Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway is actually turning 20 years old, and we can’t believe how young they looked.
Over the past two decades, Ant McPartlin, 46, and Declan Donnelly, also 46, have left viewers in hysterics, from chaotic pranks with some of the world’s biggest stars, to iconic moments like the Geordie duo’s drag performance earlier this year.
Their sketches, which feature all sorts of celebs from Craig Revel Horwood to Stephen Mulhern, have always left fans in hysterics, from the first ever show on 8 June 2002.
Some of their segments even managed to continue over the 20 years, like Win the Ads where audience members are randomly selected to take part in a quiz, which began in the first series, or a firm fan favorite: Ant & Dec Undercover, which was introduced in the second series and revived in the tenth.
In 2013, the pair even went on tour with a live show around the country and appearances by various celebrities.
It’s no surprise that the iconic duo bagged another Bafta this year, especially after they kept the nation entertained during the global pandemic, and even Covid couldn’t stop them from joining together at the weekend to star on our screens.
Last month, they won the award for best entertainment programme for their tough 17th series, which was filmed during lockdown, sometimes even from their own homes.
Addressing how much it meant to them, after recalling how difficult the series was to pull off during the pandemic, Ant said: ‘This means a lot tonight, because this [award] was for series 17 of Saturday Night Takeaway, so to still be nominated 17 years later and to win awards, 17 years after you started the show in the first place, it means an awful lot.
‘We’re thrilled to be able to do this job and still get away with it after all these years. It means more now than it ever did before.’
It came after the pair admitted in their speech they were ‘convinced’ they wouldn’t be receiving any awards this year, with Ant telling viewers: ‘What a thrill we were convinced we weren’t going to get it this year so just came for a bit of a party.’
Dec shared to fans: ‘It’s a really wonderful cherry on the cake, for series 17 we did this with no audience… In the ad break we were going, is this any good, is anyone watching?
And it doesn’t sound like they’re going to be stepping away from the beloved weekend show anytime soon.
‘We love doing it,’ he added. ‘We still love doing it, we’ve just completed [series 18]. It’s thanks to this production team, and to everybody at ITV.’
The success of the popular show has even led to international versions inspired by Ant and Dec’s hysterical pranks and segments, including in Finnish, German, Chinese, and Flemish.
Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway airs Saturdays on ITV at 7pm.
Credit: SourceYou can read this post on My Celebrity Life.
