McFly singer Tom Fletcher is set to release a new single, ‘Thread Of Hope’, featuring his 11 year old son Buzz and is due to be released on Christmas Eve. The pair performed the track during BBC’s Children In Need, and will be a key component of the charity’s upcoming animation Pudsey And The Thread Of Hope.

A preview of the music video to accompany the song, which is scheduled to be released on the same day, shows Tom Fletcher performing the song on stage at last month’s Children In Need event, and concludes with a polariod of him and Buzz embracing. The teaser also includes snippets from the 25-minute animated film, showing Pudsey, the charity’s iconic yellow bear, on different adventures. The animation is also based on a book written by Tom Fletcher, which celebrates 40 years of Pudsey Bear.

The video tells the story of a young boy named Jai who is navigating the grief of his father, so he embarks on a healing journey with Pudsey, and encounters other children connected by a golden thread of kindness. Also featured on the track are the voices of young performers from the inclusive theatre programme The Habbit Factory, who can also be seen in the preview.

Tom Fletcher called the opportunity to write a song for the animation “an honour” by saying, “It’s been amazing seeing Pudsey brought to life in animation for the first time. I wanted to write for animation for ages and so finding myself with the responsibility of another iconic bear… I don’t know why I’ve got all these bears in my life at the minute! It’s Pudsey’s 40th anniversary and to be on Christmas Eve is really special.”

Pudsey Bear, the Children In Need mascot, first came to life in 1985, and was created by BBC graphic designer Joanna Lane.

Tom Fletcher has written multiple children’s books including The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet! and There’s A Monster In Your Book as well as The Christmasaurus series.

The singer also wrote the music and lyrics for Paddington The Musical, which is based on the book A Bear Called Paddington, by Michael Bond, as well as the 2014 film Paddington. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has recently appeared on the BBC dance show and performed alongside the cuddly-looking bear from the musical.

The animation, Pudsey And The Thread Of Hope, will air at 10.20am on Christmas Eve on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.