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SMTV Live, also stylised as SM:tv LIVE and in early promotional material SMTV://live, is a British Saturday morning children's television programme, first broadcast on ITV on 29 August 1998 and last broadcast on 27 December 2003. On the surface, the programme did not seem to stray away from the format of other Saturday morning output, featuring an audience of children, competitions and cartoons, though it constantly won in ratings battles with the BBC's Live & Kicking and became ITV's most successful children's programme since Tiswas. The major success of SMTV Live has been attributed in equal parts to Ant & Dec's original presenting partnership with Cat Deeley, its use of thinly-veiled comedic innuendo aimed at older viewers, and its broadcast of the Japanese cartoon series Pokémon. At the height of its popularity, SMTV Live regularly attracted 2.5 million viewers. Ant & Dec's company Gallowgate currently owns the rights to the show.
Directed by —, SMTV Live leans on a strong ensemble — Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Cat Deeley — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1998.
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Nick Cannon and an A-list celebrity lead a team of improv comedians as they compete against each other.
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