Saturday Night Takeaway viewers ‘in tears’ as Ant and Dec wave goodbye to series

Presenting duo announced last year that the show would be going on an indefinite hiatus

Viewers of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway were left in tears last night when the presenting duo waved goodbye to the show as it goes on an indefinite hiatus.

Hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly announced last year that they would be halting the ITV series as it seemed like the “perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath”. They started the show back in 2002 and have made 20 series.

In Saturday night’s two-hour-long final episode (13 April), celebrity guests included Girls Aloud, Craig David, Professor Brian Cox, This Morning duo Josie Gibson and Alison Hammond, Gogglebox‘s Scarlett Moffatt, and bands Kaiser Chiefs and S Club.

During the “Ant vs Dec” challenge, Donnelly beat McPartlin in a penalty shoot-out, while Saturday Night Takeaway regular and Catchphrase presenter Stephen Mulhern oversaw the competition dressed as a trophy.

Closing the show, the pair said it has been a privilege to run the show for 20 series.

Ant and Dec fight back tears as they say farewell to ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’ after two decades (Saturday Night Takeaway/ITV)

McPartlin said: “Saturday Night Takeaway is the kind of show Dec and I watched every Saturday growing up, so it’s been an honour and a privilege to have made the show and to have been part of your Saturday nights for over 20 years.”

Donnelly, holding back tears, said: “We have truly adored every second of making the show, but there’s one thing we’ve never ever forgotten, and that’s the fact it’s not our show – it’s your show. So we’d like to say a massive thank you to you, our incredible audience.”

Viewers have said that the duo’s closing speech brought them to tears, and wondered if Saturday night TV will be the same again.

“Please don’t ask me if I’m tearing up over the end of Saturday Night Takeaway. I would rather not answer that,” one viewer wrote on X/Twitter.

Presenting duo Ant and Dec waving goodbye to audience (ITV)

Another despaired over the future of their Saturday night TV watching. “Next year is going to feel so depressing around this time. Whatever they replace Saturday Night Takeaway with won’t be the same,” said another fan.

“I’m not ready for no more Takeway,” said another. “It’s always been a comfort show for me.”

McPartlin and Donnelly, who met on teen drama Byker Grove, have been working together for more than 30 years and launched Saturday Night Takeaway in 2002.

At the end of the final episode, they looked back at highlight clips from the past two decades before performing a big musical number with McFly, who sang a version of their hit song “All About You” alongside the two presenters.

Ant and Dec will return to ITV later this year to host I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!