Ant And Dec Spark Wave Of Ofcom Complaints With Latest Saturday Night Takeaway Prank

The Geordie duo sparked controversy after playing a string of pranks on a first-time dad.
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Ant and Dec in the Saturday Night Takeaway studio
Kieron McCarron/Shutterstock

Ant and Dec have sparked over 100 complaints to Ofcom over a scene in the latest episode of Saturday Night Takeaway.

The Geordie duo’s Saturday night variety show returned for its 19th series over the weekend, including a prank segment in which a first-time dad was set up by his then-pregnant wife.

In hidden camera footage, viewers saw the man attending a prenatal scan, where he was shown a false video of what he thought was his unborn child waving at him and “playing peek-a-boo”.

He was later taken to a fake ante-natal class, where a number of chaotic scenes played out, and encouraged to take part in an over-the-top pregnancy photo-shoot.

At the time, the prank was met with a mixed response, with some criticising the pair for playing with a new parent-to-be’s emotions.

It’s now been revealed that many got in touch with Ofcom over the segment, with a total of 111 complaints being made.

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Married couple Amy and Liam paid a visit to the Saturday Night Takeaway studio after the prank aired
Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock

As is standard procedure, these complaints will be assessed before the TV watchdog makes a decision about whether to launch an investigation.

Following the sketch, Ant and Dec revealed that the parents featured in the prank had now been born, and stunned the couple by sharing that they’d opened a savings account for their child, and would be donating £1000 a year into it, until their baby turned 18.

Saturday Night Takeaway returns on Saturday at 7pm on ITV.