Disasters Emergency Committee a total of £107 million. On 22 January 2009, the BBC declined a request from the DEC to screen an appeal to raise money to aid relief efforts for victims of conflict in the Gaza Strip. This decision was the object of considerable controversy within the BBC as it is the only time the BBC is known to have refused such a request from the DEC; the 2009 Gaza appeal in question was screened by Channel 4 and ITV and raised £8.3m. Since then, the BBC has broadcast other DEC aid appeals for people in Gaza, without similar controversy. The
Children in Need 2009 £20,309,747 by the end of the broadcast, slightly under the previous year's total of £20,991,216. During the break for the "BBC News at Ten" on BBC One, BBC Two broadcast a special edition of "Mastermind" with comedians Lucy Porter, Mark Watson, Dave Spikey and Stephen K. Amos as contestants. Lucy Porter was the eventual winner, with a "Celebrity Mastermind" record score of 35 points. As a prequel to the main televised event, a weekly television series began airing on 13 October 2009, where various celebrities attempted to travel around the world in 80 days without using air travel. Held on