Ant and Dec ask fans for help as 'Saturday Night Takeaway' goes ahead without audience

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have urged fans to help fill Saturday Night Takeaway with home videos because the coronavirus pandemic means there won’t be a live studio audience.

This weekend’s instalment of the ITV show was hanging in the balance, with Dec telling viewers at the close of last week’s episode that they would “hopefully” be back.

It has now been confirmed that it will go ahead, but without the audience, who usually feature throughout the show.

Ant and Dec posted on Twitter: “#SaturdayNightTakeaway NEEDS YOU!

“We have no studio audience this week so we want YOU, the audience at home, to be the stars of the #EndOfTheShowShow…”

The duo asked fans to “film (in landscape) yourself, your family, your pets, whatever, dancing along to @ollymurs ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ at home, for at least 1 minute.”

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“And you could end up as part of a brilliant EOTSS! See you (and yourself!) on the telly!!” they added.

It was announced earlier this week that the show was the latest to lose its live studio audience as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, following in the footsteps of programmes such as Loose Women and Jeremy Vine On 5.

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ITV said in a statement: “Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead this weekend without a studio audience.

“Our priority is safeguarding the well-being of everyone involved. The show will be made with a reduced production crew and in accordance with the latest guidance from Public Health England.

“The team are looking forward to bringing our viewers a brilliant show on Saturday evening.”