One Direction to man phones at typhoon telethon

One Direction are joining a star-studded charity telethon to raise money for the victims of the Philippines super typhoon.

The boyband will join a number of stars, including Harry Potter's Alan Rickman and the cast of hit TV show Downton Abbey, for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Telethon at the BT Tower in London on Monday (18Nov13) to encourage the British public to donate generously to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

The pop stars will begin by tweeting their encouragement to the public before manning the phone lines between 4pm and 7pm (local time).

Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt and Allen Leech, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and comedian Stephen Merchant are also among the big names taking calls.

One Direction star Liam Payne says, "The pictures I have seen of little children in between the ruins made my heart break. All of us in the band are shocked by how many people need help, so we're asking the public to continue to be as generous as they possibly can."

On Friday (15Nov13), the pop sensations lent a hand to Britain's Children In Need fundraiser with a performance on the TV special and donation appeals to help raise funds for kids' charities.