Ant & Dec are an English television presenting duo consisting of Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly from Newcastle upon Tyne. After meeting as child actors on CBBC's drama Byker Grove, they performed together as pop musicians PJ & Duncan, the names of their characters from the series. The pair are considered the most famous and successful British presenting double act of the 21st century. Their enduring popularity and continuous presence on prime-time television have made them a staple of British entertainment.
The duo have since pursued careers as television presenters, and currently host I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Britain's Got Talent, and Limitless Win. Previous hosting credits include SMTV Live, CD:UK, Friends Like These, Pop Idol, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, PokerFace, Wanna Bet?, Push the Button, Red or Black?, and Text Santa. They presented the annual Brit Awards in 2001, 2015 and 2016.
In addition to presenting, the pair are actors and both had leading roles in the 2006 film Alien Autopsy. They also have their own production company, Mitre Television. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, Ant & Dec were named the eighteenth most influential people in British culture.
Background McPartlin and Donnelly met while working on the second series of children's drama Byker Grove for the BBC in 1990. After a shaky start, they soon became best friends.BBC Tyne – Ant & Dec. BBC.co.uk (20 May 2008). Retrieved 5 May 2012. They have achieved such popularity as a duo that they are hardly seen apart on screen. It is reported that they are each insured against the other's death, with the amount reportedly being a six-figure sum.. Aynsleyinsurance.co.uk (15 November 2018). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
They are both avid supporters of their local football club, Newcastle United. The pair were in attendance at Wembley Stadium to watch Newcastle win the 2025 EFL Cup, the club's first major trophy in 56 years and their first domestic trophy in 70 years. The pair joined the team on the double decker bus for their victory parade in Newcastle 2 weeks after the cup win.
Career Acting Although McPartlin had gained some television experience with a brief stint on the children's television series Why Don't You?, which was broadcast on the BBC, Donnelly was the first of the two to acquire his place on the BBC children's drama Byker Grove. He joined in 1989, playing Duncan. A year later, McPartlin joined the cast to play PJ (series 2, episode 5). Their friendship began when their storylines collided, creating a friendship both on and off-screen.Ant and Dec Biography. Members.tripod.com (29 August 1998). Retrieved 5 May 2012. Byker Grove producer Matthew Robinson told them to "Stay together through any row you have, whatever it is, be together and you could be the future Morecambe and Wise. I think they have proved that in many ways."
Donnelly also played a stable boy in the film adaptation of the novel The Cinder Path in his teenage years.IMDb listing for The Cinder Path. IMDb
Since becoming television presenters, the pair have, albeit infrequently, returned to acting, both on stage and screen. They played themselves in the film Love ActuallyLove Actually (2003) – Full Cast & Crew. IMDb (in which Bill Nighy's character addressed Dec as "Ant or Dec"). They have returned to their Geordie roots in a one-off tribute to The Likely LadsThe Likely Lads. BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2012. and also by returning to Byker Grove for Geoff's funeral.BBC Press Office – Byker Grove to close its doors after seventeen years. BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2012.PJ & Duncan Return. Youtube.com (29 February 2008). Retrieved 5 May 2012. In July 2023, it was announced that the pair would produce a reboot of Byker Grove, to simply be called Byker.
In 1998, the pair starred in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Sunderland's Empire Theatre alongside Donnelly's partner at the time Clare Buckfield. The show was financially unsuccessful, making £20,000 less than it cost to stage, with the duo footing a large share of the shortfall.
Ant & Dec's most recent acting appearance was in the film Alien Autopsy released in April 2006.Alien Autopsy (2006). IMDb The film gained positive reviews with critics praising the pair's acting performance but lost more than half of its budget at the box office. In 2013, they reprised their roles as P.J. and Duncan on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.
Music
After leaving television, the duo turned their hand to pop music. Their first single was a song they performed as part of the group Grove Matrix, performed as part of the storyline in TV show Byker Grove, titled "Tonight I'm Free". The single had some success, and the duo recorded two albums under their character names of PJ & Duncan. Their most famous hit during this period was the BRIT Award nominated "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble", for which the video and moves were choreographed by Mark Short, who had previously worked with Tina Turner and Peter Andre. For their third album, the duo reinvented themselves under their real names of Ant & Dec. The album featured their signature single, "Shout".
During their time as primarily music artists, the pair released sixteen singles and three studio albums, with their highest UK chart position being number three. Success also struck in other European countries. The duo had a short-lived revival in the music industry, releasing a song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, titled "We're on the Ball". The track peaked at No. 3,World Cup Archive. Everyhit.com. Retrieved 5 May 2012. being beaten by Will Young and Gareth Gates. On 23 March 2013, Ant and Dec performed "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble" as part of their show Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which powered the song to number one in the UK iTunes chart and on Sunday 31 March 2013 the track was revealed as the Official UK Number 1 single on The Official Chart on BBC Radio 1. The two donated all money made from the re-release to charity.
