Ant and Dec never imagined that 'Saturday Night Takeaway' would last more than "a couple of years".
Ant and Dec have said goodbye to Saturday Night Takeaway more than 20 years after the show first aired
The Geordie duo, both 48, started hosting the ITV1 variety show in 2002 but earlier this year decided to bring the series to a close and amid a star-studded finale on Saturday (13.04.24), the presenters appeared emotional as they thanked the audience one last time.
Ant said: "'Saturday Night Takeaway' is the kind of show that Dec and I watched every Saturday night growing up so it has been an honour and a privilege to have made this show and have been part of your Saturday nights for over 20 years."
Dec added: "When we started this back in 2002, we thought we'd be lucky if we got to do this for maybe a couple of years so what has happened has honestly been beyond our wildest dreams.
"We have truly adored every second of making this show.
"But there's one thing we've never, ever forgotten and that is that it is not our show, it is your show. Thank you, to you, our incredible audience."
For the last episode of the show, Ant and Dec took over the entirety of Television Centre in London and the finale episode saw the conclusion of several long-running skits such as 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Out Of Me Ear!'.
For the first time, the tables were turned as the presenters - who normally dish out instructional-based pranks to fellow celebrities via an earpiece - had to cause mayhem in a restaurant at the mercy of stars like Holly Willoughby, Rylan Clark, Cheryl and Oti Mabuse.
The episode also provided the last-ever edition of 'Ant versus Dec' - in which the pair of them compete against each other in a number of themed challenges - and Dec took the crown, thereby becoming the ultimate champion.
Tony Hadley, S Club and the Kaiser Chiefs all performed their signature tracks 'Gold', 'Reach' and 'I Predict a Riot' respectively during the karaoke segment, where a member of the public joined them to fill in a missing world in a bid to win a holiday.
A montage of best bits from over the years played towards the end of the show and the 'Britain's Got Talent' hosts joined McFly to perform a rewritten version of their 2005 hit 'All About You' dedicated to the audience.
For the final 'End of Show Show', Ant and Dec toured the television studios for a performance of Kool and the Gang classic 'Celebration' where they were joined by fellow TV stars including Alison Hammond, Andi Peters, Scarlett Moffatt and Roman Kemp as well as a host of others who had appeared over the years.
Girls Aloud had been providing announcements for the episode and also joined the boys on stage as a fireworks display began around the building before Ant and Dec wished the audience "goodnight and goodbye" for the last time.
Tagged in Ant And Dec Declan Donnelly Ant McPartlin