What nearly derailed Ant and Dec’s TV career

Ant and Dec might be the nation’s favourite presenting duo, but their path to success hasn’t always been smooth.

The pair, made up of Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, first rose to fame as actors in Byker Grove.

From there, they transformed into beloved television presenters, entertaining the nation for several decades.

Their career boasts many iconic TV shows, from SM:TV and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway to I’m A Celebrity.

However, not every venture has been a hit.

In a 2020 interview with Glamour Magazine, Ant opened up about their “failures” and how they’ve “shaped us the most.”

He recalled: “We had a show very early on called Slap Bang on a Saturday night and it didn’t work.”

The show started off in peak time but gradually moved to earlier slots.

Ant reflected: “I think that that taught us you have to adapt. We went back, licked our wounds and went back to it.”

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Dec added his perspective: “Not everything you are going to do is going to be a hit. I think you learn every day. You can’t buy experiences; all these experiences shape you.”

During the early days of their presenting career, the duo also learned valuable lessons from doing panto gigs while they were hosting SMTV: Live on Saturday mornings.

Ant shared: “We learnt how far we could push things and the show was all the better for that. I think that taught us you really have to know your audience because you could see how they would react to things.”

READ MORE > Ant & Dec to launch Byker Grove reboot with brand new TV series

He concluded: “In this game knowing your audience is so important, early doors.”

You can currently catch Ant & Dec hosting Britain’s Got Talent on Saturday nights.