Ant and Dec have fronted a hell of a lot of tv over the last 15 years or so but in our humble opinion, nothing will ever top SM:TV Live. It was truly the king of Saturday morning television and the pair, along with Cat Deeley, were absolutely superb.
Here are just some examples of what made it so great.
1. Chums
Me and Cat, all alone in the flat ... I think I'm going to kiss her.
I want to warn you not to get immediately lost down the wonderful Chums wormhole which takes around four day to emerge from.
Their spoof of Friends was, in this writer's humble opinion, arguably better than the original. What was not to love? There was the continuous stream of star guests, the will-they-won't-they love story between Cat and Dec, the time Ant got shot, the wonderful acting ... I could on and on but I'll let it speak for itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrvmi71Mzjs
2. Captain Justice
Consumer rights, consumer wrongs, good service rules, injustice pongs. And remember...
... Keep that receipt. Always keep that receipt.
I'd love to know how in the blue hell they thought this segment up. A consumer show with a difference. A superhero with a difference.
Captain Justice's life was a constant quest to alert ordinary Joe Soaps and celebs alike of their consumer rights, while also harboring a secret love for Dec, which sadly went unrequited.
3. Pokemon battles
Bryan!? Bryannnnn!? BRYAN!?
The height of SM:tv's popularity coincided with the peak of Pokemon, so it only made sense that they needed to do some sort of spoof. The Pokebattles' finest hour was when Brian McFadden guest starred.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ZCjThbamY
4. Wonky Donkey
I've got a donkey and he's gone all wonky. He's a wonky donkey!
I'm going to admit something here; Wonky Donkey was bloody tough. Even as an adult, I still can't get the most of them. Of course, the fact that no one could get it right made for great television, as Dec got increasingly infuriated with the contestants.
Get off the phone!
5. Postbag
Oh yea, wait a minute Mr Postman.
Back before days of emails and even text messages, TV folk had to depend on letters in the mail for interaction with their viewers. SM:tv Live's postbag was often filled with some bizarre goodies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssu-Us6r63g
6. Challenge Ant
You're thick, you're thick, you're thick, you're thick you are, you're thick, you're thick.
It was the golden age of television quiz shows and there were none more tense and breathtaking than Challenge Ant. He's open goading of his young opponents made it all the better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi0o6x_HOxI
7. The Beautiful Corrs
And we always turn around and ask ourselves why ... are you not?
They were just so damn beautiful it hurt.
8. Eat My Goal
Ring ring, it's a goal on the phone and he's reversed the charges!
This is definitely forgotten gem of UK television. The concept was simple yet so great, and was made all the better by Dec's brilliant commentary.
9. Garden Goblins
I'm not sure about this one actually. What the hell is going on?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfQhtSaBfKo
10. Splatoon
Left, left, up, up, down, splat!
The two lads on Splatoon were Saturday morning breakfast's answer to Steve Wright. In between their brilliantly terrible joke making there was actually a game to be played, which was usually a disaster. Children directing hapless celebrities over the phone was never going to go too well I suppose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndZCXGAj0o
11. Fartbeat
I've been inspecting your sheets and I think they're a disgrace.
Aye, I had a bit of a mishap during the night.
When you're young there's simply no denying that farts are funny. So it only stood to reason that SM:TV Live would make not one but two series based on farts. There was Fart Attack and of course, the longer running Fartbeat.
