Ah OK, I didn't see the post in question. In which case I agree with you DanielK. And beyond that, would warn people that there's an active criminal case on the go so be very careful over speculation.
:-(
A former member
That means nothing. ( not p_c_u_k post) Let's move on: The following points:
* Will SNT go ahead this saturday, if so, will there be any changes and if not how will ITV deal with it.
* live show in USA how will it affect that?
* BGT how will it effect that? with the live shows in 8 weeks?
* How will ITV deal with this? Duty of care might appear its ok to point that out but this place isn't the right to talk about overall.
* We all wish Ant all the help he needs.
I do apologise to all for coming across with the message "stop ALL discussion about this NOW", but you all have to keep in mind, like p_c_u_k says, this is now an active criminal case.
Making sure those who have mental health issues get the right help is a matter close to me, so I won't stand by and have it called a get out of jail free card.
Please continue with the discussion regarding pres, as it is a one of a kind matter to cover, but please watch for where the line is on this one.
Also it has been confirmed... speculated. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43453525 TV presenter Ant McPartlin has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after a collision involving three vehicles in south-west London.
I only posted The Sun's article here because at the time, the BBC had yet to report on this. Looks like it took them a couple of hours to pick up the story.
From a production point of view, it’s really hard to see this week’s Saturday Night Takeaway going ahead. For one thing it’s the most “Ant and Dec” of all the formats and it really relies on the duo to sell it as an extension of their happy go lucky personas. If they do it with Ant, then they absolutely have to address it – they have often addressed minor stories about them in the papers during runs of SNT – Dec’s “lack of” wedding ring a series or so ago comes to mind. Obviously that brings the mood down.
Option 2 is have “[Guest Presenter] & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway”. I’m sure on occasion they may have had a plan B should one of them be taken ill on the day but this is a slightly different kettle of fish. Again, Ant becomes conspicuous by his absence, and would still be due to appear in VT’s of The Honoured and also a new Make ‘Em Laugh according to the TV listing. They’d have to address it at some point and the whole show might have a feeling of “contractual obligation” about it. I doubt this would happen, and part of me wonders if Dec would agree to it. The cynic in me says it would rate extremely well, as people tune in to see an anomaly. Realistically, even in the best case scenario I think it would be difficult to pull this off, or any show in this run, even for Ant and Dec without adding further damage to their “brand”.
I think BGT is probably salvageable given the lead time although some decisions would have to be made asap. If SNT is the most “Ant and Dec” format, then BGT is the least. Doesn’t Stephen Mulhern film every audition at the other side of the stage for More Talent, so there is an option there that would involve a mega re-edit. Or just edit Ant & Dec out as much as possible, and keep it to a Dec only voiceover – the one issue with either of those options is that presumably A&D get a Golden Buzzer act again?
I’m A Celeb is so far away that so much water is yet to go under the bridge. However I’m of the school of thought that although Ant & Dec make the show what it is – it would surely have been canned years back without them – I think it can probably survive one year without them especially if they have a long lead time to look into replacements.
Another question, if SNT did get paused, either for one week or the rest of the series, would ITV have insurance for this kind of thing? How would it work in reality?
I expect Dec to do SNT on his own, with Stephen Mulhern helping out, but importantly not co-presenting
I don’t think Ant will be airbrushed out of anything already pre-recorded, but a lot will depend on how the public see this which will be driven by the press.
At this point I feel obliged to remind everyone of the forum rules, particularly with regards to post must not be "invasive of a person's privacy or otherwise violate any law". I know on this particular occasion the incident itself has widespread media coverage (e.g. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43453525), which makes the privacy line a bit more tricky.
I would ask for comments to be kept to presentation related matters, and any facts reported in the media (not tabloid wild speculation) regarding Ant & the incident.