There is always an element of luck involved in live broadcast and it was the turn of ITV Saturday Night Takeaway to become unstuck. In a very rare occurrence, Ant and Dec were forced to stop Saturday Night Takeaway after being hit by a series of technical issues.
The popular family entertainment show made its much anticipated return to ITV yesterday (March 26) after the Six Nations Rugby took over its usual slot last week. Viewers seemed to find humour in the error-filled show featuring a series of unbelievable blunders.
One of the mistakes happened in the Happiest Minute of the Week (HMOTW) segment which celebrates people who have gone above and beyond to do special things. Their efforts are rewarded by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly gifting them free holidays.
As reported in Manchester Evening News the camera cut to the wrong household. The mix-up saw a family looked baffled and not celebrating, before cutting to another living room where the family was jumping up and down with excitement.
Dec said: "In Lancashire, we're coming to you - Robert and Donna Rowland! Hi Robert and Donna.
"Your son Adam and his wife Sarah are in the armed forces and are deployed all over the world so you're always stepping in to take care of your granddaughter Penny." The show then re-joined the previous family as they told how mum Melissa Grant had saved her children when their car suddenly caught on fire with them all inside.
Viewers also saw tennis balls going 'AWOL' in the studio. The hosts were playing a game of Read My Lips with guest announcer and Line of Duty star Anna Maxwell Martin, when they were forced to halt the show and re-start the game.
The game featured members of the public reading out a list of famous TV shows via a video link to Ms Martin in the studio, wearing headphones so she couldn't hear them. When the third player came on, instead of TV shows such as Anna's Line of Duty, she mouthed the names of foods including nachos and biriyani.
The two presenters stepped in and called for her to stop. It was then explained that she had been given the wrong list.
Viewers were quick to jump on Twitter to share their their thoughts of the HMOTW segment. @livxgracee tweeted: "No way did they show the wrong family."
@MattHaze commented: "So many technical screw ups tonight, which (amazingly!) rarely happens. Did someone spill some coffee on the board or something? #SaturdayNightTakeaway."
@JJ1305X chuckled: "I mean could anything else go wrong. Absolutely tickling me."
Mr Al said: "SaturdayNightTakeaway they’re having a bit of a mare this week! Shopping lists and cutting to the wrong bloody house!"
@TheTrevorDurham said: "Oops! Tonight’s #SaturdayNightTakeaway is full of errors so far.
"Wrong clues in Read My Lips, after not checking the height of Anna’s chair, and now cutting away to the wrong home in Happiest Minute of the Week. Oops!!
@Wendy0 said: "What with nachos lady and now did the happiest minute cut to the wrong house then?! It swapped couples, think they're having technical issues tonight lol."
@CD0355 tweeted: "#SaturdayNightTakeaway is giving me anxiety. Wrong words, tennis balls going awol and segments lasting all of 2 minutes."
But @UrskaLouisa said: "Live TV is funnier with all the mistakes #SaturdayNightTakeaway."
