Wednesday 6 June 2007 9:00pm - 10:30pm on ITV1.

Anneka Rice masterminds an ambitious and star-studded project to help raise money for children’s hospices throughout the UK for her latest Challenge Anneka. With the help of top UK recording artists like McFly, Duncan James, Lesley Garrett and Michael Bolton, Anneka is to produce an album of songs from musicals and arrange a gala concert to help raise money and awareness for the much needed cause.

As patron of Chase Hospice Care for Children, Anneka is fully aware of the vital role that children’s hospices throughout the UK have in supporting families of children who are life limited. So when she’s given the challenge to help benefit the 40 children’s hospices around the country, Anneka rises to the challenge to help call in favours from artists, record companies, musicians, technical staff and a venue.

The task is huge. With the Challenge Anneka team and able soundman Dave, Anneka needs to get top names on board to sing tracks from musicals on an album to be called ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow,’ which will be released to raise the much needed funds. The stars are just the visible end of the Herculean task: a record company, producer, musicians, backing vocalists, studio managers and CD artwork designers also need to be persuaded to help achieve the challenge.

Taking part in the mammoth project are: Duncan James, McFly, Lesley Garrett, Jermaine Jackson and Jocelyn Brown, Cerys Matthews, Curtis Stigers, Michael Bolton, Jimmy Osmond, Bonnie Tyler, Andrea Ross, Richard Fleeshman and the cast of Avenue Q, Gavin Creel and The Chicken Shed Theatre Group.

Once the album is recorded, Anneka needs to arrange a Gala concert in a suitable venue, fully staffed with stage managers, lighting engineers, set designers and most importantly, an impressive guest list.

The final part of the challenge is to put together a choir of children from hospices around the country to sing on the CD and perform the main title song with soloist Duncan James at the Gala Event.