Hastings Pier features on Ant & Dec show

Hastings Pier featured in a primetime TV show at the weekend.
Just some of the people who took part in the competition SUS-180313-173231001Just some of the people who took part in the competition SUS-180313-173231001
Just some of the people who took part in the competition SUS-180313-173231001

The attraction appeared on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway as part of a competition the show ran.

People had to turn up at the pier to be in with a chance of winning a holiday in Florida.

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The event on Saturday evening (March 10) was part of the programme’s Sofawatch slot in which viewers have to guess the featured locations in England where the show’s signature sofa is.

Those who recognise the location then race to get there to be the first to sit on the sofa.

Sara Bowen, production manager for Hastings Pier, said: “It was quite exciting when we found out that we would be on the programme.

“Around two months ago we received an email from one of the producers saying they wanted to come to the pier for a TV programme and wouldn’t tell us anything more than that.

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Later we had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a few weeks later we found out the pier had been selected to feature as a location in the show. We had to keep it quiet and there were only a select number of people who knew.

“We knew this would give the pier a bit of promotion, as well as putting Hastings on the map. Between 500 and 1,000 people came to the pier. There was quite a queue stretching from the centre gate to where The Source Park is, with people wanting to register to get on the sofa.

“We had more than 1,000 hits on our Facebook page within a few hours afterwards as well so PR-wise it was really great for us.”

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway was first broadcast in June 2002. The show is notable for a quiz show in which a random member of the studio audience can win prizes based on television adverts, and for a competition in each series between the two presenters.