The recurring game sees Ant and Dec giving different celebrity guests an earpiece and feeding them silly lines and commands while they chat to unwitting members of the public.
This week, it was Strictly Come Dancing favourite Craig’s turn to embarrass himself, as he chatted to three prospective wedding planners about his upcoming nuptials.
However, at Ant and Dec’s request, he actually spent his time with them jumping out from behind a sofa, doing a dramatic reading of the Home & Away lyrics and smashing an “antique” vase (only to then blame it on one of the wedding planners).
Adding to the ridiculousness of the scene was the fact that Craig appeared to be having a bit of trouble understanding Ant and Dec in his earpiece, leading to him claiming to one of the wedding planners that his friend invented “fidget smithers” and another that his pet hamster “sneezed and turned himself into a rat”.
And the less said about his didgeridoo playing the better…
Despite Craig’s occasional faux pas, the scene went down a storm with Saturday Night Takeway viewers, who were left howling as the prank played out:
Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway continues (surprisingly enough) on Saturday night at 7pm on ITV.
ITV viewers suspected something might have been amiss on Monday morning, after noticing a number of daytime stars were behaving a little strangely.
Lorraine Kelly was the first to spark suspicion when she interviewed YouTuber and musician KSI live on air.
Fans picked up on the fact Lorraine was not exactly being her usual professional self, complaining of cramp in her leg which she then attempted to “walk off” in the middle of the interview and blatantly yawning while he was talking.
Lorraine then signed off the interview with a “love you”, after thanking him for “putting up” with her.
There is never a dull moment when @reallorraine and @KSI get together for a chat😂
The strangeness began when Holly told James she could only eat mussels “at night… when it’s quite dark”, at which point the studio lights were lowered for her, so she could tuck in.
Later in the demonstration, James told the pair some background on mussels, with Holly loudly interrupting: “Don’t tell me that! I don’t need to know any personal information about what I’m eating. I was doing so well!”
James returned for another cooking demo towards the end of the show, which ended up being even more chaotic.
ITVThings took a very bizarre turn on Monday’s This Morning.
The pair repeatedly interrupted James’ explanations to talk and laugh amongst themselves, with the TV chef attempting to get his demo back on track.
Like Lorraine, Holly then suggested she had cramp, getting up and walking around the studio while James continued to make choux pastry in the This Morning kitchen.
James then told the duo to put almonds on top of their pastry, to which Holly responded that he shouldn’t “tell her what to do” and she can use any other type of nut she so wishes.
ITVJames looked rather unimpressed when Holly told him not to “tell me what to do”
“I’m not being rude,” Holly said afterwards. “But it does taste better than it looks.”
Viewers eventually grew suspicious that Ant and Dec might be behind the scenes in question, as part of their recurring I’m A Celebrity, Get Out Me Ear prank on Saturday Night Takeaway.
In fact, Ant and Dec’s names even began trending on Twitter as so many people pointed the finger at the pair…
Lorraine acting weird, Holly and Phil acting weird, this has your name written all over it @antanddec! #ThisMorning#Lorraine
What is happening on itv today? First Lorraine acting strange, now Holly? And now Phil? It’s like Ant and Dec are up to no good behind the scenes! #itv#thismorning#lorraine
Something seems off with #lorraine this morning. Feel like we will see her on Saturday night takeaway when ant and Dec are telling her what to say 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ant and Dec have explained how the new series of Saturday Night Takeaway will work without one of the show’s key components – a studio audience.
In the past, audience members have been required for recurring Saturday Night Takeaway features like the Win The Ads quiz, while the dup have also pulled certain people out of their seats on multiple occasions for different surprise segments.
For obvious reasons, this year’s series will launch without an audience for the first time without a studio audience, which presenter Declan Donnelly has said will make for a “very different” viewing experience.
However, they will have a virtual audience appear on screens behind them, and while shows like The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent have tried this in the last year with mixed results, Ant and Dec have said they’re determined to take things to the next level on Saturday Night Takeaway.
ITV/ShutterstockAnt and Dec are back in the Saturday Night Takeaway studio – but they won’t be joined by an audience.
Dec told Digital Spy: “A lot of this show is about the audience. So we have researched ways, and are coming up with ways, to do a much more interactive virtual wall – more than any other show has done.
“Our studio audience, for want of a better phrase – our audience on the night, on the virtual wall – will be an interactive part of the show. This year’s series will have a very different feel to it because it’s normally a big kind of party vibe with the audience.
“This year, it’s going to be very different. We’ll still have our star guest announcer. But it’s a much more interactive virtual wall.”
ITV/ShutterstockHarry and Jamie Redknapp will be appearing in the first episode of Saturday Night Takeaway’s new series.
Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returns on Saturday night with guests including Take That singer Gary Barlow.
While certain segments won’t be taking place due to Covid restrictions, the pair have pre-recorded new pranks for their I’m A Celebrity, Get Out Me Ear game – featuring Davina McCall and Harry Redknapp, among other stars – and a new show-within-a-show called Double Trouble.
Find out how things play out in this week’s Saturday Night Takeaway airing at 7pm on ITV.
