The last ever episode of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway took a chaotic turn, after a contestant accidentally swore during a hilarious segment.
The presenting duo brought an end to the beloved series after 22 years with a supersized two-hour special, featuring a bumper lineup that included Amanda Holden, Holly Willoughby, S Club 7 and Girls Aloud.
One of the show’s most popular segments was Ring My Bell, where contestants’ neighbours had to frantically rush to ring their doorbell in a bid to win £500.
But once the challenge was complete, it was revealed the neighbours had to complete a second challenge, to win money and a Takeaway Getaway for themselves and the contestants watching in the studio.
Tasked with grabbing a hat, a duvet and a wheelie bin, the contestant from Stevenage rushed back to the front door with the items.
The last ever episode of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway took a chaotic turn, after a contestant accidentally swore during a hilarious segment
During the Ring My Bell segment, Ant quickly noted that a contestant needed to ring the doorbell again and say the right phrase, prompting the neighbour to say ‘Oh s**t’
But Ant quickly noted that he needed to ring the doorbell again and say the right phrase, prompting the neighbour to say ‘Oh s**t’.
Ant added: ‘Apologies for any swearing from Mr Stevenage there.’
Luckily viewers quickly saw the funny side of the gaffe, in a live show that was packed with amusing and unexpected moments.
‘Naughty Ben swearing. Ring My Bell; Apologising for swearing then they crack a joke about his helmet being on show! Brilliant!’ they tweeted.
Mere minutes into the bumper finale, fans admitted they were feeling ’emotional and nostalgic’, after noticing a major change for the supersized swan song.
The two-hour special kicked off with an homage 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 by the mashup of all the titles over the years; Loved that opening!’
Ant added: ‘Apologies for any swearing from Mr Stevenage there’
Luckily viewers quickly saw the funny side of the gaffe, in a live show that was packed with amusing and unexpected moments
The two-hour special kicked off with an homage to the show’s famous opening titles, with a montage of the various introductions that have appeared throughout the show’s run
‘We start with a montage of all the opening titles of #SaturdayNightTakeaway over the years! Feeling emotional and nostalgic;
‘All the opening titles from across the years…; OMG obsessed with the 20-year mashup of the titles!
‘The running opening titles were always the best ones;
‘ALRIGHT @itvtakeaway HAS LITERALLY JUST STARTED AND IT DONE A FREAKING MONTAGE OR WHATEVER U CALL IT THE OPENING CREDITS FROM OVER THE YEARS!’
‘One minute into #saturdaynighttakeaway and them opening credits for me a bit emotional.’
Takeaway’s final episode featured its most star-studded lineup yet, with appearances 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.
Chatting to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary on 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 that they were already in tears turning into the final
Praising its 22 years of broadcasting, Dec said: ‘When we first came to the decision to rest it – and we did it because 20 series feels like a good time to do it – we told our management first.
‘We said, ‘We want to rest it but we reserve the right between now and then to change our minds several time,’ and we have. But I think we know in our heart of hearts it’s the right thing to do.’
Ant agreed echoing: ‘For the show and for us personally, it’s the right thing at the right time.’
While teasing a slew of hotly-anticipated surprises for the grand finale, the Geordie duo admitted they remain unsure if the show will ever be back on screen.
Cherishing their memories on the show, Ant said: ‘You want to make sure that you get enough new stuff in and fun stuff in so it’s not just all a look back.
‘We don’t know when the show will be back and we don’t know if we will 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 has wrapped, and that it has been ‘quite hard’ in the final days before broadcasting.
Ant said: ‘I’m sure there will be tears. It’s been quite hard this week knowing it’s the final week in rehearsals and script meetings and everything.
‘We’ve kind of kept a lid on it until now. Until we got here and saw the stage, we thought, oh, it seems quite final.’
Last year Ant and Dec announced they’d quit Saturday Night Takeaway ahead of the 20th series, shocking their fans across the nation.
Ant and Dec – who initially found fame on Byker Grove in the late 1980s – first fronted the show from 2002 until 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 across ITV1 and ITVX.
Ant said at the time: ‘We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath.’
Dec added: ‘We still have a momentous 20th series to look forward to first so we will do our best to go out (for now) with a bang in 2024!’
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, produced by Lifted Entertainment (part of ITV Studios) and Mitre Studios, will return next year for its 20th series.
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.