Saturday Night Takeaway bans studio audience after Ant and Dec’s crisis talks with ITV bosses amid coronavirus pandemic
SATURDAY Night Takeaway WILL go ahead this weekend - but without a studio audience amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sun can reveal that for the first time in the show's history viewers will be banned from coming to watch the show after crisis talks today.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news and updates
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly held an emergency meeting with ITV bosses this afternoon over the future of their hit primetime show.
The long-running series involves a large studio audience and encourages participation throughout the hour long episode.
A spokesperson about Saturday Night Takeaway told The Sun: “Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead this weekend without a studio audience.
“Our priority is safeguarding the well-being of everyone involved.
“The show will be made with a reduced production crew and in accordance with the latest guidance from Public Health England.
“The team are looking forward to bringing our viewers a brilliant show on Saturday evening.”
It is the first time the prime time show has gone ahead without an audience and telly insiders say the team are working to ensure the show is adapted accordingly and will remain live.
After this weekend the next show on March 28 will be an hour long.
Just hours earlier, Ant and Dec called an emergency meeting with ITV bosses to work out their action plan after the government called for social distancing.
An insider said: “This is a real blow to the lads but they’re creative and held a meeting with the top brass at ITV to see how they could make the show work moving forward.
“They have mooted the idea of keeping the audience away and going ahead with the show and most of their usual skits, like ‘Undercover’ and ‘Men In Brown.’
“But while this could work, Ant and Dec know the show survives and thrives from the audience participation. It’s the public who bring the party atmosphere to the studio.
“Every week they’ve been sending Fleur East and Andy Peters out on location and that could be coming to an end.
“Luckily some of the sketches have already been recorded so they’re ready to go.
“At the moment, having a live studio audience on Saturday night is very much up in the air. The last thing anyone wants is to pull the plug on the show so they’re trying to think outside of the box in a bid to make it work.”
The crisis meeting comes just days after Ant and Dec, both 44, confirmed they wouldn’t be flying out to Walt Disney World in Florida with 300 prize winners as part of the show’s grand finale.
MOST READ IN TV AND SHOWBIZ
Instead their popular “place on the plane” competition will go ahead at a later date.
Last week, extra hand-sanitizing facilities were laid on at television centre in London, where Saturday Night Takeaway is filmed, in bid to keep the audience safe.
ITV confirmed they were complying with the guidance from Public Health England and the World Health Organisation in relation to coronavirus.