Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway to wrap 20th series with two-hour finale
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly announced they were going to take a break from the show at the conclusion of the 20th series.
Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway will wrap up its 20th series with an extended two-hour live show featuring a host of celebrity guests.
Girl band Girls Aloud will be the star guest announcers while pop group S Club, rockers Kaiser Chiefs and TV star Scarlett Moffatt are among the famous faces set to make an appearance during the grand finale on April 13.
The show will also feature the final part of Get Out Of Me Ear: The Revenge with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Dermot O’Leary, Alison Hammond and Holly Willoughby taking part in the segment in a bid to get their own back on the Geordie presenting duo.
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly previously announced they were going to take a break from the show at the conclusion of the series as they feel it is the “perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath”.
Rylan Clark, Oti Mabuse, Olly Murs, Davina McCall, Gino D’Acampo, Craig David, Richard Madeley and Cheryl will also appear in the Get Out Of Me Ear: The Revenge segment, to ensure the presenters get their comeuppance after years of pranking their guests.
Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, TV presenter Andi Peters, radio host Jordan North and singer Tony Hadley will also feature on the show.
The finale will see either McPartlin or Donnelly crowned the winner of their weekly trials as well as a “super-sized singalong” and games with the studio and home audience.
To mark the end of an era, the show will include a montage of Saturday Night Takeaway best bits from the past 20 series.
Ahead of the series finale, Donnelly promised it will be a “real celebration of Saturday Night Takeaway over the years”.
“We’re honoured and touched that for 20 series it’s been part of Saturday night TV viewing for so many families across the country,” he added.
“We’re giving it (and us!) a rest for now, but we’ll take away and treasure some very special memories and moments. We will most certainly miss it.”
McPartlin said he could not believe it was nearing the end but that he was looking forward to making the last show “a party to end all parties”.
He added: “The SNT production team have been working non stop to ensure this special, two hour finale has that SNT magic from start to finish.”
The Geordie duo launched the ITV entertainment show in 2002 but it went on a hiatus from 2009 to 2013 while the presenters pursued other projects.
Katie Rawcliffe, ITV’s head of entertainment commissioning, said: “There’s nothing quite like live event Saturday night TV all the family can enjoy together in the moment – and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, for the past 20 series, has been at the very forefront of this genre.
“Over 90% of the UK population has watched Takeaway across the past 20 series and just like the rest of the nation, I couldn’t be more excited for this special final show which promises to be a real celebration.”
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returns on Saturday at 7pm on ITV1 & ITVX.
