Saturday Night Takeaway: Declan Donnelly faces backlash over crude comment to an audience member

ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway returned to screens over the weekend with presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly were back with the show's 19th series. 

The latest series featured the presenters pranking TV presenter Alison Hammond, David Tennant as the guest announcer and singer Tom Grennan performing at the end of the show. 

But viewers were left in shock after Dec,47, made a crude comment to a member of the audience. Opening the show the TV presenter said: “Even though we have been off air, we’ve still kept a very close eye on all of you here, and all of you out there,”

Turning to a female member of the audience he added “Yes, you should look nervous Madam and close your legs.”

The inappropriate comment prompted fans to take to social media and share that they would be complaining to Ofcom (TV Regulators). 

One person wrote: “Close your legs? What a deeply inappropriate comment to make guys, come on #SaturdayNightTakeaway.”

Another added: “Ofcom complaints Monday morning.”

“I just want people to know there is Ofcom to voice your concerns to, if there are enough complaints ITV /Ant and Dec will have to apologise” a third wrote.

Saturday Night Takeaway received even more backlash on the first episode after a prank on father-to-be was seen in ‘poor taste’. 

Ant and Dec had set up a fake 4D prenatal screening of a baby where the couple Amy and Liam were to see the first glimpse of their unborn child. Amy knew about the set up but Liam had no idea. 

An actress posing as a sonographer told Liam to speak to his baby and watched on screen as a baby waved at him. The scan also showed a baby appearing to emulate the sign for ‘rock and roll' with its hands. 

Fans fumed over the prank and wrote on social media that it was ‘not funny’ and in ‘poor taste’.

Many felt sorry for Liam who believed he was seeing his unborn baby for the first time, but thankfully the couple saw the funny side to Ant and Dec's prank.