Fiona Bruce dons fishnets and a corset to sing hits from Chicago

Ten O'Clock News presenter Fiona Bruce will shed her usually earnest, authoritative image when she dons racy fishnets and revealing halter-neck top, becoming "Fifi LaBruce" for a spectacular song-and-dance number from the hit musical Chicago.

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She will take the role of the murderous whoopee-makin', garter-breakin', shimmyshakin' singer Velma Kelly - which Catherine Zeta-Jones made famous on film - for an impressive showstopper during Friday's telethon.

In the now traditional production from the BBC's news team, Ms Bruce will appear with Nicholas Owen, Bill Turnbull, Dermot Murnaghan, Andrew Marr and Ben Brown in an ambitiously choreographed version of the show's hit All That Jazz.

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Ms Bruce, 43, looks somewhat more appealing in her fishnets than Michael Buerk did in the newsreaders' embarrassing version of The Rocky Horror Show's Time Warp five years ago. Mr Buerk later claimed he had no time to change before the news bulletin - so he presented it wearing his miniskirt and stockings under the desk.

But Ms Bruce says she won't be tempted to repeat the stunning transformation at work - even though the Ten O'Clock News will be locked in a bitter struggle for viewers when ITV relaunches News At Ten with Sir Trevor McDonald next year.

She said: "I don't think somehow I'll be wearing the outfit on the Ten O'Clock News to keep Trevor on his toes. Every year the costumes seem to get smaller. If I do it again next year I'll try to make sure I'm covered from head to toe to spare the viewers."

During last year's fundraiser, Ms Bruce wore thigh-high boots and a gold catsuit to recreate the classic James Bond Live And Let Die poster, with Dermot Murnaghan as 007.

This year's performance marks a departure for the newsreaders as they will be accompanied by professional dancers. Ms Bruce said: "There is a terrifying moment during the routine where two of the male dancers lift me up that has real potential to go horribly wrong.

"If I lift my left leg up at the wrong time, I could knock one of them out and if I don't position myself properly when I'm up, I could end up face down on the floor. In the newsroom we are never given a choice about what we are going to perform for Children In Need. We are presented with a number, then an unbelievably persistent producer calls us every day for three weeks until we finally give in.

"I love Chicago, I love the musical and the movie and I thought Catherine Zeta-Jones was amazing. Obviously I'm not a patch on her. Nowhere near.

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"I've always said no to Strictly Come Dancing because I'm a terrible dancer, so I can't believe I'm doing this - singing and dancing together. If you ask me, it's probably a good time for everyone to go out!"

BBC Children In Need will be broadcast on BBC1 on Friday from 7pm. To donate, visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey or call 0845 733 2233.