I think ITV is going to be alright for the foreseeable. They'll probably have record ratings tonight because everyone will want to know how it goes, and then they've only got one more week to go. Beyond that, Britain's Got Talent is the least Ant and Dec of all the ITV formats (they are somewhat integral to Takeaway) and people tune in for more than just them, so Dec should be able to handle that.
Very well done to Dec, because this cannot have been easy.
Considering how shaky and nervous Dec looked in part 1, he's completely relaxed into this. Davina and Stephen (Merchant) have definitely helped fill gaps.
Note Davina was in the super camp plane for the happiest minute of the week intro - where Scarlett has previously been sat.
Also appreciated Dec's 'unavoidable' comment when he asked the win the ads girl if she'd seen the news this week. He's handled it really well imo.
I think ITV is going to be alright for the foreseeable. They'll probably have record ratings tonight because everyone will want to know how it goes, and then they've only got one more week to go. Beyond that, Britain's Got Talent is the least Ant and Dec of all the ITV formats (they are somewhat integral to Takeaway) and people tune in for more than just them, so Dec should be able to handle that.
Very well done to Dec, because this cannot have been easy.
Ant and Dec are there on every show of BGT, especially the recorded editions right up to the live semi finals and finals. They also have their own golden buzzer, so they are very much part of the show.
I liked Stephen's line ("The other bloke was good. You should work with him more often") following Saturday Knight Takeaway. I think Stephen (Merchant)'s interactions with Dec are helping to bring a little of the usual back-and-forth 'banter' back to this week's show.
Stephen Merchant is great. ‘I don’t care what the producers are saying back here, I think you’re doing a great job!’
Don't get me wrong, I know Ant and Dec are central to Britain's Got Talent as it stands right now and appear throughout the entire series. What I mean is that the format isn't specifically built around them: if it came to it, another presenter could take that show over. Whereas Ant and Dec's personalities are as central to Saturday Night Takeaway as Noel Edmonds' was to house party, or Chris Evans to Don't Forget Your Toothbrush. You can't imagine anyone just taking it over.
The hug between Dec, Stephen and Scarlet as the credits started to roll tells you everything you need to know about what a genuinely good bloke he is. Great job tonight.
Given the circumstances I don't think they could have done that much better. They had the tone spot on and made sure whenever reference was made the reference was to Dec's situation, not Ant's.
You can tell he was nervous at the start in the first few links, but he soon got into it. It was good that Stephen Merchant was a great star guest announcer who could also fill some of the gaps rather than some Hollywood A lister parachuted in like you sometimes get.