Ant and Dec close Saturday Night Takeaway with three simple words

After 20 series Ant and Dec have waved goodbye to Saturday Night Takeaway in a two-hour finale that aired on Saturday, April 13. The pair bid adieu to the series, which was announced to be taking a break last year.

At the end of the show, the presenting duo held back tears ahead of a montage of their best moments. Dec said: “When we started this back in 2002, we thought we'd be lucky if we got to do this for maybe a couple of years, so what's happened has honestly been beyond our wildest dreams. We have truly adored every second of making this show, but there's one thing we've never, ever forgotten, and that's the fact that it’s not our show, it's your show, so we'd like to say a massive thank you to you, our incredible audience.”

Following a series of clips from the show’s past, Ant and Dec were joined by new The Voice UK judges Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones as the four of them sang a rendition of McFly’s It’s All About You. That wasn’t the duo’s final music performance though.

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Ant and Dec were then joined by a whole host of celebrity friends – including Alison Hammond, Rylan, Josie Gibson and Davina McCall – and the whole Television Centre launched into a sing-song of Celebration by Kool & The Gang.

As the song came to an end, Ant and Dec signed off Saturday Night Takeaway. They both said three simple words: “Goodbye and goodnight”. Afterwards on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, viewers shared their sadness that the show was coming to an end.

“Only ant and dec could do easy the best 2hrs live tv well done,” wrote one person and a second agreed, writing: “What a show! I wasn't expecting to feel so emotional about a TV show but it's 20 years of greatness! What a way to go, I don't think there was a dry eye in the UK tonight. Ant and Dec are just natural entertainers.”

A third said: “Fantastic show @antanddec Saturdays will never be the same… this is like when you left SMTV!!!!” And a fourth commented: “We all feel mildly traumatised by the thought of no more #SaturdayNightTakeaway.”

A further person shared: “What a brilliant last ever Ant & Dec's #SaturdayNightTakeaway. Congratulations to the production team at Lifted Entertainment/ @itvstudios - a sensational show!”

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway is available to watch on ITVX. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.