Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Britain Get Talking' returns interrupting Saturday Night Takeaway

07/04/2021

Britain Get Talking' returns interrupting Saturday Night Takeaway

Ant & Dec conduct awkward interview entirely by text to show the importance of having better quality conversations

Because the better we talk, the better we feel.'

Watch here

ITV and STV's landmark mental health campaign, Britain Get Talking, returned with an unexpected interruption on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, to highlight the positive effects of better quality conversations on our mental wellbeing.

In an interview with Sir Mo Farah, the ITV hosts conducted the beginning of their conversation with the Olympic athlete entirely through texting. Texting is a great way to communicate, but as demonstrated in this segment, sometimes things can get lost in translation.

Ant & Dec picked up on the staggered unnatural nature of the text interview, suggesting to Sir Mo it would be better if they just talked. The duo continued to explain how we're living through a mental health emergency and many of us could use a proper heart to heart. Whether it's on the phone, or socially distanced in person, a good conversation has the power to ease our stress, and reduce our anxiety.

The disruption of the text interview contrasted with the usual chatter and energy of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, from the guests and the audience - it aimed to highlight how making time for better quality conversations can improve communications and outcomes, which in turn can improve mental wellbeing.

Ant and Dec, who have supported Britain Get Talking since they launched it in 2019, said: We are really proud to support the Britain Get Talking campaign which has already encouraged millions of people to connect. This latest part of the campaign is a reminder to think about, not just how much we're chatting, but what kind of conversations they are. After the year everyone's had, the message of Britain Get Talking couldn't be more important.

The Britain Get Talking campaign, which is supported by Mind and YoungMinds and which was developed by Uncommon Creative Studio, kicked off with the text stunt during the show, and will be followed by an advertising campaign running in ITV airtime called The Britain Get Talking How to Chat Show. These 30 second ads will also push to longer content on ITV Hub. The campaign and interview series emphasises the same theme of how better conversations can help, with the line The better you talk, the better you feel.'

The Britain Get Talking How to Chat Show series, hosted by Roman Kemp, Alex Beresford and Rochelle Humes, and featuring Anne-Marie, Charlene White, Dr Ranj, Nicholas Pinnock and Sanjeev Bhaskar, will dive deeper into overcoming barriers and techniques for having better quality conversations through real experiences and stories shared by the celebrity guests.

Singer-songwriter and The Voice UK Coach Anne-Marie gives her top advice for having a good conversation: You need to listen most when people arent saying anything. Even if they look like they're doing okay I just ask them anyway.

Unforgotten actor Sanjeev Bhaskar said: We were brought up by society to believe that as blokes we fix things. My son is 15 and one of the things I encourage him to do is that if he can't talk to me then talk to someone else. Vulnerability shared is actually a strength.

The campaign website - itv.com/BritainGetTalking - also hosts information on how to have better quality conversations, as well as sources of support for viewers who can't rely on family and friends. ITV continued to work in close collaboration with Britain Get Talking charity partners Mind and YoungMinds in developing this campaign, alongside SAMH in Scotland.

Britain Get Talking originally launched in October 2019, by pausing Britain's Got Talent to give people the time back to talk. The initiative launched as part of ITV's ongoing objective to encourage 10 million people to take action and improve their mental or physical health by 2023. When the pandemic hit last year, ITV continuously ran campaigns around mental wellbeing and put Britain Get Talking back at the heart of the channel. Encouraging people at a time of physical isolation, to stay connected and keep talking - which was more important than ever, throughout the multiple lockdowns the UK faced.

Since Britain Get Talking re-launched in March 2020, 6.4 million people have made calls or sent texts to friends and family as a result of the campaign and last year the campaign also raised £1.4 million to support mental health charity helplines, including donations from the Department of Health and Social Care.

Britain Get Talking continues to be the UK's most recognised mental health campaign.

