
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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Strategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth
Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, has acqui...
15/04/2026
SDVI, the leading platform provider for cloud-native media supply chains, today announced that the company's Rally platform has been deployed by Iyuno Media...
15/04/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, has become the platform of choice for leading U.S. broadcasters bringing ...
15/04/2026
New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliability and Security
SAN JOSE, Calif. April 14, 2026 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) t...
15/04/2026
During the 2025 off-season, VIDI completed a major upgrade of the broadcast infrastructure across all 36 stadiums in Germany's 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. The p...
15/04/2026
Clear-Com announced significant updates to its award-winning Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System now runn...
15/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB SHOW 2026
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
New system removes PTZ pan restric...
15/04/2026
LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB Show, Adding Direct File...
15/04/2026
This 24-Hour Performance Art Piece Needs Your Participation Keefer Glenshaws latest project is about collaborating with the Berklee community and beyond.
Apr...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...
14/04/2026
The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...
14/04/2026
BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show
The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...
14/04/2026
The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....
14/04/2026
DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...
14/04/2026
GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...
14/04/2026
For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...
14/04/2026
Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision.
He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...