Inside final Saturday Night Takeaway series with host of old favourites as Ant & Dec reveal beloved segment will return

ANT & Dec have turned gunge, games and guest stars into TV gold over 34 years in showbiz, with Byker Grove, SM:TV Live, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win.

But nowhere has their brand of family fun and light entertainment felt more at home than on Saturday Night Takeaway.

Now the Geordie duo are poised to shelve their ITV smash hit variety show after 22 years.

Talking of the decision for the first time, Ant McPartlin, 48, said: “We just thought it was the perfect time with series 20. It seemed a natural point to pause, celebrate, take a break, look back and reflect on how we want the show to look in future.”

Declan Donnelly, also 48, added: “You can’t do that while the show is on air because it’s such an all-year-round process, filming the Undercovers, Get Out Of Me Ear and the public pranks. We felt you need to come off air for a pause before you can decide what you want to do with it.”

The pair announced the show was taking an indefinite break last May, with Dec revealing that, after 19 series, they needed a “breather”.

It means the duo are keen that the new run of episodes, which begins on Saturday, is a real celebration of all they have achieved.

Dec said: “Just before we launched the series in 2002 I remember us both sat alone in the audience seats looking at the empty studio as they put the set together, and we said, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if this show ran for ten years?’.”

‘We’re very nervous’

“We feel incredibly proud, grateful and excited to reach series 20. Takeaway is the show we always wanted to make — a live, anything-can-happen, prime-time entertainment show like the ones we’d enjoyed growing up.”

Ant added: “And here we are, 20-odd years later. It’s beyond our wildest dreams.

“We feel very privileged.”

It isn’t the first time the ITV programme has been off our screens.

The duo took a break from 2009 until 2013. It makes them confident the format can survive time off-air.

They have prepared a bumper series to do the farewell justice. Dec said: “When we knew this was going to be our last series we sat down with the team and looked at what we could do and how we would celebrate it.”

Ant added: “We thought it would be nice to look back at some of the things we’ve done in the past, while mixing it up with some new stuff.”

Dec chimed in: “So it’ll be a celebration of the 20 series and also some new ideas in there to ensure we send this series off with a bang.”

The first revelation is that Little Ant & Dec will be back for a third time.

The initial mini-mes shot to fame as they conducted interviews with Hollywood stars, while conversations often descended into chaos.

The original duo, James Pallister and Dylan McKenna-Redshaw, had to step aside after a growth spurt meant they matched Ant (5ft 8in) and Dec (5ft 5in), in height.

From 2013, Neil Overend and Haydn Reid took over.

Ant said with a laugh: “The original Little Ant & Dec obviously got very tall and older and were no longer very little.

“Then the same thing happened with the second incarnations.”

Dec added: “Everybody loved Little Ant & Dec, so we thought, ‘Let’s bring them back one more time’. The great thing about them is they can go meet celebrities and ask those cheeky questions that we aren’t able to.”

Confirming new faces will be revealed, Ant said: “So we’ve found some new cheeky little Geordies to run riot on series 20 and we can’t wait for you to meet them.”

Other show favourites, including Undercover — where the lads prank fellow celebrities — will also be back.

And this time round, the pals both had a very lofty target in their sights — X Factor icon Simon Cowell. They disguised themselves as rappers to audition for American Idol.

The last show will be a celebration of the 20 series and also some new ideas. It’s coming live from the UK and we’re planning something huge. We’ll make sure we go out with a bang

Declan Donnelly

Dec explains: “Our first ever Undercover was on Simon in LA, when he was a judge on American Idol. So we’ve gone back and got him again. We went out to LA and gave him the day from hell while he was judging on America’s Got Talent.”

Ant added: “It was even sweeter getting him the second time round because we also got him during his downtime as he’s riding his bike around Malibu. It’s very, very funny.”

There’s a new twist on Get Out Of Me Ear, too. The segment usually sees the lads direct a celebrity to perform zany antics in public via an earpiece.

And while Lorraine Kelly is one of their volunteers, the boys will also be on the receiving end of the orders for a change.

Dec said: “We have put ourselves into the hot seat for the first time (and last time) with a Revenge Get Out Of Me Ear. We will be wearing earpieces and have celebrities telling us what to say and do.

“The celebrities will be ones we’ve pranked in the past, and we’re giving them the opportunity to get their sweet revenge.”

Ant added: “We don’t know who the celebrities are, but the production team do.

“Normally, when you’re trying to get celebrities for things like this it’s hard to pin them down because of busy diaries. But we’ve been told everyone they asked immediately said yes. We’re very nervous.”

With a laugh, Dec insisted: “It’s the worst idea we’ve ever had.”

Household names have always jumped at the chance to appear on Saturday Night Takeaway.

Stars to have featured in the past include Michael Buble, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue.

Ant & Dec also had help on the hosting panel from Stephen Mulhern, Fleur East, Jordan North and Andi Peters, who will all be back.

We feel proud to reach series 20. Takeaway is the show we always wanted to make – a live, anything-can-happen, prime-time entertainment show, like the ones when were growing up

Ant McPartlin

But Fleur will be taking time off during the series as she is pregnant with her first child.

Ant said: “Because Fleur can’t do the series we have invited a few different familiar faces and presenters to help us out, so it’ll be even more jam-packed with celebs than usual.”

Another planned change is the format of the grand finale. In a big shake-up, it will be held here in the UK as opposed to in warmer climes.

In recent years, guests and viewers have been able to win a chance to attend filming of the finale at a family holiday location such as Orlando, Florida, or on P&O cruise ship Britannia in Barcelona.

‘Special moments’

Ant said: “We discussed going abroad with a plane full of audience again but, because we knew we were taking a break, we felt we wanted to do the finale from the UK. The final show will be a party to end all parties.”

Dec added: “Yep, our final show is coming live from the UK and we’re planning something huge. We’ll make sure we go out with a bang.”

Ant & Dec initially found fame on BBC teen drama Byker Grove.

Dec had been in the show since it began in 1989 and Ant joined the year after.

The pair then took on the pop charts as PJ & Duncan, their characters in the series.

Their first presenting role was in 1994 as Tony and Lan on CiTV Saturday morning kids’ show Gimme 5.

They were poached back by the BBC and their resulting Ant & Dec Show in 1995 and 1996 won two Bafta awards.

But it wasn’t until 1998, when they starred on SM:TV Live and CD:UK on ITV with Cat Deeley, that their careers really took flight.

On Saturday Night Takeaway alone they have countless iconic moments to look back on.

Dec said: “Dragging up as Lady Antoinette and Miss Donna Lee was a particular highlight. I have a new-found respect for anyone who wears high heels for more than ten minutes.”

Ant added: “We had Riverdance, that was the toughest. When we performed it live on the night it was the only time it went perfectly.

“Every rehearsal had gone wrong. We’ve been very lucky we’ve danced and sang with so many wonderful people. Taking the show overseas, amazing shows in Florida at Universal and Disney. We even surprised one couple with a new house.”

Timing couldn’t be better for Ant, in particular, to step back after The Sun revealed he was to become a dad for the first time with wife Anne-Marie.

Dec said: “We’re giving it a rest for now but, after 20 series, we’ll take away some incredibly special moments and memories. We will certainly miss it.”

• Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returns this Saturday at 7pm on ITV1 & ITVX.