Susie Braun, Head of Strategy for ITV Social Purpose, said, Connecting with other people is one of the best ways we can look after our mental wellbeing. Britain Get Talking has got millions of people to have a chat since it first launched - so in this next campaign we're focusing on not just quantity but quality too. A good conversation can make the world of difference, especially after the tough year we've all had.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said, However you choose to do it, taking the time to check in and really engage with friends and family is important. The last year has been tough for many of us. Our coronavirus survey of 16,000 people showed that over half of adults and two thirds of young people said their mental health got worse during the pandemic, with many developing problems for the first time. Even as lockdown is easing, we know that many of us will still be feeling the impact. By having open and meaningful conversations with our loved ones we can support each other when we need it most.

Emma Thomas, Chief Executive of YoungMinds, said, We know from young people and parents
LINK: https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/britain-get-talking-ret...
See more stories from itv

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

08/05/2026

NBC Sports, Peacock Scale Vertical-Video Production Across Sports - and Beyond - Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

NBC's 9:16 live-production workflows power Courtside Live, Rinkside Live, Vi...

08/05/2026

ESPN Pieces Together Production Strategy After WNBA's Unsettled Offseason

Native 1080p HDR productions will rely on a mix of remote workflows from Bristol and Los Angeles Despite another prosperous WNBA season in 2025, there was no g...

08/05/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 14: Buffalo Sabres' Autumn Bolton - Bringing Back Better Days at KeyBank Center

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

08/05/2026

ESPN and Players Era Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement for Mens College Basketball Championships

Players Era, an EverWonder Studio company, and ESPN have announced a multi-year ...

08/05/2026

BFBS Selects Synamedia to Build Next-Generation Digital Platform for UK Armed Forces

BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) has announced the selection of Syname...

08/05/2026

UFC and Joe Hand Promotions Launch Championship Rounds Commercial Subscription Package

UFC and Joe Hand Promotions, UFC's exclusive commercial distributor in the U...

08/05/2026

Ease Live Granted US Patent for Interactive Streaming Overlay Technology

Ease Live, an Evertz company, has announced it has been granted US Patent No. 12,556,777 for its graphical overlay technology for interactive live streaming. Th...

08/05/2026

Ateme Deploys OTT Platform for VTVcabs VTVprime Service in Vietnam

Ateme has announced that VTVcab has deployed Ateme's OTT platform to power its VTVprime streaming service in Vietnam. The deployment covers live and on-dema...

08/05/2026

Amagi Launches In-Content Ads Marketplace for CTV Advertising

Amagi has announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering via the Amagi ADS PLUS marketplace, providing programmatic access to ad formats inserted dir...

08/05/2026

USA Sports Dives Headfirst Into Its Inaugural WNBA Season With Onsite Postseason-Style' Productions

Young broadcaster will deploy 11-camera complement, At the Line' scorebug f...

08/05/2026

Ratings Roundup: NBCs Derby Coverage Hits All-Time High; 1st Round of NBA, NHA Playoffs Up Big

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

08/05/2026

A Mother's Day Toast to Joan Rubinsky in Theater Camp

Molly Gordon and Ben Platt appear in Theater Camp. (Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures) By Lucy Spicer Her character is the beloved founder of the AdirondACTS...

08/05/2026

Cyma Forma & Bambounou unveil RND synth

One-button synth generates random four-track ideas Cyma Forma and French artist Bambounou have announced RND synth, a compact hardware synthesizer built aro...

08/05/2026

Tasty Chips GR-2 granular synthesizer

Portable four-layer granular and sampling instrument Tasty Chips have announced the GR-2, a new granular synthesizer and sampling instrument that combines e...

08/05/2026

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Polyend Drums

Video Show Report Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Polyend Drums Polyends big announcement for Superbooth 2026 is the Drums, a new drum machine that features both ...

08/05/2026

Native Instruments to be acquired by inMusic

Deal agreed as NI enters new chapter Native Instruments CEO Nick Williams has announced that a definitive agreement has been signed for the company to be ac...

