Saturday Night Takeaway 2021

I think that’s true. Everything after part 1 was perfectly good last night but such a poor part 1 (honestly one of the worst segments I can ever remember them doing) did set a slightly sour tone that took a while to shift. If you tuned in at 7.15pm, missing the start, you’d come away just thinking of it as a good episode (which it largely was).

Multi-item shows like Takeaway are hard as one segment misfiring can de-rail the show as they have to pick the energy up again. That was the problem in episode 2 when three or four segments in a row just misfired so the whole thing was horribly flat. Thankfully the rest of the series has been a lot better.

Like others have said, the surprise doesn’t work without the audience as she’d clearly worked out what was happening. Wouldn’t have taken a genius to put it together, all she’d need to do was Google where the show is filmed. Wouldn’t be surprised if her parents or someone had let slip what was happening too, they all looked like they were faking it, much more so than normal.

On the whole I think the series has undoubtedly suffered from having no audience and the various restrictions imposed, but I think they’ve done very well to do what they have. I couldn’t imagine really how they’d get it on air at all so they’ve done a good job in the toughest of circumstances. I am however looking forward to next year when (hopefully!) they should have a full audience back and be able to do the show as normal.

If ITV were willing to take the risk, a similar multi format entertainment show could air in the Autumn when Ant & Dec are busy with I’m A Celebrity.

If you’re thinking of a female co-host for Mr Mulhern, maybe it’s time to bring back Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown!

She was brought to Television Centre, which everyone knows is the home of Saturday Night Takeaway, such an iconic building, littered with Saturday Night Takeaway logos in the Studio TC1 area, she would have to be totally blind not to know she was going to appear with Ant and Dec.

Problem is it will always be compared to Saturday Night Takeaway, and they would have to think of major differences to Saturday Night Takeaway to make the show distinct and fresh, and to simply a carbon copy of SNT. I don't think ITV would risk it.

I think they’d rather end Saturday Night Takeaway and have Stephen do a new show.

Also, remember that Stephen is around the same age as Ant and Dec - Miranda, as someone mentioned above, is, I believe, older than all three of them. So whenever A&D retire, Stephen won’t be too far around the corner either.



Does everyone know that though? We do on here, but many casual viewers won’t.

To be fair, you’d only need to have seen 1 episode of Takeaway this year to know it’s TV Centre. Considering they’re always showing outside shots / moving around..

Yes - need to hold off until SNT comes to an end before launching Stephen Mulhern's House Party.

As for SNT - it would probably benefit from being cut back to an hour but understandable why it isn't, even this year.

Like others have said, the audience surprises work better when the audience is actually there rather than having to come up with an excuse to bring them to the studio

The one with the teacher in episode 1 worked very well though

There is clearly not going to be a similar show with Stephen Mulhern, it was just a bit of fun. Many have tried similar shows and few get it to work.

I bailed out after part 1 last night, will catch the rest of it but wasn’t fussed at the time to keep watching. Intrigued at this whole Stephen Mulhern bit though.

As everyone says, when you’ve got a victim who’s just so savvy, it doesn’t really work. A fine line between a bubbly character and someone over confident. Rewarding someone who ruined her husbands clothes and the pizza incident with the same prize as the Happiest Minute lot was a little odd. Of all the emails last year from viewers putting forward their family/friends, was hers really the best option? Quite funny seeing Ross somewhat stuck in the roof though.

Overall they’ve done incredibly well to put the show together but I think everyone, Ant & Dec especially, will love having the audience properly back next year.

They should try in 2022 to relaunch the show, new set, new routines, a complete fresh overhaul. What better time to do it, with a return of a studio audience.

Why? The show still does very solidly for ITV. They’re not going to start playing around with it.

Sadly that is the attitude of television nowadays rather than actually trying to build upon success and keep it fresh. Largely budget constraints I suspect and things being outsourced rather than the need to find things to do for permament employees but shows regularly getting refreshed with new titles and sets every few series seems to be very much a thing of the past now.

I think in the revived series several SNT features which in the earlier won probably wouldn't have seen a second series have survived longer than perhaps they should.