Saturday Night Takeaway’s 3 options for addressing Ant’s absence tonight

Saturday Night Takeaway has been "plunged into chaos" as producers try to decide how to address Ant McPartlin's absence from the show.

This weekend's show will be hosted by Declan Donnelly - the first time in his career he will appear without his presenting partner. Ant, meanwhile, has entered rehab after being charged with drink driving following a car crash in London earlier in the month. ITV bosses are said to be considering three different options when addressing the issue of Ant's departure from the show, the first of which will see Dec apologise for his partner's no-show and briefly mention his drink-driving arrest. Alternatively, it's said he may choose to simply offer a 'get well soon' message to his friend. Finally, the show's producers may opt to avoid mentioning Ant's absence entirely. An insider from the show has revealed to The Sun that explaining the 42-year-old's absence has been the most difficult aspect of planning for this week's show. "The bosses are torn in regards to how they can hit the right tone," they said. "They want to be respectful to people involved in Ant’s car accident, while not bringing down the mood of the show.

"Takeaway is all about having fun and they fear a sombre start may seriously affect the quality of the output."