Why tonight’s Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway will be the last (for now!)

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway will take a break after the final episode of the series this weekend.

What will be the twentieth series of the show will conclude on ITV1 and ITVX this Saturday before going on a hiatus.

It’s not the first time the show has gone off air, previously pausing in 2009 for four years before returning in 2023.

And Ant & Dec aren’t going anywhere, continuing to front ITV’s hit shows I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win.

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.”

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!”

Ahead of the final episode, Ant said “I can’t quite believe it will be the last show, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed making this final series. I know it’ll be an emotional night but we intend to give Takeaway viewers a party to end all parties!”

Dec shared: “It’s been mixed emotions all week as we’ve been planning and rehearsing this final show. Saturday Night Takeaway is very special to us. We’ve made this two hour finale show a real celebration of all things SNT from over the years.”

As for the plans for the final show, the pair revealed: “It’s genuinely the biggest Saturday Night Takeaway we’ve ever done! We’re taking over the whole of TV Centre, it’s going to be chaotic, unpredictable and hopefully very entertaining….anything could happen!

“Everything is supersized for this very special live farewell show – we’ve got 3 stages, our main studio stage and two brand new purpose built stages outside TV Centre. ”

Kevin Lygo, ITV Managing Director, Media and Entertainment, commented: “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.”

You can catch up on recent episodes via ITVX here.