Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway

Would anyone happen to have a copy of the first ever Saturday night takeaway, there are some clips available online but they are “camera pointing at a television-o vision”. I believe the first series had a slightly different format, with a gameshow element to decide who was to play Win the ads. If any other episodes from series 1 are known to anyone, I’d be interested in those too!

First ever episode was a pure gameshow, within the studio,then over the course of the series other stuff come into being. I'm sure by the end its was just simple game who got to play win the ads .

Edit: Didn't there also have home audience slot as well from the start?

See below for the first few minutes of series 1.

Notable things from the first ever series:

- Ant & Dec were both just 26 when this episode aired

-The now very date sponsorship bumper from 'Siemens Mobile' - I think I've got that phone in a drawer somewhere

- First version of the titles (including the theme tune in its first iteration) - look at the 4:3 tele in the lounge!

- No 'coming up' sequence - the show goes straight out of the titles into the walk down from the studio staircase

- First mention of the 'Don't just watch the ads... win them!' catchphrase (which the audience don't yell back to) - and also mention of a 'world's first' (was it really that groundbreaking?)

- Premium-rate phone in comp to apply to be in the audience (and a chance to 'win the ads' in TX2. One can only wonder whether anyone that did call in actually got entered into the draw...

What's the purpose of a recorded version of the programme that includes sponsor bumpers? ITV2 repeat?

I believe back then, playout of show TX elements (SOP/EOP stings etc) were done together due to the VT technology at the time. Easier for the gallery time the show on air by running both clips in one sequence I guess? SNT was never repeated on ITV2 in the early days AFAIK.

Might have been unique but what would have really been groundbreaking at the time would have been 'win the ads on this show' but that would have been impossible due to the rules of product placement at the time.



Some ITV1 stuff was repeated on ITV2 (mainly the three soaps ITV1 had in 2002 in omnibus format) but that aside much of the rest of the channel was original and aired a lot of what ITV3 now airs.