08/05/2026

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Erica Synths Bullfrog Drums

Video Show Report Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Erica Bullfrog Drums The Bullfrog Drums is the latest collaboration between Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin, and ...

08/05/2026

Play Snooker: Cueing Up the Future So Every Frame Counts

In our latest blog, Tim Pearson reflects on the recent launch of Play Snooker, the new digital home of snooker by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker A...

08/05/2026

G&D KVM-over-IP Plugin for Netgear AV Simplifies Deployments

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

Riedel to Support Glasgow 2026 as Official Connectivity I...

Riedel Communications today announced its return as a sponsor of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, where the company will serve as the Official Connectivity ...

08/05/2026

Miri V410 Encoder-Decoder Wins 2026 NAB Show Product of t...

For the second straight year, Miri Technologies Inc. has been honored with a pair of coveted awards at the broadcast, media and entertainment industry's pre...

08/05/2026

Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards

Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions. May 7, 2026 By Tori Donahue Boston Co...

08/05/2026

Report: Rise of Video Podcasts Prompts Hybrid Approach

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

U.K. Military Broadcaster Taps Synamedia for Digital Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

Gayle Benson To Receive NAB Leadership Foundation Leadership Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

Dems Blast FCC Disney Probe As 'Egregious Abuse of Power'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical investment, it's a human one

Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...

08/05/2026

COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content

COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content Brie Clayton May 7, 2026 0 Comments UGC, On-Camera Video Content April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......

08/05/2026

For Dogs' Sake! Pete Wicks returns with more heart-warming rescue journeys

Pete reunites with Dogs Trust for a fourth series and a two-part overseas special London, Friday 8th May 2026: The award winning factual entertainment series P...

08/05/2026

Riedel to Support Glasgow 2026 as Official Connectivity Integration Provider

Wuppertal May 8, 2026 Riedel to Support Glasgow 2026 as Official Connectivity Integration Provider Riedel Communications today announced its return as a spons...

08/05/2026

Netflix Announces Standalone Sequel to Global Hit 'La Palma'

Back to All News Netflix Announces Standalone Sequel to Global Hit La Palma Entertainment 08 May 2026 GlobalDenmarkFinlandNorwaySweden Link copied to clipb...

08/05/2026

Say hello to ICG Belfast

ICG is excited to share news of our official launch in Northern Ireland, marking a significant milestone in the agency's growth. Led by Digital Marketing M...

08/05/2026

Investing in smart metering to close London's water gap

Over the past ten years, Thames Water, in partnership with Arqiva, has installed more than 1.2 million smart meters, creating one of the most extensive advanced...

07/05/2026

Sudan Digital Investigation Hub launches to support journalists navigating disinformation in conflict

Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...

07/05/2026

Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger on the Impact of the Dallas Cowboys Deal, Creator-Led Content, and Free In-Market Access for Fans

Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...

07/05/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Ella Peterson, University of Illinois

From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production In the ...

07/05/2026

NAB 2026: Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards

Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...

07/05/2026

Scripps National Spelling Bee Revamps Broadcast; Mina Kimes to Host, Embassy Rows Michael Davies to Produce

ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...

07/05/2026

MUBI Selects Bitmovin as Cloud VOD Encoding Partner

Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...

07/05/2026

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and U.S. Soccer Extend Spanish-Language Media Rights Through 2030

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...

07/05/2026

Angel City Football Club and Victory+ Announce Regional Broadcast Partnership

Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...

07/05/2026

Spiideo Launches AI Highlights for Automated Highlight and Clip Creation

Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...

07/05/2026

Leostream Announces Unified HPC Remote Access Ecosystem for Post-Production and Enterprise Workflows

Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...

07/05/2026

Victory+ Adds Atlanta Dream Local Broadcasts to Free Streaming Platform

The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...

07/05/2026

Riedel Communications Appoints Marc Engroff as CFO; Frank Eischet Moves to Group COO Role

Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...