Coronavirus has put paid to Ant and Dec’s plans to hold the finale of Saturday Night Takeaway in Walt Disney World in Florida.
ITV announced it has shelved plans to broadcast the last episode of the current series from the theme park on 4 April, after Disney said it was closing the resort’s doors in a bid to battle the outbreak of the virus.
Over 300 lucky viewers were also due to be flown out to Florida and join the telly duo at the spectacular, after winning Places On The Plane over the course of the series.
However, ITV said it would still honour the winners’ prizes at a later date.
A spokesperson said in a statement: “We will no longer be broadcasting the Saturday Night Takeaway finale from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
“Walt Disney World has made the decision to close, beginning on Monday 16 March until the end of the month.
“The wellbeing of all our prize winners, as well as our production team, is always our number one priority.
“All recipients of a ‘Place on the Plane’ prize will have their prizes honoured and flown by Virgin Holidays for a 5-night stay at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida at such later date when it is practical for Virgin Holidays and Walt Disney World Resort to fulfil the prize.”
Disney World Orlando announced it was closing for the month earlier this week, following 42 cases of coronavirus reported in Florida.
President Donald Trump has imposed a ban on flights from Europe landing in the US, and while it currently excludes the UK, he admitted on Friday that it could be extended as the number of UK cases continues to rise.
While it has been confirmed Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead with a studio audience as normal on Saturday night, the show could be impacted by potential changes from the government.
It is believed it is on the verge of banning mass gatherings in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus, which could mean studio audiences are stopped.
Channel 5 has already announced that Jeremy Vine’s daily discussion show will be filmed without an audience from Monday, while a number of US chat shows have been suspended completely to protect studio staff.
Elsewhere in the entertainment industry, Radio 1 has called off their Big Weekend festival, which was due to take place in Dundee in May, while the releases of films including Mulan, No Time To Die, Fast & Furious 9 and A Quiet Place II have also been pushed back.
Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway airs on Saturday at 7pm on ITV.