This year’s BBC Children in Need appeal raised a record £26.7m on the night.
Donors pledged money during a seven-hour live TV show on Friday presented by Sir Terry Wogan with co-hosts Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton and Nick Grimshaw.
Last year’s total on the night was £26.3m, which grew to £46.9m over the course of the year.
The 2012 total is expected to rise as money comes in from the thousands of fundraising events held around the UK, the charity said.
David Ramsden, chief executive of Children in Need, said: "The total is phenomenal. It is amazing that people across the UK have once again come together to raise such a massive sum. Thank you so much for helping to change thousands of young lives across the UK."
Children in Need provides grants to projects in the UK that support children and young people who are disadvantaged. It currently supports 2,600 projects. The charity funds large and small organisations.
It recently awarded a grant of £500,000 to the NSPCC for its ChildLine service in response to the Sir Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal.
