Football legend and his granddaughter star in first episode of new three-part content series celebrating the power of having someone to talk to, as Cadbury partners with BBC Children in Need for the third year running.
Today Cadbury launches The Open Road, a new three-part content series supporting BBC Children in Need. The series premieres with Arsenal and England legend Ian Wright and his granddaughter, Raphaella ‘Raphy’ Wright-Phillips, sharing an honest conversation about school, football and why it matters to have someone to talk to.
The Open Road is the centrepiece of Cadbury’s 2026 Open Up and Share campaign, supporting its on-pack promotion, transforming iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons & Caramel Nibbles into Open Up and Share Bags. The series shows how everyday moments of connection, like a chat in the car on the journey home, can help young people through the challenges they face. BBC Children in Need research shows that children who often have someone to talk to are around nine-times more likely to say they feel happy than those who do not*. Each episode is filmed entirely in the car, where sitting side by side can make it easier to open up.
In the opening episode, Raphy, now in Year 8, tells her grandad about her latest match, a 6-1 win in which she scored once and set up three goals. She names Lauren James as the player she watches most, and art as her favourite lesson after PE.
The conversation soon turns to what happens when things don’t go well. Ian explains why he never wants Raphy to see admitting a problem as a weakness:
“You feel like if you tell people it’s not going well, they might feel it’s a weakness. And I don’t want you to feel that… Because you have to be able to speak to someone.”
Raphy describes how talking things through with her mum on the drive home helps her let go of a frustrating game and come back to the next session ready to “boss it”. Her mum, she says, “always knows what to say.”
Ian also opens up on his own school days:
“I struggled with the lessons. It was difficult because I felt the pressure of not knowing, not doing enough, and then people teasing me, so I didn’t like it. I just liked playing football, and then what they did was, the teacher would say to me, ‘If you’re not paying more attention into school, you’re not going to be able to play football’.”
Ian reminds Raphy that alongside her mum, she can always come to him, through the voice notes and video calls the pair regularly swap.
Following the premiere of the series today, Cadbury will release two further episodes of The Open Road on a weekly basis. Episode two features popular father and daughter social media and podcasting duo Paul and Phoebe Gillett, known as PuwTok. With over 900,000 followers, the pair will explore generational differences and relatable family moments.
Episode Three spotlights Matt Adum-Yeboah and Yvonne Simpson from Track Academy – a Children in Need funded project that utilises sport for social change, blending track and field training with academic support and personal mentoring to help young people aged 5 to 21 overcome social and economic barriers.
Charlotte Docker, Brand Manager, Cadbury Bitesize, said: “At Cadbury, generosity has always been part of who we are. The Open Road series is about the conversations that make a real difference, and Ian and Raphy show just how powerful it is when a young person knows they can talk to someone who will listen.
“This series is designed to engage even more people with the fact that every child needs someone by their side, especially when times are tough. In addition, by transforming our much-loved share bags into Open Up and Share Bags, we’re giving the public an accessible way to support BBC Children in Need and help children and young people across the UK.”
2026 marks the third year of the partnership between Cadbury, the UK’s No.1 chocolate brand, and BBC Children in Need. Cadbury will donate £150,000 to this year’s campaign, supporting the organisation’s mission to help children and young people facing challenges caused by mental health, poverty, social inequality and family-related issues.
New episodes of The Open Road will be released weekly via Cadbury’s Instagram account @CadburyUK and YouTube account @Cadbury – Open Up and Share Bags are available in retailers nationwide while stocks last.
-ENDS-
*Source: BBC Children in Need research, as published in “Pudsey finds his voice: a landmark moment to support children across the UK” (11 May 2026), bbcchildreninneed.co.uk. Children who often have someone to talk to are around nine times more likely to say they feel happy than those who do not.
For media enquiries, contact Mondelez UK Press Office: ukpressoffice@mdlz.com
About Mondelēz International
Mondelēz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ) empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2025 net revenues of approximately $38.5 billion, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar and Tate’s Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Dow Jones Best-in-Class North America and World Indices, formerly Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow the company on X at x.com/MDLZ.
About Cadbury
For over 200 years, since John Cadbury opened a grocer’s shop in Birmingham in 1824, Cadbury has been the nation’s favourite chocolate bar. Recently voted The Grocer’s Britain’s Biggest Brand 2025*, Cadbury has a wide range of well-loved delicious chocolate that reminds the nation that there is a ‘Glass and a Half’ of generosity in everyone. The brand’s success is built upon its deep understanding of customers, shoppers and the category, ensuring it continues to evolve to remain relevant. The health and wellbeing of its customers is hugely important, and so Cadbury helps run Be Treatwise, to remind people that treats are special, to be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced lifestyle. Portion control and consumer education, through on pack labelling, have a huge part to play in Cadbury’s strategy to ‘inspire mindful snacking’. For more information visit www.cadbury.co.uk.
About BBC Children in Need
BBC Children in Need believe every child and young person deserves the opportunity to thrive and be the best they can be. BBC Children in Need’s ambition is to create lasting, positive change across the UK for the children and young people who need it most. Together with the BBC and partners, BBC Children in Need aim to inspire the nation in support of their work.BBC Children in Need’s 1,500 local charities and projects work tirelessly in every corner of the UK to help children & young people overcome the additional challenges they currently face, including supporting children and young people living in poverty, providing emergency support to families in crisis, providing comfort to children feeling sad, lost and alone, helping children overcome social injustice and supporting children to feel safe and secure again. Further information on BBC Children in Need can be found at www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk
