‘Genuinely heartbroken’ sob Saturday Night Takeaway fans as Ant and Dec bid final farewell to ITV show
SATURDAY Night Takeaway viewers were left sobbing during the show’s final episode after 20 years.
The Geordie duo, both 48, presented the two-hour finale episode live from ITV’s HQ in London.
Viewers watched as Ant and Dec took over the whole of Television Centre for the show.
Pop group Girls Aloud were the final ever star guest announcers ahead of their reunion tour.
S-Club, Tony Hadley and Kaiser Chiefs also featured on the show for Saturday Night Takeaway’s Singalong Live segment.
The lads also welcomed back back former helpers Ashley Roberts and Kirsty Gallacher for the final decider of the Ant vs Dec challenges.
In the show’s final part, Ant and Dec sang a song dedicated to their viewers, alongside McFly singers Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher.
They sang an emotional rendition of the band’s hit single ‘All About You,’ with a montage of videos from their fans playing behind them.
ITV viewers were left sobbing at the presenters’ heartfelt lyrics which thanked their loyal fans for watching them for 20 years.
They also shared a clips from previous episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway over the past 20 years on air.
Taking to X – formally known as Twitter – one viewer said: “So sad that’s the end of Saturday night takeaway!
“Our favourite show to watch as a family. Will miss it soooooo much! Please bring it back again soon, there is nothing like it!”
Another wrote: “I’m crying like a baby #SaturdayNightTakeaway.”
A third penned: “I am sobbing, genuinely heartbroken.”
A fourth added: “Completely lost it when All About You started.”
Other moments from the show included Dec choking back tears, Ant getting a bloody injury live on air and forced to apologise for swearing.
Former Saturday Night Takeaway presenters were asked to come back for the finale such as Andi Peters, who did a very flamboyant musical number, and Ashley Roberts who came with a very questionable outfit choice.
Saturday Night Takeaway first launched all the way back in 2002 before it was shelved in 2009.
Ant and Dec revived and revamped the show in 2013 and it’s been a staple of ITV’s Saturday offering ever since.
Speaking last year about resting the Bafta-winning format, 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 added: “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.”
