Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returned for the new series on Saturday night, with some big changes to the last series.
The live audience was welcomed back with open arms, after the boys had to ditch the crowd last year for social distancing, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly were visibly taken aback, as the crowd roared for them as they sped down to the stage.
As they cheered the return of the hosts and their hit ITV show, Ant was quick to say how thankful he was to have real people back in the studio.
There hasn't been a live audience for a full series since 2018, with the ITV show off air in 2019 and then having to ditch in-studio viewers for the following two years due to social distancing.
Part of the 2020 series was with an audience, before the hosts had to host the final episodes from their homes.
As the guys raced down and greeted studio audience members, they reached the bottom and looked visibly shocked.
Ant began gasping before gesturing to Dec, who joked they all seemed a little drunk.
Host Ant said: "Listen, that sounds great, the first live audience in almost two years.
"Oh we have missed you honestly, we have missed you. Look at them all Dec, so full of life."
Dec joked: "Full of Prosecco by the sounds of it, sit yourselves down!"
The pair looked moved by such a warm reaction from their fans, before Ant later added: "We love having our audience back in studio!"
Meanwhile, amid fears Dancing On Ice could be taken off air on Sunday due to Storm Eunice, Ant and Dec were no doubt fearing the same for their own series.
An insider told the Daily Star that ITV were "bracing themselves”, after I'm A Celebrity was taken off air for three days after the set was badly damaged by Storm Arwen last year.
But a show source also told the Mirror: "The show has taken some precautions today as the health and safety of our cast and crew is paramount, but we are very confident that it won’t affect the show on Sunday."
Saturday Night Takeaway airs Saturdays at 7pm on ITV.
