Ant, Dec and Cat were SM:TV no doubt about it. They had a rough start but eventually rose to the top and made their mark in British children's television history.
I am probably one of very few people who actually stuck with SM:TV after their departures...but then again, I was a very loyal CITV viewer back then!
I would like to know your thoughts about the later years of SM:TV.
Ah, SMTV... Ant and Dec were brilliant. I was much older than most of the target audience but I remember my son absolutely loving it. Secretly, so did I, with the amount of innuendo in the show.I’d forgotten there even was an era after that.
Last edited by Gary Baldy on 30 December 2018 3:19am - 2 times in total
Unfortunately the programme failed to find a good partnership of presenters. They relied on Brian & Tess, who whilst likeable didn’t have the same entertaining qualities.
I’ve wondered if Cat would have remained with the programme for longer if James had continued, although why they thought an actor would be a good co host I’m unsure. I’ve said it before it’s a shame that they didn’t push for Dermot O’Leary following his work on The Bigger Breakfast and T4 at the time, he and Emma Bunton were two of my favourite co hosts.
Looking later down the line Des & Shavaughan brought in a very good energy to the sketches it was just all a little too late to save the programme. Stephen & Holly provided the time of partnership that would have been required during the Ministry of Mayhem, would it have worked out better to have them present SM:TV Live is the type of speculative thinking that is too much for a Sunday morning.
Ant, Dec & Cat strongly anchored the programme from August 1998 - December 2001, the problems with the show could be reasoned with the lack of consistency for viewers over the two years after the departure of the well crafted trio you had the following main presenters: Cat, James, Brian, Tess, Claire, H, Des, Shavaughan, Stephen (Have I missed anyone?).
Yeah I agree with you SM:TV was a crap show and the presenters And, Dec and Cat weren't very good either. The best Saturday morning show has to be Live and Kicking and my favourite presenters were Katy Hill, Sarah Cawood, Ortis, Trey Farley and Heather Suttie Who remembers it cause I do and I watched the show every Saturday till the end in 2001.
I admit I watched it to the bitter end, and despite it not being anywhere near as good as it was with Ant and Dec I still preferred it to what the BBC's latest attempt was on the other side.
Of course at the time I didn't really understand that there were would be writers behind all the funny sketches, I thought they just made all the funny bits themselves, but at the time it felt like as soon as Ant and Dec left the show became much less funny.
EDIT: Superb timing from me to post this at 9:25am! Shame it's a Sunday
I admit I watched it to the bitter end, and despite it not being anywhere near as good as it was with Ant and Dec I still preferred it to what the BBC's latest attempt was on the other side.
Of course at the time I didn't really understand that there were would be writers behind all the funny sketches, I thought they just made all the funny bits themselves, but at the time it felt like as soon as Ant and Dec left the show became much less funny.
EDIT: Superb timing from me to post this at 9:25am! Shame it's a Sunday
Yeah I'm just angry with Nigel Pickard who was the controller of CBBC at the time because he was responsible for taking Live and Kicking off the air and replacing it with The Saturday Show because it failed and Dani Behr and Joe Mace were removed after just one year.
I always believed the day Live and Kicking came to an end that the show could have had a bright future following the revamp a year earlier. Nigel Pickard should have given time for the show to settle in cause Ant and Dec were about to leave SM:TV anyway due to other commitments with Pop Idol and so I believed that Live and Kicking could have beaten SM:TV in the ratings.
Yeah I agree with you SM:TV was a crap show and the presenters And, Dec and Cat weren't very good either. The best Saturday morning show has to be Live and Kicking and my favourite presenters were Katy Hill, Sarah Cawood, Ortis, Trey Farley and Heather Suttie Who remembers it cause I do and I watched the show every Saturday till the end in 2001.
You think SM:TV was crap, you think Ant, Dec and Cat weren't very good... and you think the final era of Live & Kicking was the best one?
Yeah I agree with you SM:TV was a crap show and the presenters And, Dec and Cat weren't very good either. The best Saturday morning show has to be Live and Kicking and my favourite presenters were Katy Hill, Sarah Cawood, Ortis, Trey Farley and Heather Suttie Who remembers it cause I do and I watched the show every Saturday till the end in 2001.
You think SM:TV was crap, you think Ant, Dec and Cat weren't very good... and you think the final era of Live & Kicking was the best one?
Honestly, no disrespect intended whatsoever. It's just that there can't be many others who hold this view.
Yes I do think that SM:TV was crap.
I'm just being honest that SM:TV was just a show that had too many sketches and Ant, Dec and Cat were trying to be silly which to me the show was not funny at all.
So yeah in my opinion Live and Kicking from autumn 2000 to autumn 2001 was the no1 Saturday morning show.
Last edited by BBCTelevision on 30 December 2018 10:23am
I do agree with your points about the Live & Kicking revamp being given extra time. The idea of the revamp and change to the show worked wonders to bring it up to date whilst still keeping key elements of the programme. I think that the BBC should have bitten the bullet and rested L&K as usual over the summer; losing Katy Hill and a change in production team affected the programme as it did for the Saturday Show for the two year afterwards.
