Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway promises big changes for show’s upcoming final episode

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly‘s Saturday Night Takeaway is switchings things upfor the final episode on Saturday.

The ITV variety show will air a two-hour live finale with its biggest audience ever and a star-studded lineup. 

Girls Aloud will serve as the star guest announcers during the episode ahead of their upcoming tour.

There will also be appearances from Simon Cowell, Davina McCall, Rylan, Oti Mabuse, Amanda Holden, Dermot O’Leary, Craig David and Alison Hammond. 

There will also be a super sized Singalong with S-Club, Tony Hadley and Kaiser Chiefs and show favourite Ring my Bell will return for a final outing. 

Andi Peters will present his final SNT competition while Jordan North, Josie Gibson and Scarlett Moffatt will be bringing joy to unsuspecting members of the public.

Last year Ant and Dec, both 48, announced they’d quit Saturday Night Takeaway ahead of the 20th series, shocking their fans across the nation.

The pair will continue their exclusive working relationship with ITV, hosting hit shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win, all of which air across ITV1 and ITVX.

Ant said at the time: ‘We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath.’ 

Dec added: ‘We still have a momentous 20th series to look forward to first so we will do our best to go out (for now) with a bang in 2024!’

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, produced by Lifted Entertainment (part of ITV Studios) and Mitre Studios, will return next year for its 20th series.

The series has spawned numerous iconic segments, including Win the Ads, Undercover, Get Out Of Me Ear, The End of Show Show and the Happiest Minute of the Week.

The most recent series launched in February with ITV1’s biggest overnight audience of the year, attracting 6.4 million viewers, and the biggest entertainment audience across any channel.

The show’s combination of live, high energy, feel good fun has seen the format achieve multiple BAFTA and National Television Awards since launching in 2002.

Kevin Lygo, ITV Managing Director, Media and Entertainment, said: ‘When you think of Saturday night television you think of Saturday Night Takeaway.

‘Over 20 series the show has become a cultural phenomenon, and while we eagerly anticipate what Ant & Dec have up their sleeves for the 2024 series, we completely understand their desire to take a pause, take stock, and think about what the next incarnation of the show might look like.’

Ant and Dec – who initially found fame on Byker Grove in the late 1980s – first fronted the show from 2002 until 2009 and then again from 2013 when it returned.