Viewers stunned as Stephen Merchant makes brutal dig at Simon Cowell’s appearance

"Stephen Merchant saying what everyone is thinking."

The 64-year-old has not shied away from being candid about his appearance, and has admitted to having Botox.

"I think its hysterical.  I mean it just makes me laugh —  I haven’t had a facelift or anything," he previously said of criticism of his looks.

"I have had a bit of Botox or whatever but kind of nothing drastic. So when I hear about this stuff honestly, it does make me laugh.

"Over the years people have said that I’ve had everything done. But I don’t Google myself so I genuinely don’t have a clue what everyone is saying about me until we do things like BGT."

However, during his appearance on last night's instalment of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Cowell faced a jibe from a fellow celeb.

Stephen Merchant took the opportunity to do an impression of Cowell, saying: “I didn’t like it, I loved it.”

However, it's what he said next that got fans up in arms.

“It’s my Cowell impression but it’s not very convincing because my face moved," Merchant added, leaving the audience in hysterics.

Viewers at home took to social media to share their thoughts on Merchant's brutal dig.

One person wrote: "Stephen Merchant just proper mugged of Simon Cowell then."

"Not Stephen Merchant shading Simon Cowell," another put.

"Stephen Merchant poking fun at Simon Cowell’s lifeless face live on Saturday Night Takeaway. Ant & Dec’s faces were a picture as he said it," a third penned.

While a fourth wrote: "Stephen Merchant's Simon Cowell joke was too funny."