Owain will shortly set off on his 4 Nations Cycle Challenge from the headquarters of BBC Scotland.

Pacific Quay sits on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, besides the Science Centre and opposite the SEC Exhibition Centre. A waterfront location with a working history that stretches back well beyond television and radio.

It occupies part of the former Prince’s Dock site, once busy with ships, cargo and heavy machinery. After the docks closed in the 1970s, the area hosted the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988 before its reinvention as a centre for media and technology.

The building brings TV, radio and online production together in a purpose-built broadcasting centre designed by architect David Chipperfield. Its glass facade changes with the light, season and dependent on your viewpoint. Inside, a stepped “street” runs through the building, with break-out spaces and informal meeting areas.

Pacific Quay was officially opened on 20 September 2007 by Gordon Brown, the UK’s then Prime Minister.

Owain Wyn Evans
BBC Radio 2’s 4 Nations Cycling Superstar

When I said yes to this challenge, I knew it would push me well outside my comfort zone.

It’s going to be tough, demanding and probably a little daunting at times, but I’m ready to give it absolutely everything I’ve got. Sara, Paddy and Vernon have achieved some truly extraordinary things for BBC

Children in Need over the years, so I’ve got a lot to live up to. Hopefully, I’ll have the incredible support of Radio 2 listeners behind me from start to finish.

Together, we can make a real difference for children and young people across the UK, helping to make sure they have someone by their side when they need it the most.

Owain Wyn Evans has hosted BBC Radio 2's Early Breakfast Show, 4am-6.30am, Mondays to Fridays, since February 2023. He previously presented the weather on BBC Breakfast and is an avid drummer.

Born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, the Welsh presenter’s first love was always music, starting drumming at the age of seven. At 13, he says he asked his parents for a pair of turntables and a mixing desk.

Owain began his broadcasting career at 18 as a presenter on Welsh-language children’s news programmes, before becoming a weather presenter for BBC North West Tonight. He also started presenting on BBC Radio Cymru in 2012.

In April 2020, during the first Covid lockdown, a video of Owain drumming along to the BBC News theme went viral online, inspiring hundreds to join him for “Owain’s Big House Band”, seeing viewers and musicians play along from their own homes.

This is Owain’s second challenge for BBC Children in Need, following BBC Breakfast's Drumathon in 2021, where he drummed for 24 hours and raised more than £3.8 million for the charity.

Beyond Radio 2, he has appeared on The Wheel and The Weakest Link, taught Carol Vorderman to speak Welsh on S4C and taken part in Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof.

Stay tuned to Radio 2 for all the latest on the challenge, and you can follow Owain's progress here on this page, each day this week.

We'll bring you video, photos and updates from on the road, plus all the details on how to make a donation, and how to follow Owain via our Tracker page, external after he sets off later this morning.

You'll be able to listen to Owain's challenge by clicking or tapping the audio icon at the top of the page.

Or ask your smart speaker to play BBC Radio 2 - get more help with using smart speakers here. You can also take Owain with you via the BBC Sounds app if you're on the move - if you've not downloaded it, here's some help in getting started.

Expect plenty of surprises along the way!

Back in September, Radio 2 Breakfast Show host Sara Cox announced that Owain would be this year’s recipient of the Pudsey backpack and taking on a 4 Nations Cycle Challenge in aid of Children in Need.

Last year, Sara‘s Great Northern Marathon Challenge for Children in Need raised nearly £12 million.

Good morning!

Over the next five days Radio 2's Owain Wyn Evans will be cycling through all four UK nations to help raise money for BBC Children in Need.

Owain will be taking on the greatest distance ever covered in a Radio 2 fundraising challenge. Starting shortly in Glasgow, Owain’s five-day cycle mission begins today, and will see him pedal nearly 400 miles through Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and his home country of Wales, before completing his journey in central Cardiff on Friday.

Along the way, he’ll experience and showcase some of the UK’s most spectacular scenery, taking in Scotland’s rugged coastline, Northern Ireland’s lush green landscapes, the historic backdrop of North West England and the rolling hills of Wales.

He'll go head to head with the ever merciless November weather, while valiantly attempting to conquer towering mountain after towering mountain. His meandering route will include two journeys over the infamously treacherous Irish Sea… if he makes it to the ferry on time.

It’s 5 Days… 4 Nations… 3 Killer Climbs…2 Wheels… 1 Man.