Saturday Night Takeaway fans were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the series in a new ITV documentary - but some viewers were left feeling "cheated" after learning some backstage secrets.
Saturday Night Takeaway: Behind the Screens followed Ant and Dec and the show's talented crew as it revealed the huge amount of work that goes into preparing for a live episode, from rehearsing challenges to booking star guests. However, one segment in particular took people by surprise as it was shown that one of the series' most memorable moments wasn't actually live.
The documentary revealed that Ant and Dec's physics-defying End of the Show Show performance with singer Tom Grennan in a moving dressing room was filmed in advance, and even took multiple takes in rehearsals in order to nail the complicated choreography. The scene sparked a debate on social media, as some viewers said they had no idea that parts of the Saturday show weren't live while others insisted this was "common knowledge".
READ MORE: Ant admits he 'didn't know' whether he could film Saturday Night Takeaway scene
"I thought the End of the Show Show was always live," one fan remarked on Twitter after tuning into the behind-the-scenes documentary.
Someone else admitted: "Who else is disappointed in Saturday Night Takeaway to find out the End of the Show Show was pre-recorded and not live? I feel conned!"
However, one viewer pointed out that there is an easy way to determine whether parts of the show is pre-recorded. "You can always tell when Saturday Night Takeaway is live or not. When it's not live they take the 'live' off the top left-hand corner, for those who don't know," they tweeted.
And someone replied to the comment: "I thought this was common knowledge. Surely people realise that some of the stuff they do in the End of the Show Show can't be done live in the confines of a studio."
Elsewhere in the documentary, it was also revealed that the duo weren't surprised by their Ant vs Dec challenges live on the night as they had to be told about the tasks beforehand in order to prepare for some of the daring stunts. Some viewers weren't happy about this either, with one person writing on Twitter: "Thought Ant vs Dec was kept secret and they did not know anything about the challenges, and yet there they were actually PLANNING one of the games, I actually feel cheated."
Someone else remarked: "Can I just say how disappointed I was watching Saturday Night Takeaway behind the scenes, we are always told they don't know what the challenges are for Ant vs Dec but in the show they watched it being practiced. Slightly ruined it now, sorry boys."
But despite the controversy, the glimpse behind the scenes has received high praise from Saturday Night Takeaway fans. "So cool and fascinating seeing what happens behind the scenes of a live show like Saturday Night Takeaway," one person said.
Another viewer tweeted: "Absolutely love watching behind the scenes of Saturday Night Takeaway, it's literally the best show on TV and so much work goes into this show to make it the best show! Love it so much!"
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