Ant and Dec issue apology for ‘impersonating people of colour’ on Saturday Night Takeaway

Ant and Dec have issued an apology to their Twitter followers for ‘impersonating people of colour’ during ‘comedy’ sketches on Saturday Night Takeaway.

They took to the micro-blogging site on Wednesday evening, posting: ‘During past episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway we impersonated people of colour during the undercover segment of the show.

‘We realise that this was wrong and want to say we ware sincerely sorry for anyone that was offended.

‘We purposely stopped doing this several years ago and certainly would not do these sketches today 

‘We had already taken steps to ensure footage was taken down and have again recently confirmed with ITV that these segments, and any other historical content that could cause offence, does not appear on the ITV Hub of the Saturday Night Takeaway YouTube channel.’

Last year, the pair were slammed when old footage of the duo in blackface resurfaced. 

During some of their many Ant & Dec Undercover sketches on the hit ITV show, the presenting duo changed their skin colour and wore prosthetics to portray made up characters in an effort to trick their famous friends.

One of the most controversial skits saw them dress up as two fictional Jamaican women, ‘Patty and Bernice’, in an attempt to prank Emmerdale cast members, in 2003.

In the segment the Geordie pair acted as unruly extras in the Woolpack, behaving eccentrically in an effort to distract Louise Appleton (played by Emily Symons) and Diane Sugden (played by Elizabeth Estensen).

The prank was certainly successful, with the soap cast falling about with laughter as they realised they had been duped.

However, an old clip of Ant and Dec discussing their transformation into ‘Patty and Bernice’ on the Saturday Night Takeaway DVD has also resurfaced, and makes for an uneasy watch.

In the clip, Ant appears to be amused as he recalls the particular sketch, joking: ‘It was funny sitting in a room, learning Jamaican, picking dresses, trying on false nails, was something I didn’t think I’d ever, ever do.’

Dec, mimicking a Jamaican accent adds: ‘We had to find who Patty and Bernice were, so we’d have to go “Well, I think Bernice probably came to England on a boat”.’ 

Ant and Dec impersonated people of other races and ethnicities on multiple occasions while filming their Ant & Dec Undercover sketches.   

In 2004, the pair dressed up as two Japanese girls, with prosthetics, elaborate make-up and exaggerated accents used to transform them into Suki and Keiko.

During the skit, the Geordie pair attempted to trick the Coronation Street cast into believing they were in love with Todd Grimshaw, played by Bruno Langley.

In 2005, Ant dressed up as an Arab man, during another Saturday Night Takeaway prank, in which they targeted Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell.

For the skit, Ant sported a keffiyeh – a traditional Middle Eastern headdress – and traditional Arabic clothing.   

Ant and Dec’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline at the time.

This follows another controversial segment on the show, which took place in March of this year.

Singer Anne-Marie took to social media to issue her own mortified apology after she appeared in a sketch on the most recent series of Takeaway, in which Ant and Dec wore headbands displaying Japan’s Rising Sun flag. 

The singer, 28, sang during the segment, as the men pranced around on set behind her, brandishing the flag which was adopted as the naval ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the 19th century. 

So controversial is the symbol that South Korea’s sports ministry made the request to the International Olympic Committee last September to remove it from appearing at the Tokyo Olympics – even though the Olympics have since been postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.

They claimed the flag defies the peaceful spirit of the Olympics as it is a symbol of Japan’s imperialist past.

Anne-Marie took to Twitter on Sunday to apologise to her 679,000 followers for the use of the symbol. 

‘I sincerely apologise to all those who were affected and hurt by my appearance last night on a UK TV [show],’ she said.

‘I want you to know that I had nothing to do with the costumes on this sketch.

‘Unfortunately education on this part of the history wasn’t done and I am also hurt by the pain this signifies for so many people.

‘I am truly sorry and I promise you that this will not happen again.

‘Our team is talking to the TV station, working on taking down the footage so that it does not cause any more pain [sic].’

ITV told MailOnline: ‘We apologise for any offence caused during the End of the Show Show by the costumes worn. 

‘This was clearly unintended and we have taken steps to re-edit that part of the episode for the Hub and for repeat broadcasts.’ 

MailOnline contacted Ofcom regarding the sketch at the time.

It said the show had received several complaints, none of which relating to the sketch with Anne Marie. 

Ofcom said two complaints had been against a segment with Anthony Joshua and another had been to do with a cake being dropped on the floor.

Taking to Twitter, one viewer said: ‘Thank you for apologising for that, and I’m glad you mentioned it without condoning it. 

‘I hope this never happens again. From Korean fans cheering for Anne-Marie Smiling face with smiling eyes [sic].’

A third typed: ‘The rising sun flag signifies the most painful era of Korean history during WWII, and I am thankful that you addressed the problem quickly. Love you as always xxx [sic].’ 

‘I fully understand your mind. I wish you are OK. And I hope to see you in Korea soon. Take care of your health and love you xx [sic],’ wrote another. 

The Rising Sun flag is currently flown by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and was originally used by feudal warlords in Japan during the Edo Period.

It was then adopted as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1870 under the Meiji Government. 

But it’s not the first time the presenting duo have faced backlash for their sketches on the show. 

In 2004 they impersonated two young Japanese girls that were obsessed with Coronation Street. 

The pair donned prosthetics to become Suki and Keiko and also used exaggerated Japanese accents for the sketch.    

This is while in 2003 the pair wore blackface as they impersonated two Jamaican women. 

They dressed at Patty and Bernice to prank the cast of Emmerdale.