After 22 years on screen, it would already be a tear-jerking evening,
And Saturday Night Takeaway fans admitted they felt “emotional and nostalgic” just seconds after the show’s final episode began, after noticing a big change for the super-sized swan song.
The two-hour special began with a tribute to the show’s famous opening titles, with a montage of the various introductions that appeared during the show.
It was a change that didn’t go unnoticed by many fans, who shared that the change had already left them in tears.
Posts on X included: ‘#SaturdayNightTakeaway impressed with the mashup of all the titles over the years; I loved that opening!’
Saturday Night Takeaway fans admitted they felt ’emotional and nostalgic’ just seconds into the show’s final episode, after it began with a special version of the opening titles
‘We start with a montage of all the opening credits of #SaturdayNightTakeaway over the years! Feeling emotional and nostalgic;
‘All the opening titles from over the years…; OMG obsessed with the 20 year old mashup of the titles!
“The running opening titles were always the best;
“OK @itvtakeaway LITERALLY JUST STARTED AND IT HAS DONE A FREAKING MONTAGE OR WHAT YOU CALL IT, THE OPENING CREDITS FROM OVER THE YEARS!”
‘One minute into #saturdaynighttakeaway and they open the credits for me a bit emotionally.’
The latest episode of Takeaway featured its most star-studded line-up yet, with performances from Girls Aloud, S Club 7, while Simon Cowell, Girls Aloud, Amanda Holden and Rylan Clark appeared in the second part of Get Out My Ear ! The revenge.
It comes after Ant and Dec admitted leaving the iconic show was far from an easy decision as they discussed their emotional farewell during an appearance on Friday’s This Morning.
Speaking to presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary about the latest extravaganza, the pair explained that it felt like ‘the right time’ to leave the iconic show ‘on a high’.
It was a change that didn’t go unnoticed by many fans, who shared that the change had already left them in tears
After noticing a special version of the opening, fans admitted they were already in tears heading into the finale
Praising the 22 years of broadcasting, Dec said: ‘When we first came to the decision to leave it alone – and we did it because 20 series seemed like a good time to do it – we told our management first.
‘We said, ‘We want to leave it alone, but we reserve the right to change our mind several times between now and then,’ and we did that. But I think deep down we know it’s the right thing to do.”
Ant agreed, repeating: “For the show and for us personally, it’s the right thing at the right time.”
While teasing a slew of highly anticipated surprises for the grand finale, the Geordie duo admitted they are still unsure if the show will ever return to the screen.
Cherishing their memories of the show, Ant said: “You want to make sure you get enough new stuff and fun stuff in so it’s not just a throwback.
“We don’t know when the show will come back and we don’t know if we’ll ever do Ant versus Dec again, so whoever wins is the ultimate!”, Dec added.
The presenting pair also admitted there will be “tears” once the show wraps, and that it has been “quite difficult” in the final days before airing.
Ant said: “I’m sure there will be tears. It’s been pretty hard this week, knowing that this is the last week of rehearsals and script meetings and all that.
“So far we’ve kind of kept an eye on it. Until we got here and saw the stage, we thought, oh, it seems final.’
Last year, Ant and Dec announced they would be quitting Saturday Night Takeaway ahead of its 20th series, shocking their fans across the country.
Ant and Dec – who initially found fame on Byker Grove in the late 1980s – first fronted the show from 2002 to 2009 and then again from 2013 when it returned
The pair will continue their exclusive working relationship with ITV, hosting hit shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win, all of which air on ITV1 and ITVX.
Ant said at the time: “We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the 20 series milestone seemed like the perfect time to pause and catch our breath.”
Dec added: ‘We still have a memorable 20th series to look forward to, so we’ll do our best to go out with a bang (for now) in 2024!’
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, produced by Lifted Entertainment (part of ITV Studios) and Miter Studios, returns for its 20th series next year.
The series has spawned numerous iconic segments including Win the Ads, Undercover, Get Out Of Me Ear, The End of Show Show and the Happiest Minute of the Week.
