The presenting duo revealed why they’re taking another hiatus, and whether they’ll return.
Last year, Ant and Dec announced they’d be taking a break from Saturday Night Takeaway after the upcoming season.
The pair, who have have hosted the series on and off since 2002, recently opened up about why they’ve decided to go on another hiatus, and how that’s helped the show in the past.
“I feel like it’s a nice time to turn the page, and it will give us time to reflect,” Ant told FAULT Magazine.
“You can’t think of a different version of Saturday Night Takeaway while Saturday Night Takeaway is on air. You need to be away from it.”
Dec added: “I think what happened when we took a break last time [was] we started to miss it. We started coming up with lots of ideas and going, ‘Oh, that would be amazing.’
“We want to give ourselves that same opportunity this time to miss the show and just see how we feel and where that takes us.”
It certainly sounds like they’re open to the idea of returning, then. And they have plenty in store for viewers before bidding them farewell, too.
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The presenting duo are set to return to our screens this weekend, kicking off the Saturday Night Takeaway 2024 series with some firsts – and some nods to its origins.
Dec said in a statement: “We are ending the Undercovers where we started… with Simon Cowell! Our first ever Undercover was on Simon in LA when he was a judge on American Idol.
“So we’ve gone back and got Simon Cowell again. We went out to LA and gave him the day from hell whilst he was judging on America’s Got Talent.”
“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,” Ant added.
Plus, Stephen Merchant will be the first live show’s Guest Announcer, and a brand new Little Ant & Dec will be unveiled.
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returns on Saturday 24th February at 7pm on ITV1 & ITVX. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on.
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