Saturday Night Takeaway fans admit to feeling ’emotional and nostalgic’ as they discover a big change during the show’s finale: ‘It’s only been on for a minute!’
It was already going to be a tearful evening after 22 years on the screen,
And Saturday Night Takeaway fans admitted they are feeling “emotional and nostalgic” seconds after the show’s final episode began, after noticing a big change for the big swan song.
The two-hour special kicked off with a tribute to the show’s famous opening titles with a montage of the various introductions that have appeared throughout the show’s run.
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 collection of all the titles over the years; Loved that opening!’
Saturday Night Takeaway fans admitted they felt “emotional and nostalgic” seconds after the show’s final episode began, after it kicked off with a special version of the opening credits
‘We start with a montage of all the opening titles for #SaturdayNightTakeaway over the years! Feeling emotional and nostalgic;
‘All the opening titles from all the years…; OMG obsessed with the 20 year old mashup of the titles!
‘The running opening titles were always the best;
‘OK @itvtakeaway DESCRIPTION JUST STARTED AND IT MADE A FREE EDIT OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT THE OPENING CREDITS FROM OVER THE YEARS!’
‘One minute into #saturdaynighttakeaway and they open up to me a bit emotional.’
Takeaway’s final episode featured its most star-studded lineup to date with performances from Girls Aloud, S Club 7, while Simon Cowell, Girls Aloud, Amanda Holden and Rylan Clark appeared in the second installment of Get Out My Ear! The revenge.
It comes after Ant and Dec admitted it was far from an easy decision to leave the iconic show when they discussed their emotional farewell during an appearance on Friday’s This Morning.
Chatting to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary at the final extravaganza, the pair explained 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 by the finale
Dec praised its 22-year run, saying: ‘When we first came to the decision to rest it – and we did because 20 series feels like a good time to do it – we told our management first.
“We said, ‘We’d like to rest it, but we reserve the right to change our minds several times,’ and we have. But I think we know in our hearts that it’s the right thing to do.”
Ant echoed: “For the show and for us personally, it’s the right thing at the right time.”
While teasing a number of long-awaited surprises for the grand final, the Geordie duo admitted they are still unsure if the show will ever be back on screen.
Cherishing their memories of the show, Ant said: ‘You want to make sure you get enough new stuff in and fun stuff in so it’s not all just a flashback.
“We don’t know when the show is coming back and we don’t know if we’ll ever do Ant versus Dec again, so whoever wins is the ultimate!” added Dec.
The presenting couple also admitted that there will be ‘tears’ when the show has finished and that it has been ‘pretty tough’ in the last few days leading up to the broadcast.
Ant said: ‘I’m sure there will be tears. It’s been pretty tough this week knowing it’s the last week of rehearsals and script meetings and all.
“We have kind of put a lid on it until now. Until we got here and saw the scene, we thought, oh, it seems pretty final.’
Last year, Ant and Dec announced they would be quitting Saturday Night Takeaway ahead of the 20th series, shocking their fans across the country.
Ant and Dec – who originally 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 continue their exclusive partnership 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 are shown across ITV1 and ITVX.
Ant said at the time: ‘We love doing Saturday Night Takeaway but reaching the 20 series milestone seemed like the perfect time to pause for a while and catch our breath.’
Dec added: “We’ve still got a momentous 20th series to look forward to first, so we’ll do our best to go out (so far) with a bang in 2024!”
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, produced by Lifted Entertainment (part of ITV Studios) and Miter Studios, returns next year for its 20th series.
The series has spawned several iconic segments including Win the Ads, Undercover, Get Out Of Me Ear, The End of Show Show and The Happiest Minute of the Week.