Ant & Dec facts for kids

Ant & Dec OBE
Anthony "Ant" McPartlin (left) and Declan "Dec" Donnelly (right) in 2014
Born	Anthony McPartlin (1975-11-18) 18 November 1975 (age 49) Declan Donnelly (1975-09-25) 25 September 1975 (age 49) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Medium	Television
Years active	1988–present
Genres	Television presenting acting comedy rapping
Notable works and roles	I'm a Celebrity... Saturday Night Takeaway Britain's Got Talent Byker Grove Red or Black? SMTV Live ' Pop Idol Alien Autopsy
Members	Anthony McPartlin Declan Donnelly

Anthony David McPartlin and Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly are a famous English TV presenting duo. They are also known as comedians, TV presenters, and singers. Both were born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Ant and Dec first met as child actors on the CBBC drama Byker Grove. They became best friends and have worked together ever since. They even performed as pop musicians called PJ & Duncan, named after their characters from the show.

Today, they are best known for hosting popular TV shows. These include Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, and Britain's Got Talent. They have also hosted the annual Brit Awards several times. Besides presenting, they have acted in films like Alien Autopsy. They even have their own TV production company called Mitre Television.

In 2019, they explored their family history in a show called Ant and Dec's DNA Journey. They found out they are distant cousins, sharing a Viking ancestor!

Who Are Ant & Dec?

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly met in 1989. They were both working on the BBC children's drama Byker Grove. At first, they didn't get along, but they soon became great friends. They are almost always seen together on screen.

Their Journey Begins

Early Acting Days

Declan Donnelly joined Byker Grove in 1989 as a character named Duncan. Anthony McPartlin joined a year later in 1990, playing PJ. Their characters became friends on the show, and so did they in real life. The show's producer told them to "Stay together... and you could be the future Morecambe and Wise." This advice proved to be very true!

Donnelly also acted in a film called The Cinder Path when he was a teenager. Later, they both starred in the 2006 sci-fi comedy movie Alien Autopsy. They also played themselves in the film Love Actually.

Music Career

After their time on Byker Grove, Ant and Dec tried making pop music. Their first song was "Tonight I'm Free," which they sang on the show. They released two albums as PJ & Duncan. Their most famous song from this time was "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble". The music video for this song had cool dance moves.

For their third album, they started using their real names, Ant & Dec. This album included their song "Shout." While none of their songs reached number one in the UK at first, "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble" later hit number one in 2013. This happened after they performed it again on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. All the money from this re-release went to charity. They also had a song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup called "We're on the Ball."

TV Presenting Stars

Children's TV Fun

Ant & Dec started presenting in 1994 on a children's show called Gimme 5 on CITV. In 1995, they got their own show on CBBC, called The Ant & Dec Show. This show won two BAFTA Awards!

In 1997, they moved to Channel 4 for Ant & Dec Unzipped, which also won a BAFTA. Then, in 1998, ITV signed them up. They became super popular hosting SMTV Live and ', alongside Cat Deeley. These shows were a huge hit on Saturday mornings. They had fun games, sketches, and great chemistry between the three presenters. Ant & Dec left children's TV in 2001 to focus on bigger shows.

Big Primetime Shows

Ant & Dec's first big evening show was Friends Like These on BBC One in 1999. In 2001, they started hosting the new reality show Pop Idol on ITV. This show was very successful and helped them become well-known presenters.

In 2002, Ant & Dec created their own show, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. This show has been on for many years and is still very popular. It features funny segments like "Ant & Dec Undercover" and "Little Ant and Dec." In one episode, Dec even broke his arm doing a challenge! The show took a break after 2009 but returned in 2013 with new and old favorite parts. It's still going strong, even filming from their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2002, they also started hosting I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. This show became incredibly popular, with millions of people watching. In 2007, they began presenting Britain's Got Talent, another huge hit. On this show, contestants try to win £100,000 and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance. Ant & Dec have hosted this show for many years.

They have also hosted other shows like Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon, Red or Black?, and the charity event Text Santa. In 2016, they presented special documentaries for ITV, including When Ant and Dec Met The Prince: 40 Years of The Prince's Trust and The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration.

Other Cool Stuff

Ant and Dec have been made into puppets for Spitting Image and cartoon characters for 2DTV. They have also appeared in adverts for big companies like Sainsbury's, Nintendo, Morrisons, Suzuki, and Santander Bank.

In 2009, they released their autobiography called Ooh! What a Lovely Pair. Our Story. In 2020, they celebrated 30 years of working together with a new book called Once Upon A Tyne. This book shares stories from their amazing career.

Special Recognition

On 10 June 2016, Ant and Dec were given an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II. This award is for their great work in broadcasting and entertainment. They received their awards at Buckingham Palace from Prince Charles in January 2017.

On 23 January 2019, they earned a Guinness World Record. They won the award for "the most National Television Awards won consecutively for Best Presenter." This shows how much people love them!

Awards and Achievements

Ant & Dec have won many awards throughout their career. They have received numerous BAFTA Awards for their entertainment shows and performances. They have also won many TV Choice Awards.

They are especially known for winning the National Television Awards (NTAs). They have won the "Most Popular Entertainment/TV Presenter" award an incredible 19 times in a row! They have also won many NTAs for their shows, including:

• I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (12 wins)
• Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (6 wins)
• Pop Idol (1 win)
• SMTV Live (1 win)
• Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon (1 win)

This shows how popular and loved they are by the public!

Filmography

Films

Television advertisements

Television idents

• ITV "Celebrities" idents (3 idents, 2002)
• ITV "Abstract celebrities" idents (5 idents, 2003)

Apps

• An official Saturday Night Takeaway app known as Studio Rush launched on 30 January 2013.

See Also

Images for kids

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  Anthony "Ant" McPartlin (left) and Declan "Dec" Donnelly (right) in 2014