Saturday Night Takeaway returned for its 2024 series last night and Simon Cowell was a guest on the show among some others.
Ant and Dec were back to host their 20th series, which will be the last. For the first episode, the usual segments were back including Ant vs Dec and their pranks on celebs.
And that celeb last night was poor Simon. Ant and Dec pranked him by getting him pulled over by security on his bike in Malibu before causing an America’s Got Talent performance to go wrong.
Simon Cowell on Saturday Night Takeaway
Ant and Dec first pranked Simon on their first ever series in 2003. For the recent series, they stepped things up a notch.
Simon usually rides his bike through sunny Malibu. Well, Ant and Dec took advantage of this and arranged for a fake security officer to pull over Simon.
The fake security officer told Simon that his bike was not “regulation colours” before telling him he needed reflective safety gear.
Simon Cowell prank
After Simon said he didn’t have reflective safety gear, the fake officer pulled out a “complimentary” safety vest.
Later, Ant and Dec’s prank didn’t stop there. They then arrived at the America’s Got Talent shows to pull another joke on Simon.
They dressed up as part of magician Darcy Oake’s act, playing the role of his assistants. The prank involved Simon being locked into a metal box.
Darcy was then seen swallowing the “only key” to the padlocks, leaving Simon trapped. Ant and Dec instructed an actor – posed as a health and safety intructor – to go on stage to try and cut Simon out of the box.
After some ‘failed’ attempts, they then strapped a fake explosion to the box – leaving Simon looking absolutely terrified.
That’s when Ant and Dec fessed up and revealed themselves behind the prank. Simon told him: “You! I am going to kill you.”
Simon then appeared on the show live last night to discuss the prank with Ant and Dec. He told them: “That whole day was just a total nightmare.”
Following Simon’s appearance on the stage, guest announcer Stephen Merchant took a swipe at his appearance. When asked what he thought of the prank, Stephen said: “I didn’t like it… I loved it. That’s my Simon Cowell impression. It’s my Cowell impression but it’s not very convincing because my face moved,” as Ant and Dec looked shocked and laughed.
Viewers were stunned by Stephen’s remark as one said on X: “Stephen Merchant going full in on Simon Cowell.”
Another wrote: “Stephen Merchant’s comment on Simon Cowell. Yikes.”
Someone else added: “Stephen Merchant’s dig at Simon Cowell. Boom.”
Others expressed concern for Simon. One siad: “Is Simon ok?”
Another wrote: “Is Simon okay?! He looks so unwell.”
Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returns next Saturday (March 2) from 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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