In February 2022 the pair released the charity single "We Werk Together", written by Ian Masterson, with RuPaul's Drag Race UK winners The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Krystal Versace with the proceeds from the single going to the Trussell Trust. The song was performed on the first episode of the eighteenth series of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway as the "End of the Show" Show, introduced by RuPaul.
Presenting Children's television Ant & Dec got their first presenting job in 1994 using a shortened versions of their real names, Tony & Lan, while still releasing music under the alias of PJ & Duncan. They co-presented a Saturday-morning children's show entitled Gimme 5, which was broadcast on CITV. In 1995, the duo were once again offered a job on CBBC, this time presenting their own series, entitled The Ant & Dec Show. The series was broadcast from 1995 to 1996, and in 1996, Ant & Dec won two BAFTA Awards, one for 'Best Children's Show' and one for 'Best Sketch Comedy Show'.Past Winners and Nominees – Children's 1996 BAFTA.org In 1996, a VHS release, entitled The Ant & Dec Show – Confidential, was made available in shops, and featured an hour of the best bits from two years of the programme, as well as specially recorded sketches and music videos.IMDB – The Ant & Dec Show. IMDb
In 1997, the duo switched to Channel 4, presenting an early-evening children's show entitled Ant & Dec Unzipped.IMDB – Ant & Dec Unzipped. IMDb This show also won a BAFTA but was dropped after just one series.Past Winners and Nominees – Children's 1998 BAFTA.org ITV signed the duo in August 1998, and within weeks they were assigned to present ITV1's Saturday morning programmes SMTV Live and CD:UK, alongside Cat Deeley. The duo presented the shows with Deeley for three years, becoming the most popular ITV Saturday morning show. The programme's success was the mix of games such as Eat My Goal, Wonkey Donkey and Challenge Ant, sketches such as "Dec Says" and the "Secret of My Success", and the chemistry between Ant, Dec, and Deeley. Two SMTV VHS cassettes, compiling highlights from both shows, were released in 2000 and 2001. Ant & Dec also starred in the children's TV series Engie Benjy during their time on SMTV.Ant McPartlin (Alien Autopsy, A History Of Tyneside, Engie Benjy – Let's Go Team – Episodes 7 To 13 and Engie Benjy – Makes Things Better!) . Lovefilm.com (12 April 2006). Retrieved 5 May 2012.Declan Donnelly (A History Of Tyneside, Alien Autopsy, Engie Benjy – Let's Go Team – Episodes 7 To 13 and Engie Benjy – Makes Things Better!) . Lovefilm.com (12 April 2006). Retrieved 5 May 2012.
Ant & Dec left children's television in 2001 after trying out formats like Friends Like These for BBC One in 2000 and Slap Bang with Ant & Dec for ITV in 2001.
Primetime Ant & Dec's first primetime presenting job came in the form of BBC Saturday-night game show Friends Like These, which was first broadcast in 1999. The duo presented two series of the programme between 1999 and 2001.IMDB – Friends Like These Cast. IMDb In 2001, the duo's contract with ITV was renewed for a further three years, following their appearances on SMTV Live and CD:UK, and they received their first primetime presenting job on the station, presenting new Saturday night reality series Pop Idol. Pop Idol was broadcast for only two series before being replaced in 2004 by The X Factor, to which former Smash Hits editor Kate Thornton was assigned presenting duties.
In 2002, Ant & Dec created and presented Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. The first series was not an overall success, but with the introduction of "Ant & Dec Undercover", "What's Next?", "Ant v Dec" and "Little Ant and Dec", the show became a hit. During the fifth series, Dec broke his arm, thumb and suffered a concussion whilst completing a challenge for the 'Ant vs. Dec' segment of the show. The incident involved learning how to ride a motorbike and jump through a fire ring. Dec failed to pull hard enough on the bike's throttle during the challenge, causing it to topple over and sending him flying through the air. In 2006, the first episode of series six saw the duo abseil down the side of the 22-story high London Studios, where the show was filmed. Two DVDs, a best-bits book, and a board game of the series were released during 2004.
The show was rested after 2009 as Ant & Dec said they were running out of ideas, and it became stale, as many of the popular features such as "Little Ant & Dec" and "Undercover" were dropped. Saturday Night Takeaway returned in 2013 and was a massive success; Ant & Dec resurrected previous hit features such as "Undercover", "Little Ant and Dec" (albeit with a new Little Ant and Dec) Win the Ads, and Ant v Dec, with new host Ashley Roberts. They also brought in new features such as the Supercomputer, Vegas or Bust, the End of the show 'show' where Ant and Dec perform with an act such as Riverdance or an Orchestra, and "I'm a Celebrity, get out of my ear!" where they have an earpiece in a celebs ear, and they tell them what to do while being filmed by secret cameras. The series was such a success that ITV recommissioned it for 2014 even before the 2013 series ended. A board game of the format was released. The final episodes of the 2020 series were filmed at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 series was filmed with a virtual audience and precautions.