"SM:TV Live" (1998) TV series 1998-2003

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Writer:

Ben Ward (2000-2003)

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

29 August 1998 (UK)

Genre:

Family

Plot:

Entertainment mix of celebrity guests, competitions, comedy and chat.

Plot Keywords:

Non Fiction

Awards:

13 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Damien Bowe	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2003)
Shane Creevey	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2003)
Dane Guiden	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2003)
Derek Moran	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2003)
Ryan O'Rian	...	Himself (5 episodes, 2003)
Darius Danesh	...	Himself / ... (4 episodes, 2002-2003)
Ant McPartlin	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 1998-2003)
Declan Donnelly	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 1998-2003)
Cat Deeley	...	Herself / ... (3 episodes, 1998-2003)
Brian Dowling	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 2001-2003)
Gareth Gates	...	Himself (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Jessica Taylor	...	Herself / ... (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Dane Bowers	...	Guest Presenter / ... (2 episodes, 2001-2003)
Louise Redknapp	...	Guest Presenter / ... (2 episodes, 2001-2003)
Mariah Carey	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2001-2002)
Claire Richards	...	Herself / ... (2 episodes, 2001-2002)
Samantha Mumba	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2001)
Tess Daly	...	Herself - Presenter / ... (2 episodes, 2002-2003)
Michelle Heaton	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2002-2003)
Tony Lundon	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2002-2003)
Kevin Simm	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2002-2003)
Kelli Young	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2002-2003)
Will Young	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2002-2003)
Kian Egan	...	Guest Presenter / ... (2 episodes, 2003)
Kym Marsh	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2003)
Nicola Roberts	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2003)
Nikki Sanderson	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2003)
David Sneddon	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2003)
Ryan Thomas	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2003)

Also Known As:

"SM:TV Gold" (UK) (new title)
"SM:TV" (UK) (short title)
"Saturday Morning Television Live" (UK) (long title)

Runtime:

UK:125 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Company:

Blaze Productions

Trivia:

Is one of only four British Saturday morning shows to run all year round, and was the first and longest running (as of October 2004) - from August 1998 until the show ended in December 2003. The only other shows to do this are BBC1's "Live & Kicking" (1993) between September 2000 until September 2001 and "The Saturday Show" (2001) Between September 2001 and September 2003 (the show is currently Summer only) and SM:TVs replacement "Ministry of Mayhem" (2004) from January 2004.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Kids TV Shows (2001) (TV)

Groundbreaking Kid's TV

This fantastic show creates such a refreshing and welcome change to Saturday morning children's television. Although it's popularity has recently started to wane, when it was first launched it was immensely popular for nearly three years.

When it was first shown, it was fronted by comedy duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. These two talented, young men are now much in demand following their success on this show. They are naturally witty and extremely likable, and yet still hold a slightly mischievous quality within their personalities, allowing them to identify with and appeal to children. Cat Deely who completed the trio, added a spark as the girl who was sometimes bullied by the boys, and other times she was there to outsmart them.

'SM:tv Live' took a different approach to entertaining children. The main reason behind it was that Ant and Dec used to dislike kid's TV presenters for being too patronising. They felt children did not like being talked down to. Although it may please the younger children to hear reassuring voices, the slightly older children would become bored of it. Such sections of the show demonstrated this, for example 'Challenge Ant' was battle between Ant and a child to see whether he could answer the child's questions correctly, or not. If Ant won, the child went home with nothing as well as a gloating victory dance from McPartlin himself, as was the slightly cruel, yet humorous twist.

However, it was not the first time Ant and Dec had presented a children's show. Similar ideas were used before on 'The Ant and Dec Show', yet came into a great deal of controversy. A section known as 'Beat The Barber' involved children either answering the questions right and getting rewarded, but if they lost, they also lost their hair. Complaints and pressure from the BBC meant that another series of 'The Ant and Dec Show' was never made, and also marked their parting with the BBC.

'SM:tv Live', three years after 'The Ant and Dec Show', is far more accepted by everybody, which, perhaps, represents a sign of the times in the post-politically correct British media.

Loved by children and adults alike, 'SM:tv Live' completely demolished the BBC's rivals of 'Live and Kicking' and, later, 'The Saturday Show'. While ITV on a Saturday morning was regularly pulling in 3 million viewers, the BBC struggled to get 1 million. This is an incredible achievement considering that 'Swap Shop', 'The Saturday Super Store', 'Going Live' and the early days of 'Live and Kicking' were far more popular than anything shown on ITV.

Since the departure of Ant, Dec and Cat, 'SM:tv Live' has lost some of its magic. Although Tess Daly, Brian Dowling et al do a reasonable job, there are some things that only the original three could pull off. For example, the days of Ant and Dec comically shouting at children for giving ludicrous answers on 'Wonkey Donkey' are no longer there. The children particularly enjoyed this section, as the presenters became more like cheeky older brothers, making them infinitely more accessible.

Nevertheless, this show represents a stimulating transformation from the subservient, children's television, which was long overdue for a face-lift.