It feels like Ant and Dec have been on our screens forever – I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is in its 14th season with the boys, Saturday Night Takeaway is still a TV and pizza weekend favourite, and who could forget Byker Grove’s PJ and Duncan?
Now, the dynamic duo are up for the National Television Awards’ best entertainment presenter prize for the 14th time. Having bagged the top spot for 13 years running, the pair are up against Keith Lemon, Bradley Walsh and the ceremony’s host Dermot O’Leary.
That’s not all – Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! are also up for best entertainment programme category, with opponents Celebrity Big Brother and Through the Keyhole competing for the gong.
It’s no surprise the NTA top spot has been theirs for over a decade, but if you’re swaying towards voting for the other presenting heavyweights in their category, here are five reasons to remind you why we all love Ant and Dec.
1. They are national treasures
The boys have scooped plenty of gongs over the years for their talents: British Academy TV awards, NTAs, British Comedy Awards and even two Brit Award nominations. They must be waiting ever-so-patiently for that joint knighthood.
2. They uphold tradition
Comedy duos are a British tradition. The Geordie boys continue the trailblazing of acts like Morecambe and Wise, Trevor and Simon and the Two Ronnies. They’ve held the fort for more than 25 years on screen with their fun banter and wise-cracking double act on primetime TV. Could you pick a favourite of the two? We can’t!
3. They present the best shows
No matter what anyone says, the weekend will always belong to the kings of British TV, Ant and Dec. They had us gripped from the start on Byker Grove and entertained the kids on SMTV and Gimme 5, then honed the reality TV host talents we see today through a stint presenting Pop Idol. The pair front some of the most popular shows on television, including Britain’s Got Talent, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway. And a weekend isn’t a real weekend at all without the sofa, a curry and Ant and Dec.
4. Their music career was fabulously cringey
If you’re a 90s kid or one for nostalgia, the dulcet tones of PJ and Duncan are all it takes to get you up dancing. They were able to release 16 singles and three studio albums, peaking at number nine in the UK charts with Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble the first time round and making it to number one when it was re-released for Childline in 2013. The tune was nominated for a Brit in 1994 and unjustly lost out, but it’s still a classic cheesy hit that calls to mind the anoraks and baseball caps Ant and Dec used to wear religiously (we did too).
5. They’re best friends
It’s always heart-warming to see the lads papped together. The comedy act isn’t just for show and the friendship doesn’t end when the cameras go off. They first became friends as teens on the TV show Byker Grove after a shaky start, and it seems like they’ve been inseparable since. Dec was Ant’s best man at his 2005 wedding and we’re sure Ant will take up the duties for Dec’s nuptials in the near future. This is one showbiz pairing we can never imagine splitting.
Voting for the National Television Awards is open at www.nationaltvawards.com/vote and closes at midday on January 21, the day of the ceremony.
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