Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway usually goes out live

Up to 700 production staff across the UK are to stage a 36-hour walkout on Friday and Saturday in a pay protest.

Broadcasting unions Amicus and Bectu say members, due to strike from 0700 BST on Friday, have been asked to work overtime to complete the pre-recording.

ITV said Ant and Dec's hit show "will be recorded 'as live' on Thursday and transmitted on Saturday night".

"The proposed industrial action has meant that we have had to make alternative arrangements regarding studios and resources and we are therefore using BBC facilities," an ITV spokesman said.

"Our entertainment shows will go out as planned on Saturday and we do not foresee a delay in delivering drama serial programming on schedule to ITV."

Staff in London, Leeds and Manchester will stage a strike beginning at 0700 on Friday through to 1900 on Saturday.

Bectu members in Nottingham, Birmingham, Norwich and at ITV's southern transmission centre in London will also take part in a two-hour stoppage from 1200 to 1400 on Friday.

Recognition

Members of the Bectu and Amicus broadcasting unions voted to strike after rejecting a 3.3% pay offer.

Our members have effectively suffered year on year pay cuts while ITV executives and shareholders have been generously rewarded Mike Smallwood Amicus

The action comes after ITV announced �340m pre-tax profits and a �1.9m pay package for chief executive Charles Allen after steering the broadcaster through last year's merger of Carlton and Granada.

"Our members have effectively suffered year on year pay cuts while ITV executives and shareholders have been generously rewarded," said Mike Smallwood, Amicus' national officer for the broadcast industry.

"The fact that ITV companies are now having to pay our members overtime rates to ensure programming is ironic," he added.

Both unions will be taking further action in London, starting again at 0700 on Friday 15 April.

ITV has said it believed its pay offer was fair when combined with the promise of a minimum salary of �13,500 and an extra day's holiday to celebrate the network's 50th anniversary.