Saturday Night Takeaway fans in floods of tears as LAST EVER series begins and hosts Ant and Dec share throwback snaps from show’s launch more than 20 years ago

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly had viewers in tears when they returned this weekend for the last ever series of their show Saturday Night Takeaway.

The television presenting duo returned to the screens of the program that first aired in 2002.

Returning to the past, they shared a photo of themselves from the very first series.

They also gave viewers a look at guest commentator Stephen Merchant from the same year the show launched.

Ant and Dec, both 48, welcomed a deserving studio audience, who together raised £14 million for various charities, with the audience each receiving a holiday.

Returning to the past, they shared a photo of themselves from the very first series

The opening scenes left fans of the show emotional as it dawned on them that only a few more episodes would ever air.

On Twitter, someone wrote: ’10 minutes int #SaturdayNightTakeaway aand I cry. So nice to give away all those holidays.’

Someone else said: ‘Only 30 minutes in and I’m already crying. I can already tell this will be the biggest and best series yet.

‘So glad the boys are back! What a great start to the show, I’m sitting here in tears, just amazing,” another viewer wrote.

Someone else shared: ‘#SaturdayNightTakeaway mwhich made me cry at 7.15pm on a Saturday night.’

While someone else wrote: ‘Omg – crying already! I have never seen the boys so serious and yet so sincere. Well played!!!

Another viewer wrote: ‘Oh how wonderful, I’m crying already.’

While someone else shared: ‘Ten minutes later and I’m already crying tears of joy! Thank you.’

They also gave viewers a look at guest commentator Stephen Merchant from the same year the show launched

Stephen looked cheerful in his photo from more than twenty years ago

And another viewer wrote: ‘Takeaway on Saturday night, I’m already crying happy tears.’

have said they are taking a break from Saturday Night Takeaway ‘to spend some time’ with their families.

Ant married Anne-Marie Corbett in 2021, while Dec shares two children, five-year-old daughter Isla and 18-month-old Jack, with wife Ali Astall.

The award-winning presenting duo announced last year that they would be stepping back from the show after the 20 series milestone, saying it seemed like the ‘perfect time to take a break and catch a breath’.

Speak with Debt magazine Ant said: ‘Part of the reason we’re pausing Takeaway is because we need a break ourselves and we need to spend some time with our family.

“We both have kids that we need to spend time with for a while.”

It has been reported that Ant and Anne-Marie are expecting their first child together.

Anne-Marie also has two teenage daughters from her previous relationship.

The opening scenes left fans of the show emotional as it dawned on them that only a few more episodes would ever air

Ant and Dec have worked together for more than 30 years, starting with teen drama Byker Grove.

They launched Saturday Night Takeaway in 2002, with the show going on hiatus for a while in 2009, before returning four years later in 2013.

It has received multiple Bafta and National Television Awards (NTA), including accolades for the Geordie duo.

The show consists of a selection of comedy games, participation of studio audience or unsuspecting audience, ending with a music or dance performance.

The pair will continue their working relationship with ITV, hosting hit shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win.

Reflecting on their next steps, Ant said: ‘We need time to think and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and see where we are now.

“Like I said, we’re turning 49, and what do we want to do now? What is the next phase of our career?

“And we have a lot of ideas and offers on the table, a lot of options for things we can do. But it’s concerned with what we’re going to do next and where the next chapter begins.

The award-winning presenting duo announced last year that they would be stepping back from the show following the 20 series milestone, with And and wife Anne-Marie Corbett set to have a baby (pictured at their 2021 wedding)

‘So that’s what we’re going to do when Saturday Night Takeaway is no longer possible. We’ll sit down, take some time and reevaluate everything.”

Music mogul Simon Cowell will fall victim to McPartlin and Donnelly’s famous Undercover prank segment when the show returns on February 24.

In this hit feature film, the Geordie duo dress up in disguises in an attempt to fool their famous friends.

40 million, more than 5,000 foster children