Ant And Dec Reveal Next Series Of Saturday Night Takeaway Will Be Their Last 'For A Little While'

TV duo say they want to "catch our breath" and take a break from the ITV show as it hits 20-year milestone.
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Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly at the Baftas.
Future Publishing via Getty Images

TV duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have announced the next series of Saturday Night Takeaway will be their last “for a little while”.

The award-winning presenters said in a video posted on Twitter that they would take a break after the 2024 run of the flagship ITV show, which will be its 20th season.

Ant said: “We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath.”

Dec said: “We still have a momentous 20th series to look forward to first so we will do our best to go out (for now) with a bang in 2024.” 

The series previously took a pause in 2009, returning four years later in 2013.

Saturday Night Takeaway has received multiple Bafta and National Television Awards (NTA), including presenting accolades for Ant and Dec, since its launch in 2002.

The pair will continue their exclusive working relationship with ITV, as hosts of popular shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win.

The most recent series of Saturday Night Takeaway launched in February, with ITV1’s biggest overnight audience of the year, attracting 6.4 million viewers.

Kevin Lygo, ITV managing director, media and entertainment, said: “When you think of Saturday night television you think of Saturday Night Takeaway.

“Over 20 series the show has become a cultural phenomenon, and while we eagerly anticipate what Ant & Dec have up their sleeves for the 2024 series, we completely understand their desire to take a pause, take stock, and think about what the next incarnation of the show might look like.”