UK NEWS

IS ANT & DEC’S US BET OFF?

Ant and Dec’s show could be dropped

Sunday May 25,2008

By David Stephenson

ANT and Dec’s dream of million-dollar US stardom is in jeopardy.

Following the embarrassing scandal of sham voting on their Saturday Night Takeaway programme, the duo have been told their new American show Wanna Bet? might be dropped.

Network ABC fears an anti-gambling backlash and its debut planned for July 21 is in doubt.

At the least it is unlikely to go out in its present format, based on the German hit Wetten Dass?, even though six shows are in the can.

Already on a £20million deal with ITV until the end of 2009, Ant and Dec – Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, both 32 – are still said to be “bitterly disappointed”.

In Wanna Bet?, celebrities bet from a kitty on a contestant succeeding in stunts such as skiing over eggs without breaking them or solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. The money goes to charity and there is no public betting.

A spokesman for Ant and Dec said: “As far as we’re aware, ABC are really excited about the show. The audiences in the two shows I saw were brilliant and they had no idea who Ant and Dec were!”

But Don Henderson, of Parents Against Gambling, said: “America isn’t like Britain. Gambling is confined to legalised casinos and, unfortunately, the internet. To actively encourage people – especially impressionable kids – to start betting is highly irresponsible.”

A senior source at ABC said: “We are taking these comments very seriously… and we’ll be thinking long and hard before making any scheduling decisions to air it.”

A source from the duo’s pilot show said: “They wouldn’t want to do anything that encourages youngsters to gamble or try stunts but they are bitterly disappointed at being hung out to dry while their dream of making it big in America is on hold.”