Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly choked back tears as they said an emotional farewell after 22 years at the end of the latest Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend.
And now it has been revealed that more than four million viewers tuned in to see the Geordie duo for the final time on ITV’s primetime show.
The presenters, both 48, who said they were taking a break from the show, went out with a bang as they presented an incredible two-hour, jam-packed episode.
The finale averaged a whopping 4.6 million viewers, up from the 2023 finale, which averaged 4.3 million viewers.
But more people watched the launch episode of this series than Saturday’s finale, as figures show 4.9 million people watched the first episode of the series.
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly choked back tears as they said an emotional farewell after 22 years at the end of the latest Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend
And now it has been revealed that more than four million viewers tuned in to see the Geordie duo for the final time on ITV’s primetime show.
The highest-rated episode of Saturday Night Takeaway aired on March 21, 2020, during Britain’s Covid-19 lockdown, attracting a whopping 9.5 million viewers.
Despite lower viewership this year, the final attracted the most viewers across all channels throughout the day, ensuring ITV1 had the largest viewing share across all channels on Saturday.
Ant and Dec, who have worked together for more than 30 years, launched Saturday Night Takeaway in 2002.
Last year the presenters announced they would be taking a break after their ‘milestone’ 20th series in 2024.
They previously paused the show in 2009 for a four-year hiatus, returning in 2013 with the pair at the helm.
Ant and Dec ended the ITV series after 22 years with a heartfelt speech thanking viewers at home before serenading the audience with a song.
The duo admitted that ‘in their wildest dreams’ they never thought the show would become such a hit and last for 20 years.
The presenters, both aged 48, who are taking a break from the show, went out with a bang as they presented an incredible two-hour, packed episode that averaged 4.6 million viewers.
However, more people watched this launch episode than Saturday’s finale, as figures show 4.9 million people watched the first episode of the series.
The duo ended the ITV series after 22 years with a heartfelt speech thanking viewers at home before serenading the audience with a song
Ant and Dec admitted that ‘in their wildest dreams’ they never thought the show would become such a hit and last for 20 years (pictured on the show in 2004)
As Ant tells viewers: ‘It has been an honor and a privilege to have created the show and been part of your Saturday nights for 22 years.’
An emotional Dec continued: ‘When we started this in 2002 we both thought we’d be lucky if we could maybe do this for a few years.
“So what happened is really beyond our wildest dreams. We truly loved every second of making this show’.
With tears in his eyes, Dec said: “But there’s one thing we’ve never forgotten in making this show. And that’s the fact that it’s not our show, it’s your show, so we just want to thank you so much incredible audience. Thank you’.
Pal Ant then came to the rescue, placing a hand on his shoulder before introducing a montage of the show’s most memorable moments.
The presenters were then joined on stage by McFly’s Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher as they sang a specially rewritten rendition of the band’s hit All About you.
In a joint statement on Instagram about the duo hugging after coming off stage, Ant and Dec wrote: ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.
‘To all the guests, the crew and especially all of you at home who have made the last twenty series so great to be a part of. We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed and we could not have done this without you.’
Despite the show ending Ant and Dec willI continue their exclusive working relationship with ITVincluding hit shows I’m a celebrity…Get me out of here!, Britain has talent and Limitless Win, all of which air on ITV1 and ITVX.
They later took to social media and shared a sweet photo of them cuddling backstage after the show
They captioned the post: ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you To all the guests, the crew and especially all of you at home who have made the last 20 series so incredible to be a part of. We are so grateful to everyone who voted and we couldn’t have done this without you.”