000 for the charities! Phillip even abseiled (climbed down a rope) the side of The London Studios building.
2015 Appeal Details
Text Santa returned to ITV on December 18, 2015. New presenters like Stephen Mulhern, Amanda Holden, Caroline Flack, and Olly Murs joined the team.
Phillip Schofield, Christine Bleakley, Holly Willoughby, Alesha Dixon, and Paddy McGuinness all returned. Ant & Dec did not host in 2015. The 2015 show was the very last Text Santa appeal.
| Show | Date | Timeslots | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pip Knit (launch show) |
1 December 2015 | 06:00–22:30 | Phillip Schofield |
| Main show | 18 December 2015 | 20:00–20:30 | Phillip Schofield Holly Willoughby |
| 20:30–20:50 | Caroline Flack Olly Murs |
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| 20:50–21:20 | Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon |
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| 21:20–21:35 | Amanda Holden | ||
| 21:35–21:50 | Stephen Mulhern | ||
| 21:50–22:20 | Christine Bleakley Phillip Schofield |
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| 22:20–22:40 | Amanda Holden Alesha Dixon |
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| 22:40–22:55 | Christine Bleakley Phillip Schofield |
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| 22:55–23:05 | Paddy McGuinness Alesha Dixon |
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| Text Santa 2015 – The Best Bits (Highlights show) |
18–19 December 2015 | 23:55–01:10 | |
| Text Santa Update | 25 December 2015 | 13:35–14:45 | Holly Willoughby |
Special TV Show Segments in 2015
- Votes on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! again helped raise money.
- Special Text Santa editions of The Jeremy Kyle Show, Judge Rinder, 1000 Heartbeats, and Tipping Point aired.
- A celebrity The Chase episode raised £6,000 for the charities.
- Phillip Schofield appeared in "Pip Knit" on December 1, 2015, making guest appearances in almost every ITV show that day.
- There were fun sketches from Downton Abbey (with Bruce Forsyth and Gordon Ramsay), Benidorm (with Joan Collins), and Coronation Street (with Richard Branson).
- A celebrity Ninja Warrior UK episode featured many famous faces.
- Big Star's Little Star had a special "Big Star's Bigger Star" episode for Text Santa.
Fun Events in 2015
- A "Knitted ad break" was released on December 18, promoting Christmas Jumper Day.
- eBay auctions sold items like a Ninja Warrior UK foam finger signed by presenters and a VIP Loose Women studio experience.
