Saturday Night Takeaway fans divided over 'shameful' prize on show's Win The Ads

24 February 2024 , 20:57

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Saturday Night Takeaway was back tonight with hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly returning for one final series of the much-loved ITV show

Saturday Night Takeaway fans were left divided after a 'shameful' prize on the ITV show's infamous Win The Ads segment.

Hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly returned to present the show on Saturday night, where someone called in from home to try and Win The Ads. Prizes included, as usual, holidays and other things people might want to win, but some people were left fuming after noting one of the prizes on offer to those who won - energy bills.

However, it left some fans fuming that they were being offered as a prize. One wrote: "The fact that money off energy bills is a prize now #SaturdayNightTakeaway," with another fan adding: " #SaturdayNightTakeaway so a luxury prize is now winning money to pay your utilities?" A third shared: "The fact that money towards energy bills is even a prize shows how broken Britain is #saturdaynighttakeaway," with a fourth writing: " #SaturdayNightTakeaway Jeez oh, how shameful has this country come when £3500 to help your energy bill is a prize on the main Saturday night TV show."

Lee was hoping to Win The Ads tonight

A fifth wrote: "SNT offering a prize of paying towards someone’s energy bills. What a time to be alive. That’s where we are as a country when that’s regarded as a prize. Pitiful," with a sixth chiming in: "Energy bills as a prize, how much trouble are we in. #SaturdayNightTakeaway." A seventh added: "Money to pay energy bills as a prize is like something straight out of Black Mirror."

It comes after This Morning came under fire for doing a similar thing on the daytime show, when one guest was gifted with his energy bills being paid for four months after taking part in Spin to Win. The then-hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield left viewers with a sour taste in their mouth after the Spin to Win challenge unveiled the 'grim realties' of the energy crisis across the UK.

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"Paying for viewers' energy bills just feels wrong. Obviously it's a nice incentive, but wow, it just shows the grim reality we're all living in," one viewer tweeted at the time, whilst another shared: "Has it all got this bad that Holly and Phil are now giving away free energy bills on This Morning? I can't believe it honestly." A third added: "Grim times indeed."

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Jasmine Allday