Ant & Dec on the Rocks

A few weeks ago I wrote an article celebrating the return of Saturday Night Takeaway. I heaped praise onto the much-loved presenting duo and looked forward to the return of their show as ‘a show that’s a real escape from anything remotely unhappy’. How quickly things change.

Over the last couple of weeks, the angelic and impeccable image of Ant and Dec has been put under more strain than ever before. Ant was involved in a car collision and has since been charged with the offence of drink-driving. The turmoil that’s followed has seen Ant facing the possibility of a prison sentence and Dec left to present Saturday Night Takeaway solo. Due to the commitments and promises made to fans and competition winners, the show must go on. But can it ever be the same again?

(Image: antanddec/Twitter)

It is because of what I said in my previous article, about the show being an ‘escape from anything remotely unhappy’, that I simply can’t quite see how Dec and the producers of Saturday Night Takeaway are going to handle the situation on air. They can’t just act like nothing has happened and Ant never existed, and they also can’t be seen to condone or understate the seriousness of his actions. It doesn’t help that, precisely because of this, the nation will be watching very closely to see exactly how it is dealt with. Not only that, they’ll also inevitably be scrutinised for however the situation is handled, much as Phil and Holly were for their discussion of the situation on This Morning.

But the immediate fall out of this situation should be the least of Ant and Dec’s concerns. The real jeopardy lies in the future of their careers, their immaculately crafted image and their partnership. Compare this situation to a similar high-profile case of potentially career-jeopardising bad behaviour, and you’ll see how much more serious this is: Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson was condemned and sacked by the BBC for a physical attack on a producer. However, he simply brushed it off, bad-mouthed the BBC and hopped over to Amazon Prime.

The real jeopardy lies in the future of their careers, their immaculately crafted image and their partnership

I’m not interested in comparing the nature or severity of the offences committed by Clarkson and Ant; the more significant difference between the two is how their offences correlate with their on-screen personas. Clarkson became famous for being outspoken, controversial and disagreeable. The fact that he was involved in a fight was hardly shocking. Ant and Dec’s persona is the polar opposite, and so Ant’s indictment as a drink-driver is deeply incongruous. And it is this that puts Ant in a much more vulnerable position than Clarkson.

He needs forgiveness in order to return to the screen. He needs forgiveness from ITV in a way that Clarkson didn’t need from the BBC and, most importantly, he needs forgiveness from the fans. If they cannot forgive his misdemeanour then it will be difficult for them to ever see him once more as the integral half of an ever-friendly and much treasured presenting duo.

I, for one, hope he will be forgiven. After all, Ant and Dec are an unparalleled source of joy in the British entertainment industry, and I think we all need that.