Fans of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway have been dealt a crushing blow as they’ve learned today (Tuesday, March 8) that the show has been temporarily cancelled.
The show, which usually airs at 7pm on ITV, is set to be axed in favour of Six Nations rugby matches next weekend (Saturday, March 19).
Saturday Night Takeaway cancelled temporarily
Saturday Night Takeaway isn’t going to be airing on ITV next Saturday (March 19).
Starstruck and Saturday Night Takeaway will be removed from their usual Saturday slots next week to make away for a Six Nations double-header.
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Ireland are taking on Scotland at 4.45pm on Saturday, March 19 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
France will then be going up against England at the Stade de France in Paris. Both games are going to be airing on ITV.
This means that viewers will sadly have to wait until March 26 for another dose of Saturday Night Takeaway and Starstruck.
Saturday Night Takeaway one of many shows cancelled
However, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway isn’t the only ITV show that’s taking a week off next week.
Dancing On Ice has also been axed, meaning viewers will have to wait until Sunday March 27 for the final.
The final was going to be airing on Sunday, March 20 originally. However, ITV will now be broadcasting the FA Cup Quarter-Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest from 6pm.
This means that Dancing On Ice is going to have to take a week off.
However, this extra week between the semi-final and the final of the show may work in the contestant’s favour, as it will give them more time to rehearse.
Five celebrities remain in the competition – ex-Strictly star Brendan Cole, Pussycat Doll singer Kimberly Wyatt, Olympian Kye Whyte, The Vamps bassist Connor Ball, and pro-dancer Reagen Gascoigne.
ITV viewers fed up with sport affecting schedules
Loose Women is going to be affected by sports coverage next week too.
The panel show, which usually airs at 12.30pm every weekday, is only going to be airing once next week. It is going to be off air from Tuesday (March 15) onwards.
ITV is going to be broadcasting coverage of the Cheltenham Festival instead.
Coverage of the horse racing will begin airing from 1pm. It will then finish at 4.30pm daily on ITV.
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The news about Saturday Night Takeaway 2022 being axed comes just a week after ITV and BBC‘s schedules were disrupted by sports coverage.
From Tuesday last week (March 1) until Thursday (March 3) coverage of the FA Cup affected ITV and BBC schedules.
However, some viewers were understandably unhappy.
“Seriously?? #football on both BBC & ITV for hours,” one viewer moaned at the time.
Saturday Night Takeaway 2022 continues Saturday, March 13 at 7pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
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