Ant & Dec

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Ant & Dec
Anthony "Ant" McPartlin and Declan "Dec" Donnelly in 2014
BornAnthony David McPartlin
(1975-11-18) 18 November 1975 (age 48)
Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly
(1975-09-25) 25 September 1975 (age 48)
Occupations
  • Television presenters
  • actors
  • comedians
  • television producers
  • singers
Comedy career
Medium
Years active1988–present
GenresStand-up comedy
Notable works and roles
MembersAnthony McPartlin
Declan Donnelly
Musical career
GenresPop
Years active1993–1997
2013, 2022
Websiteantanddec.com

Ant & Dec are a British television presenting duo consisting of Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975) from Newcastle upon Tyne. Formed after them meeting as child actors on CBBC's drama Byker Grove, they performed together as pop musicians PJ & Duncan, the names of their characters from the series. For their earliest TV presenting roles they used the aliases Tony & Lan.

The duo have since pursued careers as television presenters, and currently host Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Britain's Got Talent, and Limitless Win. Previous hosting credits include SMTV Live, CD:UK, Friends Like These, Pop Idol, PokerFace, Push the Button, Red or Black?, and Text Santa. They presented the annual Brit Awards in 2001, 2015 and 2016.

In addition to presenting, the pair are actors and both had leading roles in the 2006 film Alien Autopsy. They also have their own production company, Mitre Television.[1] In a 2004 poll for the BBC, Ant & Dec were named the eighteenth most influential people in British culture.[2][3]

Background[edit]

McPartlin and Donnelly met while working on the BBC second series of children's drama Byker Grove in 1990. After a shaky start, they soon became best friends.[4] They have achieved such popularity as a duo that they are hardly seen apart on screen. It is reported that they are each insured against the other's death, with the amount reportedly being around £1 million.[5]

They are both avid supporters of their local football club, Newcastle United.[6][7]

Career[edit]

Acting[edit]

Although McPartlin had gained some television experience with a brief stint on the children's television series Why Don't You?, which was broadcast on the BBC, Donnelly was the first of the two to acquire his place on the BBC children's drama Byker Grove. He joined in 1989, playing Duncan. A year later, McPartlin joined the cast to play PJ (series 2, episode 5). Their friendship began when their storylines collided, creating a friendship both on and off-screen.[8] Byker Grove producer Matthew Robinson told them to "Stay together through any row you have, whatever it is, be together and you could be the future Morecambe and Wise. I think they have proved that in many ways."[9]

Donnelly also played a stable boy in the film adaptation of the novel The Cinder Path in his teenage years.[10] They also went on to co-star in the 2006 sci-fi comedy film Alien Autopsy.[11]

Music[edit]

After leaving television, the duo turned their hand to pop music. Their first single was a song they performed as part of the group Grove Matrix,[12] performed as part of the storyline in TV show Byker Grove, titled "Tonight I'm Free". The single had some success, and the duo recorded two albums under their character names of PJ & Duncan. Their most famous hit during this period was the BRIT Award nominated "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble", for which the video and moves were choreographed by Mark Short, who had previously worked with Tina Turner and Peter Andre. For their third album, the duo reinvented themselves under their real names of Ant & Dec. The album featured their signature single, "Shout".

During their time as primarily music artists, the pair released sixteen singles and three studio albums; however, none of their releases managed to reach number one, with their highest UK chart position being number three. The duo did, however, reach the top ten in Germany and Japan and even had a number-one single in Germany, with their cover of the Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream". Success also struck in other European countries. The duo had a short-lived revival in the music industry, releasing a song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, titled "We're on the Ball". The track peaked at No. 3,[13] being beaten by Will Young and Gareth Gates. On 23 March 2013, Ant and Dec performed "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble" as part of their show Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which powered the song to number one in the UK iTunes chart and on Sunday 31 March 2013 the track was revealed as the Official UK Number 1 single on The Official Chart on BBC Radio 1. The two donated all money made from the re-release to charity.[14]

In February 2022 the pair released the charity single "We Werk Together", written by Ian Masterson, with RuPaul's Drag Race UK winners The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Krystal Versace with the proceeds from the single going to the Trussell Trust. The song was performed on the first episode of the eighteenth series of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway as the "End of the Show" Show, introduced by RuPaul.[15]

