SMTV Live (1998): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1998, SMTV Live is a comedy series.

What it’s about. 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.

Who’s in it. SMTV Live stars Claire Richards as Self - Host, Brian Dowling as Self - Host, Tess Daly as Self - Host and Stephen Mulhern as Self - Host, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.4/10, SMTV Live has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch SMTV Live page.

If you liked it. Fans of SMTV Live tend to enjoy Rick and Morty, My Hero Academia, One Piece and The Umbrella Academy.