Ant and Dec ‘confirm’ return of massive TV gameshow during swipe at Stephen Mulhern

ANT And Dec appear to have let a major cat out of the bag during a cheeky jab towards longtime pal, Stephen Mulhern, on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.

The Geordie duo were hosting Tuesday night's episode of the ITV jungle series when they couldn't resist taking a swipe at their Saturday Night Takeaway co-star Stephen Mulhern.

Amid rumours Mulhern's been approached by ITV to replace Noel Edmonds as the host of gameshow favourite Deal Or No Deal, Ant and Dec's newest comments on I'm A Celebrity definitely turned up the speculation.

After watching the campmates unlock an RV using a selection of keys they had to find around camp, Ant and Dec welcomed viewers back from an ad break before revealing what was inside.

"I love the game, it was brilliant watching them unlock the padlocks," Ant said. "I reckon there's a gameshow in it. Get the Key To the RV."

"I don't think there's enough for a whole gameshow though, is it?" Dec responded. "Who would you get to host a gameshow, where you just watch people unlocking padlocks for half an hour?"

"Two words: Stephen Mulhern," Ant shot back.

"Yes, he needs another show," agreed Dec, before they both looked at the camera and waved as they chanted. "Hi Stevie!"

However, due to the concept of the game, and the involvement of Mulhern, viewers couldn't help but make the link and think it was something a bit more substantial.

"Did Ant and Dec just causally announce Stephen Mulhern as the host of the return of Deal or no deal?" asked one fan.

While another quizzed: "Was that a dig at the new Deal or No Deal?"

A third shared a laughing meme and titled it "the subtle jokey Stephen Mulhern shade" while a fourth said: "I would *definitely* watch that Stephen Mulhern game show. Sounds like a modern day Take Your Pick. #ImACeleb"

The original series, fronted by Noel Edmonds, ran on Channel 4 for 11 years until 2016, but is believed to be in the midst of a planned reboot by ITV.

Insiders revealed to The Sun that ITV are now working to reboot the popular show which saw contestants choosing one of 22 boxes and gambling against the banker in a bid to walk away with the highest sum.

A source said: “Deal Or No Deal was absolutely huge back in the day and pulled in millions of viewers.

“ITV think there is still a huge appetite for it and think they could make a huge success of the show if they brought it back.

“Plans for the reboot are in the very early stages and the details of when it could come back are being closely guarded.

“There have been discussions around Noel possibly returning but ITV decided they want to give the show a completely fresh look and feel.

“Stephen has been approached about being the new host of the show which is something he is over-the-moon about.

“He has really proven himself to ITV and after he got his own show In For A Penny, as well as Catchphrase, bosses think Stephen could be ideal for it."

Currently, nothing has been made official at the time of writing.

The Sun Online has contacted ITV for comment.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! airs weekdays at 9pm on ITV.