Judy Finnigan admits This Morning live Viagra test stunt was 'awful'

What did you miss?

Judy Finnigan made a confession looking back at This Morning's live Viagra test saying, "It was awful".

The ITV daytime famously invited three couples for a live test of then newly introduced anti-impotence pill that now makes the TV presenter cringe. Richard Madeley recalled the segment in a new Channel 5 documentary Richard and Judy: Our Best Bits - In Our Own Words.

But while Finnigan has regrets, Madeley is proud they "broke fresh ground".

What, how and why?

When Viagra was launched in the UK in 1998, This Morning invited three couples who were experiencing difficulty in the sex life to appear on the show, be driven to a hotel, and then return to the studio to report back on how it had worked live on air.

Madeley, 68, said: "We like to do new things, things that really break fresh ground, like for example when Viagra was introduced we said let's..." Finnigan, 76, interrupted: "Not us." Madeley laughed: "Not us, that's a test too far."

Recalling the segment Finnigan giggled and cringed: "There was a producer prowling up and down in the corridor outside their rooms in the hotel with walkie talkies. Looking back now it was awful!"

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Nick Bullen, former editor of This Morning said: "The main worry was would we kill someone in the process. So the phone calls to the team were like 'Are they all still alive? Has anyone had a heat attack? Are they okay?'

"And you can imagine - Ricard really wanted to get into 'So come on boys, did it work?' and Judy I just seem to remember giggled quite a lot." He added: "Both of them have got brilliant senses of humour, they like to shock and they liked it when we were on the edge of being possibly pulled off air."

What else happened did Richard and Judy say?

Madeley stood by his Ali G impression which he did live on the show, insisting he still thought it was funny. Although his children Chloe and Jack Madeley recalled it "changed their lives forever".

Madeley appeared on This Morning dressed up as Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy character Ali G and interviewed Finnigan in character.

He said: "We wrote that together, I know people rip it out of me for doing Ali G and I get why. But I do think hands up it was quite a funny script. At home I occasionally used to drop into Ali G which the kids though was very funny. My performance was obviously ridiculous, but what the hell, so what, it was a laugh!"

Son Jack confessed: "I'm ashamed to say I think I might have encouraged it. I remember Dad sitting down and reading me this thing and I said, 'It's quite funny, you're not going to do it on TV though? 'And then of course it happened and our lives end."

Chloe added: " Our lives were never the same. Jack was mortified. I remember Jack lying on the floor under the TV, under the TV - you were not happy."

Watch Richard and Judy: Our Best Bits - In Our Own Words on Channel 5 streaming now.