Viewers got a unique view of Matt Smith on last night’s annual Children in Need special. Whovians didn’t quite get the full monty; on the other hand, more was revealed than just the trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

Those of you in the UK aren’t going to find this story surprising, but those of us in the USA didn’t get anything on BBC America other than the trailer itself.

To back up a bit, this might be a good time to give some history to those new to the Doctor Who franchise. Each year in the UK there is a Children in Need charity TV show. It raises money, as the name implies, for children in need of medical assistance. Think of it like the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon in the USA. Lots of stars pop by the show to sing, to do a comedy sketch, etc. It’s become a tradition for the Doctor Who cast to do something, and to reveal the trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

This year a number of Doctor Who and Torchwood items are up for auction on Ebay to support Children in Need. They include signed bears by Matt Smith and John Barrowman; a Torchwood mask; and the real charmer, a signed Doctor Who script and the clothes off the Doctor’s back…literally. At the time of this posting the the bears were going for roughly five hundred pounds each, and Matt Smith’s costume was going for over twenty thousand pounds.

Now don’t worry the video is still family friendly when you click it. A photo still, seen above, was even “leaked” to The Radio Times to promote this venture. You don’t have to usher young kids out of the room or anything.

Did you enjoy this year’s Children in Need spin? How does it rank for you against previous Children in Need specials like Time Crash?