Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway finale tops overnight ratings with emotional scenes
It was an emotional ending.
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway came to an emotional end on Saturday night, with the hosts saying goodbye to their variety show as they took a break.
The presenting duo decided to rest Saturday Night Takeaway earlier this year, telling fans it felt like the perfect time to rest the series to take a break.
In a video shared to social media confirming the news, Ant said: "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."
Last night marked the finale episode and the episode smashed ratings on ITV as audiences across the UK tuned in.
ITV confirmed that the final peaked with 5.3 million viewers. It averaged 4.6 million viewers with a 34 per cent share of viewing up on the 2023 final.
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According to ITV: "It comfortably won its slot and was in fact the highest-rated show across the entire day on any channel."
While the episode was full of hilarious moments, especially when a group of celebrities all got their revenge on Ant and Dec in a new Get Out of Me Ear segment, there were also some teary moments.
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As the pair said goodbye to audiences, thanking those who tuned in each Saturday, they struggled to hold back tears.
Ant told viewers: "It has been an honour and a privilege to have made the show and been part of your Saturday nights for 22 years."
"When we started this back in 2002 we both thought we'd be lucky if we got to do this for maybe a couple of years," an emotional Dec added.
"...But there's one thing we've never ever forgotten when making this show. And that's the fact it's not our show, it's your show, so we'd like to say a massive thank you to you our incredible audience. Thank you."
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Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway is available to watch on ITVX.
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