Saturday Night Takeaway

Infobox Television
show_name = Saturday Night Takeaway


caption = "Saturday Night Takeaway" Titles
format = Live entertainment
picture_format = 16:9
location = The London Studios
runtime = 75mins (inc. comms)
creator = Denise Harrop
starring = Ant & Dec
channel = ITV1
first_aired = 8 June, 2002
last_aired = 22 March, 2008
num_series = 8 (inc. 1 Xmas special)
num_episodes = 59
country = UK
producer = LWT/Gallowgate
preceded_by = "Slap Bang with Ant & Dec"
imdb_id = 0324692

"Saturday Night Takeaway" was a variety show shown in the UK on Saturday evenings on ITV, presented and executively produced by Ant & Dec. It was broadcast live from The London Studios, on the South Bank. The format was clearly heavily influenced by previous Saturday night light entertainment shows (most notably "Noel's House Party" and "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush"), while individual items would often pay homage to Saturday night TV of the past (such as "Jim'll Fix It" and "Opportunity Knocks").

Each show ended with the main event in which a contestant from the audience attempts to win 20 items advertised during a randomly-chosen programme from the preceding week. This idea had been used in other countries, but UK advertising laws prevented the prizes being too specific, hence no brand names were given and prizes were announced generically (eg "a bottle of cola", "a trip to a theme park").

On 10 September, 2005, ITV had a programme listing the best 50 shows in ITV's 50 years being on air. "Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway" came 2nd, being beaten by "Coronation Street". Launched in 2002, the series was unbeaten in its timeslot for three years until scheduled against "Doctor Who" on BBC One in March 2005.

On 16 February, 2008, the pair began the 8th series of "Saturday Night Takeaway" - which was rumoured to be the last ever series installment to the show. The rumours were heightened during the last episode on 22 March 2008, where no competition was featured in which viewers would ring in and give a reason why they should be in the audience or be in with the chance to 'Grab The Ads' for the next series.

It is to be announced whether their will be another series in 2009, or if the show has been axed by ITV chiefs.

Current features

Pre-titles clip

Before the titles a comedy clip is shown.

*Series 1 & 2: Backstage
*Series 3 & 4: Dressing Room (Show 1 Opening for Series 3 was set in the pub)
*Series 5 & 6: Outside Dressing Rooms
*Series 7 & 8: "London Studios Canteen" (Show 1 opening for Series 8 was set in the control room and Show 6 opening also included a pub)

The beginning games

All series. After a funny scene and what's coming up on the show Ant goes to the right hand side of the audience and picks one person at a time to comment on (usually something embarrassing) and would start up a game.

Games Include:
*Mr and Mesmerised
*Court in the Act
*Where's your Shed At?
*STOP! That's Mine
*Stars in their Lives
*Shame That Tune
*This Is Your Diary
*Prankety Prank
*Wedding Daze
*How The Other Half Lives

Win The Ads

All series. The climax of the show, inviting a lucky member of the audience to "Don't just watch the adverts, win 'em". An ITV show is selected at random and 20 prizes are taken from the adverts shown within it. The contestant has 60 seconds (90 in the first series, recently sometimes 45 if the show was running short on time) to answer as many questions correctly.

After that, they have to decide to take the prizes and run or gamble it all on one final question. Get it right, and they win the lot. Get it wrong though and they lose everything and leave with just a roll of toilet paper.

In series 1, three contestants were chosen and whittled down to one in a short quiz. This was discontinued from series 2 and one was just selected at random.

In series 5, a new feature was added, which was to show them one of the prizes they picked to help the contestants whether to gamble or not, although this is sometimes omitted due to time restraints.

Grab The Ads

All series. A similar advert contest for viewers at home. This has followed two formats.

Format 1 was calling one member of the public and asking them to pick a number between 1 to 9. Whatever prize is behind that number is theirs. This was only used in Series 1.

The current format, used since series 2, has seen a different celebrity each week playing a different game which is used to generate a number between 1 to 9 and the prize behind it goes to the viewer chosen before that turn.

Games include:
*Human Roulette
*Human Bingo
*Box-to-Box
*Human Archery
*Cupid
*Celebrity Baby Bounce
*Musical Toadstools
*The King of Swingers

Ant v Dec

Introduced in Series 5. The duo are given a certain task and they are given a week to learn a certain task and perform it live the next week. Kirsty Gallacher presents for this part of the show while David Goldstrom commentates on proceedings on certain weeks. The segment was regularly introduced with a dual-camera set-piece extremely reminiscent of Chris Evans's introduction to the viewers' games on Don't Forget Your Toothbrush.

Series 5

*Dec won the competition for the third year running, leading Ant 5-1. Ant's forfeit was to play the "Celebrity Baby Bounce" game but instead of numbers he popped balloons filled with gunge. After the song had finished the remaining balloons were revealed to count as a score, for each balloon he popped one pair of his trainers would be saved from being let off into the sky by helium balloons.

Series 8: The Teams

The obstacles used in Series 7 are:
*All Star Splat: Each team is given three custard pies and must hit and knock down at maximum three of the six celebrity faces.
*Hook A Duck: The passenger must hook a duck from the pond using a long rod.
*Drawbridge: The team must get out of the car and lower a door on a small castle whilst being attacked by numerous weapons by the other team.
*See-saw: The team must balance over the giant seesaw.
*Domino Rally Alley: The team must reverse and park in between the dominos, without knocking them over.
*Car vs. Beast: A drag race with a remote controlled robot displaying a famous face or animal.
*Tony Blackburn's Wheel of Steel: The team must continue to sing the song that stops playing in tune whilst they rotate on a giant turntable.

Failure to complete any of the obstacles correctly (bar the Drawbridge) will incur a ten second penalty.

Most noteworthy race
*Show 4: Ant & Dec completed the track in 6:38, after falling off the turntable at Tony Blackburn's Wheel of Steel and losing 2 minutes, allowing Fearne & Holly to win by 20 seconds despite receiving ten second penalties at every obstacle with the exception of Hook A Duck and the Drawbridge (which carries no penalty).

Series 8 Leaderboard (Extreme)

Series 2

Series 5

Series 8

References

External links

*itv.com|id=takeaway|title="Saturday Night Takeaway"
* [http://www.ukgameshows.com/page/index.php/Saturday_Night_Takeaway "Saturday Night Takeaway"] at UKGameshows.com