ITV have announced that Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway will be going on a hiatus after it’s 20th series. The pair have worked on and off the show since 2002.
The series will come to an end on Saturday 13 April in a special two-hour live show, with the guest announcers being revealed as the pop group Girls Aloud.
There is set to be a special montage showing all the highlights from the last 20 years, lots of live surprises and a memorable End of the Show Show.
Speaking about going on a break, Ant said: “We can’t believe there are only a few shows left and we’re getting closer to the end. This series has been very special to make and we’re looking forward to making the last show a party to end all parties.
“The SNT production team have been working non stop to ensure this special, two hour finale has that SNT magic from start to finish.”
Dec added: “The finale will be a real celebration of Saturday Night Takeaway over the years. We’re honoured and touched that for 20 series it’s been part of Saturday night TV viewing for so many families across the country.
“We’re giving it (and us!) a rest for now, but we’ll take away and treasure some very special memories and moments. We will most certainly miss it.”
Katie Rawcliffe, ITV’s Head of Entertainment Commissioning said: “There’s nothing quite like live event Saturday night TV all the family can enjoy together in the moment – and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, for the past 20 series, has been at the very forefront of this genre.
“Over 90% of the UK population has watched Takeaway across the past 20 series and just like the rest of the nation, I couldn’t be more excited for this special final show which promises to be a real celebration.”
The finale is set to include multiple celebrity guests such as Ashley Roberts, the pop group S-Club, Scarlett Moffatt, Andi Peters, Kaiser Chiefs, Jordan North and Tony Hadley.
Ant and Dec are also hosts on other major ITV shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! which are both due to kick off later this year.
Saturday Night Takeaway took a brief pause in 2009 but returned four years later. In 2019, the show was postponed following Ant stepping away from TV projects the previous year.