Presenting[edit]

Children's television[edit]

Ant & Dec got their first presenting job in 1994 using a shortened versions of their real names, Tony & Lan, while still releasing music under the alias of PJ & Duncan. They co-presented a Saturday-morning children's show entitled Gimme 5, which was broadcast on CITV. In 1995, the duo were once again offered a job on CBBC, this time presenting their own series, entitled The Ant & Dec Show. The series was broadcast from 1995 to 1996, and in 1996, Ant & Dec won two BAFTA Awards, one for 'Best Children's Show' and one for 'Best Sketch Comedy Show'.[16] In 1997, a VHS release, entitled The Ant & Dec Show – Confidential, was made available in shops, and featured an hour of the best bits from two years of the programme, as well as specially recorded sketches and music videos.[17]

In 1997, the duo switched to Channel 4, presenting an early-evening children's show entitled Ant & Dec Unzipped.[18] This show also won a BAFTA but was dropped after just one series.[19] ITV signed the duo in August 1998,[20] and within weeks they were assigned to present ITV1's Saturday morning programmes SMTV Live and CD:UK, alongside Cat Deeley. The duo presented the shows with Deeley for three years, becoming the most popular ITV Saturday morning show. The programme's success was the mix of games such as Eat My Goal, Wonkey Donkey and Challenge Ant, sketches such as "Dec Says" and the "Secret of My Success", and the chemistry between Ant, Dec, and Deeley. Two SMTV VHS cassettes, compiling highlights from both shows, were released in 2000 and 2001. Ant & Dec also starred in the children's TV series Engie Benjy during their time on SMTV.[21][22]

Ant & Dec left from children's television in 2001 after trying out formats like Friends Like These for BBC One in 2000 and Slap Bang with Ant & Dec for ITV in 2001.

Primetime[edit]

Ant & Dec's first primetime presenting job came in the form of BBC Saturday-night game show Friends Like These, which was first broadcast in 1999. The duo presented two series of the programme between 1999 and 2001.[23] In 2001, the duo's contract with ITV was renewed for a further three years, following their appearances on SMTV Live and CD:UK, and they received their first primetime presenting job on the station, presenting new Saturday night reality series Pop Idol. Pop Idol was broadcast for only two series before being replaced in 2004 by The X Factor, to which former Smash Hits editor Kate Thornton was assigned presenting duties.

In 2002, Ant & Dec created and presented Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. The first series was not an overall success, but with the introduction of "Ant & Dec Undercover", "What's Next?", "Ant v Dec" and "Little Ant and Dec", the show became a hit. During the fourth series, Dec broke his arm, thumb and suffered a concussion whilst completing a challenge for the 'Ant vs. Dec' segment of the show. The incident involved learning how to ride a motorbike and jump through a fire ring. Dec failed to pull hard enough on the bike's throttle during the challenge, causing it to topple over and sending him flying through the air. In 2006, the first episode of series five saw the duo abseil down the side of the 22-story high London Studios, where the show was filmed. Two DVDs, a best-bits book, and a board game of the series were released during 2004. The show was rested after 2009 as Ant & Dec said they were running out of ideas, and it became stale, as many of the popular features such as "Little Ant & Dec" and "Undercover" were dropped. Saturday Night Takeaway returned in 2013 and was a massive success; Ant & Dec resurrected previous hit features such as "Undercover", "Little Ant and Dec" (albeit with a new Little Ant and Dec) Win the Ads, and Ant v Dec, with new host Ashley Roberts. They also brought in new features such as the Supercomputer, Vegas or Bust, the End of the show 'show' where Ant and Dec perform with an act such as Riverdance or an Orchestra, and "I'm a Celebrity, get out of my ear!" where they have an earpiece in a celebs ear, and they tell them what to do while being filmed by secret cameras. The series was such a success that ITV recommissioned it for 2014 even before the 2013 series ended. A board game of the format was released. The final episodes of the 2020 series were filmed at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 series was filmed with a virtual audience and precautions.

In August 2002, Ant & Dec fronted I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. They drew their highest viewing figures to date in February 2004: nearly 15 million tuned in to watch the third series. In May 2006, they were assigned to present coverage of the charity football match Soccer Aid. They were then invited back to present coverage of the second match in September 2008 but have been replaced by Dermot O'Leary from 2010 as the match clashed with Britain's Got Talent. In June 2006, they announced they had created a new game-show format for ITV, entitled PokerFace. The show featured members of the public gambling high stakes of money to win the ultimate prize. The first series began airing on 10 July 2006 and was aired for seven consecutive nights. The second series was broadcast in early 2007 and saw a move to a prime-time Saturday slot. Ratings for the series fell to below 3.5 million, and the series was subsequently axed in March 2007.

In 2005, as part of the ITV's 50th birthday celebrations, they were back on television fronting Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon, a celebration of some of ITV's most enduring gameshows from the past 50 years. They hosted The Price Is Right, Family Fortunes, Play Your Cards Right, Bullseye, Take Your Pick!, The Golden Shot and Sale of the Century.

In April 2007, the duo signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, reportedly worth £40 million, securing their career at the station until the end of 2009.[24] In June 2007, they were offered the job of presenters on new ITV reality platform Britain's Got Talent by Simon Cowell. The series features contestants aiming to win £100,000 and spot on the bill at the Royal Variety Performance while performing and being judged by Cowell, actress Amanda Holden and former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan. The series was highly successful, drawing in nearly 12 million viewers, and led to the pair continuing to operate as hosts for future series, along with continual appearances in a regular feature on the ITV2 spin-off show Britain's Got More Talent. But, similarly to Saturday Night Takeaway, the twelfth series saw Dec present the live shows on his own (despite them both presenting the auditions shows).

The pair filmed six episodes for a new American game show, Wanna Bet?, in November 2007. The episodes were broadcast in 2008 but failed to attract enough interest for a second series to be commissioned.[25] What You Wrote, another format created by the duo, was due to air in Autumn 2008 but was reportedly axed by ITV.[citation needed] In 2010, the duo debuted a replacement for Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, entitled Ant & Dec's Push the Button. The series was a success, albeit not in the same way as Saturday Night Takeaway, and a second run of the programme was broadcast in 2011, but Ant and Dec later dropped the show in favour of reviving Saturday Night Takeaway.

Ant & Dec have also presented the game show Red or Black?, a creation of Cowell's, airing live on ITV in 2011 with a second series in 2012, but this was not a ratings success and was cancelled after the second series.[26] On 24 December 2011, they presented ITV's charity initiative Text Santa with Holly Willoughby. Text Santa returned in 2012, 2013 and 2014 with Ant & Dec co-hosting alongside Christine Bleakley, Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Alesha Dixon and Paddy McGuinness.

In January 2016, Ant and Dec presented When Ant and Dec Met The Prince: 40 Years of The Prince's Trust, a one-off documentary for ITV.[27] In 2016, they also presented The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration, broadcast live on ITV.[28]

In November 2016 the pair signed a new three-year deal with ITV estimated to be worth £30 million.[29]

In November 2019, Ant and Dec's DNA Journey aired, which followed the pair as they retraced their family roots through DNA samples. In the show, they both found out that they have the same DNA marker, which means Ant and Dec are related as distant cousins.[30] The DNA Journey format has since been done with other celebrities.

Starting from 2022, ITV aired Limitless Win, a game show with an endless jackpot. The show got renewed for a second series that started in January 2023 and was renewed for a third series later that year set to air early 2024.[31]

Other activities[edit]

In 2006, a celebration of the show Spitting Image saw Ant and Dec having their own puppets made. They have also been made into cartoon characters on the comedy show 2DTV, and face masks in Avid Merrion's Bo Selecta.[citation needed]

On 28 September 2008, news outlets reported that the pair were attacked by the Taliban whilst in Afghanistan to present a Pride of Britain Award.[32]

In December 2008, the duo starred in their first seasonal advert in seven years, for the supermarket chain Sainsbury's. The duo appeared alongside chef Jamie Oliver.[33] In March 2009, the duo filmed a short film for inclusion on Comic Relief, which documents a visit to a community centre for young carers in the North East. In September 2009, the duo released their official autobiography, entitled Ooh! What a Lovely Pair. Our Story.[34] In October 2010, the duo appeared in several Nintendo adverts playing both the Wii[35] and Nintendo DS.[36]

Ant & Dec's black and white Paddington Bear statue in London, auctioned to raise funds for the NSPCC

In 2011 and 2014, they both appeared on the ITV2 comedy panel show Celebrity Juice. From February 2013 to March 2015 they appeared in adverts for supermarket Morrisons. Between February 2016 and March 2018, they had appeared in adverts for car company Suzuki.[37]

In 2014, Ant & Dec designed a black and white striped Paddington Bear statue, one of fifty statues of the bear located around London prior to the release of the film Paddington, which was auctioned to raise funds for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).[38]

In 2015, the pair made a cameo appearance on the U.S. adaptation of Saturday Night Takeaway, NBC's Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris. They are also executive producers on the show.[39]

In 2020, they celebrated 30 years of working together, releasing a book titled Once Upon A Tyne. It featured stories from their time as a duo and from behind the scenes of their shows.[40]

OBEs[edit]

On 10 June 2016, it was announced that the duo would be awarded OBE status by Queen Elizabeth II at an investiture later that year. The pair said they were both "shocked, but incredibly honoured".[41] McPartlin and Donnelly collected their awards for services to broadcasting and entertainment at Buckingham Palace from Prince Charles (now King Charles III) on 27 January 2017.[citation needed]

Guinness World Record[edit]

On 28 January 2020, the duo were awarded the Guinness World Record for "the most National Television Awards won consecutively for Best Presenter" which was at 18 as of 22 January 2019.[42] The record has since been broken 4 times by Ant and Dec themselves after they won the same award 4 years consecutively as of 5 September 2023, bringing the new record to 22.

Controversies[edit]

Law firm Olswang was commissioned to investigate the 2005 British Comedy Awards when the producers overturned the voting public's first choice, The Catherine Tate Show in favour of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway for the People's Choice Award. The incident was also the subject of an investigation by media regulator Ofcom.[43][44]

Following allegations of fraud in 2007, an investigation by auditors Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu discovered that two shows, Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, had defrauded viewers participating in phone-ins. The programmes were subject to a further investigation by Ofcom which found that between January 2003 and October 2006 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway had:[44][45]

  • selected competition finalists before the telephone lines were announced as closed
  • staggered the selection of competition finalists, which meant that viewers entering the competition did not have a fair and equal chance of winning
  • selected finalists based on their suitability to be on television and where they lived
  • selected an individual already known to the production team to be placed on the shortlist of potential winners and who went on to win the competition.

Between September and October 2005, Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon had:

  • on six occasions in the Prize Mountain competition, selected winners based on their suitability to be on screen
  • failed to account for almost half of the competition entries

The pair were ridiculed for their alleged participation in the fraud on the front cover of the satirical magazine Private Eye.[46]

On 30 September 2008, Ant & Dec were sued for $US30 million by Greek American stand-up comedian and actor Ant for using the name 'Ant' in the United States. The lawsuit, among other things, alleged trademark infringement and fraud. The suit was dismissed in May 2010.[47] The pair have had the UK registered trademark for 'Ant & Dec' in the category of 'Entertainment services' since 2003.[48]

Acting[edit]

The pair have, albeit infrequently, returned to acting, both on stage and screen. They played themselves in the film Love Actually[49] (in which Bill Nighy's character addressed Dec as "Ant or Dec"). They have returned to their Geordie roots in a one-off tribute to The Likely Lads[50] and also by returning to Byker Grove for Geoff's funeral.[51][52] In July 2023 it was announced that the pair would produce a reboot of Byker Grove, to simply be called Byker.[53]

In 1998, the pair starred in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Sunderland's Empire Theatre alongside Donnelly's partner at the time Clare Buckfield. The show was financially unsuccessful, making £20,000 less than it cost to stage, with the duo footing a large share of the shortfall.[54]

Ant & Dec's most recent acting appearance was in the film Alien Autopsy released in April 2006.[55] The film gained positive reviews with critics praising the pair's acting performance but lost more than half of its budget at the box office. In 2013, they reprised their roles as P.J. and Duncan on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

Awards[edit]

Year Ceremony Award Recipient Result References
1994 14th Brit Awards Best Song "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" Nominated [56]
1995 15th Brit Awards British Breakthrough PJ & Duncan Nominated
Royal Television Society Awards The Ant and Dec Show Won
1996 British Academy Children's Awards Children's Entertainment Show Won
1997 Nominated
1998 Ant and Dec Unzipped Won
2000 SMTV Live Won
TV Choice Awards Best Children's Show Won
Royal Television Society Awards Best Children's Entertainment Programme Won
TV Hits Awards Best Teen Show CD:UK Won
Loaded Carling Good Work Fellas Awards Best Double Act Won
British Comedy Awards The People's Choice Won
2001 TV Choice Awards Best Children's Show SMTV Live Won
Broadcast Awards Best Children's Programme Won
Royal Television Society Awards Best Television Presenters Won
Disney Channel Awards Kids Award The Ant and Dec Show Won
British Academy Children's Awards Best Children's Entertainment Show SMTV Live Nominated
2002 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Performance Pop Idol Nominated
British Academy Children's Awards Children's Entertainment Show SMTV Live Won
2003 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme or Series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Entertainment Personality Won
2004 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
Best Comedy Entertainment Personality Won
2005 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Performance I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
2006 British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated [57]
Best Comedy Entertainment Personality Nominated [58]
TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Nominated
Best Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
2007 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Performance Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
2008 TV Quick & TV Choice Awards Best Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards Favourite Funny Person Won [59]
Best TV Presenters Won
Best Family TV Show Britain's Got Talent Won
2009 TV Quick & TV Choice Awards Best Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won [60]
Best Talent Show Britain's Got Talent Won
Outstanding Contribution Award Won
British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Performance I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
2010 Won
Entertainment Programme Britain's Got Talent Won
2012 Freesat Free TV Awards Best TV Presenter(s) Won
TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Nominated
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
2013 TRIC Awards TV Personality of the Year Won
TRIC Special Award I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
RTS Awards Entertainment Performance Won
British Academy Television Awards Nominated
2014 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Performance Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
Entertainment Programme Won
2015 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
Best Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Performance Won
Entertainment Programme Won
I Talk Telly Awards Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best TV Presenter Won
2016 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Performance Britain's Got Talent Nominated
Reality and Constructed Factual I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
I Talk Telly Awards Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best TV Presenter Won
2017 TRIC Awards Best Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme Won
Britain's Got Talent Nominated
Live Event The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration Won
I Talk Telly Awards Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best TV Presenting Partnership Won
2018 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
Best Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme Britain's Got Talent Won
I Talk Telly Awards Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best TV Presenter Declan Donnelly Won
2019 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Nominated
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme Britain's Got Talent Won
Reality and Constructed Factual I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Entertainment Performance Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
Entertainment Programme Nominated
TV Choice Awards Reality Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
I Talk Telly Awards Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best TV Presenting Partnership Won
2020 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
TV Choice Awards Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
Reality Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
I Talk Telly Awards Best Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best TV Presenting Partnership Won
2021 TRIC Awards Best TV Personality Won
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
TV Choice Awards Reality Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
I Talk Telly Awards Best Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
Best TV Presenting Partnership Won
2022 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
TRIC Awards TV Personality Won
Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
Entertainment Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
TV Choice Awards Best Entertainment Show Nominated
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best Talent Show Britain's Got Talent Nominated
I Talk Telly Awards Best Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Won
Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best TV Presenting Partnership Won
2023 British Academy Television Awards Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
TRIC Awards TV Personality Nominated
Entertainment Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
Britain's Got Talent Nominated
I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
Game Show Ant & Dec's Limitless Win Nominated
I Talk Telly Awards Best Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
Best Reality TV Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Nominated
Best Talent Show Britain's Got Talent Nominated
Best TV Presenting Partnership Won
2024 TV Choice Awards Best Entertainment Show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Nominated
Best Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Won
Best Talent Show Britain's Got Talent Pending

National Television Awards[edit]

Wins

Year Award Show
2001 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
2002
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Pop Idol
Special Recognition Award
2003[61] Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2004 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2005 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
2006[62]
Most Popular Quiz Programme Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
2007 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2008[63] Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
2009 There were no NTAs in 2009
2010 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2011 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2012 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2013 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2014 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Landmark Award
2015 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2016 Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2017 Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular TV Presenter
Challenge Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2018 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular TV Presenter
Challenge Show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2019 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award
Most Popular TV Presenter
2020 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2021 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2022 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2023 Most Popular TV Presenter


NTAs by number won[edit]

Award Won
Most Popular Entertainment/TV Presenter 22
Most Popular Entertainment Programme 11
The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award 5
Most Popular Reality Programme 3
Challenge Show 2
Special Recognition Award 1
Most Popular Quiz Programme
Landmark Award

NTAs by show number won[edit]

Show Won
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! 14
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway 6
Pop Idol 1
SMTV Live
Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon

Nominations/Awards that they didn't win

Year Award Show
2001 They won all their awards in 2001
2002 They won all their awards in 2002
2003 They won all their awards in 2003
2004 Most Popular Entertainment Programme Pop Idol
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2005 Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2006 Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2007 Most Popular Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2008 Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2009 There were no NTAs in 2009
2010 Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2011
2012
2013
2014 Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2015 Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2016 Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2017 Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2018
2019 The Bruce Forysth Entertainment Award Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2019 Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2020
2021 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2022 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Talent Show Britain's Got Talent
2023 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
Talent Show Britain's Got Talent

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role
1989–1993, 2000 Byker Grove PJ, Duncan/Actors
1994 Gimme 5 Guest Presenters
1995–1996 The Ant & Dec Show Presenters
1997 Ant & Dec Unzipped
Ant and Dec's Geordie Christmas[64]
1998–2001, 2003 SMTV Live
1998–2001 CD:UK
1999–2001 Friends Like These
2001, 2015–2016 BRIT Awards
2001 Slap Bang with Ant & Dec
2001–2003 Pop Idol
2001–2002 The Record of the Year
2002–2004 Engie Benjy Engie Benjy, Jollop the Dog, Dan the Van and Trucker Troy (voices)
2002 A Tribute to the Likely Lads Themselves
2002–2009, 2013–2024 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Presenters
2002–present I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
2003–2004 World Idol
2005 Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
2006–2008 Soccer Aid
2006–2007 PokerFace
2007–2020, 2022–present Britain's Got Talent
2008 Wanna Bet?
2009 Ant & Dec's Christmas Show
2010–2011 Ant & Dec's Push the Button
2011–2012 Red or Black?
2011–2014 Text Santa
2015 Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris Themselves (Cameo)
2016 When Ant and Dec Met The Prince: 40 Years of The Prince's Trust Presenters
The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration
2019 Ant & Dec's DNA Journey[65]
Britain's Got Talent: The Champions
2022–present Limitless Win
The Prince's Trust Awards[66]
2023 I'm a Celebrity... South Africa[67]
2024 Ant & Dec’s Taste Mates
2024 The Voice UK Coaches
TBC Ant & Dec Vs Presenters

Films[edit]

Year Title Role
2003 Love, Actually Themselves
2006 Alien Autopsy Gary Shoefield and Ray Santilli

Television advertisements[edit]

Year Title Role
2000 Wispa Bite Themselves
2001 Ambrosia Splat Themselves; Voiceover
Woolworths Themselves
2002 McDonald's Themselves; Voiceover
2008, 2017 Sainsbury's Themselves
2009–2011 Wii & Nintendo DS
2013–2015 Morrisons
2016–2018 Suzuki
2019–2020 Marks & Spencer
2019–present Santander Bank
2021–present TikTok

Executive Producer(s)[edit]

Year Title Role
1998–2001 Friends Like These Themselves; Executive Producers
2002–2024 Saturday Night Takeaway Themselves; Executive Producers
2021–present Limitless Win Themselves; Executive Producers
2024– Byker Executive Producers; Writers

Television idents[edit]

Apps[edit]

References[edit]

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  36. ^ Nintendo Wii & DS – Ant & Dec (Saturday Night Takeaway) Brain Train London Cabbies Archived 5 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine. kathirvel.com. 22 November 2009
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  67. ^ "I'm A Celebrity...South Africa - first look preview". ITV. 25 March 2023.

External links[edit]