A weatherman’s BBC News theme remix was a lockdown hit. He just raised $3M in a 24-hour drumathon.

The viral moment resonated with many around the world adjusting to working from home and wondering when life would return to normal.

This weekend, Evans took his original performance to the next level – playing the drums for 24 hours on live television to raise money for charity. The highlight of the “drumathon,” which began Friday, was his rendition of the BBC News theme song – which got the help of a 50-person ensemble of professionals and amateurs.

The drumathon raised 2.7 million pounds ($3.6 million) for BBC Children in Need, a charity that funds projects or organizations that support vulnerable children.

Evans, who drums as a hobby, said he is little sore – but mostly feeling “inspired” by the public’s support for his idea to turn the viral moment into something more.

“I feel good,” he said Sunday in an interview with The Washington Post.

“I’ve got to put ice on my arms" which are scattered with bruises, he said, along with his right leg, which he used to operate the bass drum pedal repeatedly as he worked his way through a playlist featuring Britney Spears and Celine Dion.

The drumathon created another viral moment on social media this weekend: The clip that Evans shared Saturday evening of the BBC News theme remix had been viewed more than 2.4 million times on Twitter by Sunday afternoon.

“Impossible to watch this without smiling!” one Twitter user commented. Another cheered the performers as “full of energy and zest.”

The 37-year-old, who describes himself on Twitter as “unapologetically flamboyant,” said in the interview that his passion for drumming helped him with working from home amid the pandemic, which he said he found a “terrifying time.”

“My anxiety level was through the roof at the time,” he said. “Drumming has always been something that helped me with my mental health and anxiety.”

Evans described his work from home experience as “surreal,” explaining that he would wake up, put on a three-piece suit and then “wander out into the garden with his cat,” to bring viewers the latest weather report.

“I thought why not make this even more surreal? Why don’t I do a camp weather forecast and then play it out with the BBC news music?” he said.

Evans said he was honored to have been supported by a team who kept him going and dozens of enthusiastic professionals and amateurs who helped him to recreate his April rendition of the musical theme.

“I can’t believe that we’ve done it,” a visibly moved Evans told BBC Breakfast after he completed the “drumathon” challenge.

“Everyone can be a drummer, you don’t have to look a certain way,” Evans told The Post. “Anyone can do it, I believe.”

When asked how he was spending Sunday, Evans said he was taking it easy and would likely be using his hands for something a little less strenuous — like lifting a glass of champagne.

Read more: