When Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly ran on to the stage
of ITV’s London studio on Saturday night to resurrect their Nineties pop
star alter-egos PJ and Duncan, they had no idea of the impact the
two-minute routine would have.
On Sunday, their re-released Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble is expected to enter the charts at No 1 — a feat the rap ditty didn’t achieve when it peaked at No 9 on its first release in 1994.
Even Prince Charles appears to have been taken in, saying of the pair at a charity event this week: ‘They still look about 15 — I suspect it’s all that rumbling they do.’
Hit:
Nineteen years after they tried (and failed) to top the charts, Ant
& Dec admit they're astounded their spoof rap's a hit
Such is the power of ITV’s £10 million golden boys, both 37 (Dec’s two months older and two inches shorter).
They are more popular now than at any point in their unlikely career, which has seen them develop from awkward teen soap stars to the best loved double act since Morecambe and Wise.
Immediately after their current show, Saturday Night Takeaway, finishes on April 13, the boys will be back on screen presenting the new series of Britain’s Got Talent.
Ant got the idea for the new
Rhumble as he nestled down on the couch of his West London mansion with
his wife Lisa Armstrong — former girl-band member turned successful TV
make-up artist — to watch The Big Reunion.
The fly-on-the-wall ITV2 series brings washed-up Nineties pop groups such as Blue, 911, B*Witched, Liberty X, 5IVE and Atomic Kitten, back together to relive their former glories.
Since their fame faded, many of those band members have battled problems, from bankruptcy to drug addiction. Ant and Dec are among the few idols from the era to emerge with successful showbusiness careers.
Rhumbled: TV's favourite Geordie duo Ant and Dec are Britain's most popular duo since Morecambe and Wise
‘The
idea came from The Big Reunion. We love watching that show,’ Ant tells
me, speaking for the first time about the performance that has
captivated the nation. ‘When we knew some of the acts were coming on
Saturday Night Takeaway to sing, we decided to perform ourselves as
well.’
But Ant and Dec, who are also executive producers of Takeaway, didn’t even tell their Britain’s Got Talent colleagues they were considering a musical comeback.
‘It was a surprise,’ their friend Alesha Dixon, a judge on the show, says, ‘but watching them perform their classic hit was a diamond moment — they’ve still got it!’
The lads — who are donating the royalties from Rhumble to ChildLine — say they didn’t spend months rehearsing. ‘We did one rehearsal,’ Dec says. ‘But when we saw how good the other acts were, we got competitive and decided to up the rehearsals and ask for more dancers and pyrotechnics!’
On
Sunday, their re-released Let¿s Get Ready To Rhumble is expected to
enter the charts at No¿1 ¿ a feat the rap ditty didn¿t achieve when it
peaked at No¿9 on its first release in 1994
Yet Atomic
Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton, who performed with the duo on the show,
thinks they’re being coy. ‘They are perfectionists and there really
wasn’t any messing about.
They’re total professionals,’ she says.
Luckily, given the high-energy dance routine, the pair are in the best shape they’ve been in for years following a regime that includes regular rounds of golf together.
Not that it was difficult fitting into their old costumes.
‘They’re ever so baggy,’ Dec says of their XXL-sized shirts. ‘We were always so swamped in things.’ The live performance was flawless, though they were left out of breath as they signed off. ‘It’s a lot quicker than I remember. We’ve honestly aged a bit. We’ve either got a lot older and slower or the track’s got quicker,’ Dec joked.
Eight million people watched them Rhumble on TV, and another million saw it as it became a viral hit on the internet. Did they have any idea it would explode? ‘Not in a million years,’ Ant insists.
‘We just did the performance and thought that would be that. It’s crazy what has gone on this week.’
By Sunday morning, the song had entered the Top 20 on iTunes. By Monday, it was No 1, with bookies predicting it would hold top spot in the official chart.
Busting out all the old moves: The pair dressed in their PJ & Duncan guises to perform the track
It's like riding a bike: The pair remembered all the words and all the old dance moves to put on a special show
The
lads see the irony in this week’s success. After 16 single releases,
they’d never come close to the top spot until now. ‘It’s hard to
believe,’ Dec grins. ‘We tried so hard to get a No 1 back in the day.
Actually, I’m a little bit annoyed we may get one now without any effort!’
The secret behind Ant and Dec’s success is their boys-next-door personas. After growing up on council estates in Newcastle, they have jointly won the National Television Award for best entertainment presenter 12 times in a row.
Amanda Holden, who has worked with them on BGT for six years, puts it like this: ‘They don’t crave fame or attention but receive it by default. They work because they genuinely love each other and what they do. Dec is the fun, naughty one and Ant is more business-minded.’
Richard Cowles, executive producer for Takeaway, concurs: ‘They don’t try to be cool. They aren’t nasty — everything is done with a twinkle in their eyes. A generation has grown up with them and a new generation is discovering them now.’
In reality, both are multi-millionaires who oversee every aspect of their careers. It’s a far cry from 1989, when they made their debut as two 15-year-olds on the BBC’s Geordie teen drama Byker Grove.
They were helped by record producer and songwriter Nicky Graham, who was asked if he could find a song for two lads known as PJ and Duncan on the show.
‘The script called for them to make a track in their studio, and I found one called Tonight I’m Free, which they learned and recorded in one day,’ he says. ‘It was a pretty average song. It didn’t really stand a chance, but Telstar put the record out and it went in at No 55.
‘But there were loads of girlies going into Woolies asking for it. Telstar thought there was something there and told me to go away and write more songs.
‘At that time, Ant and Dec were clearly two actors. So we said “Right, you’re now pop stars,” and they did it very well, learnt their dance routines, did all the travelling. But they were still the same couple of guys who would go out and have a few pints of Brown Ale.
‘I don’t think it even occurred to them to be pop stars until we came along and said you could be — otherwise they would probably have gone their separate ways when Byker Grove finished.’
Success: Eight million people watched them Rhumble on TV, and another million saw it as it became a viral hit on the internet
After
their bid to top the charts, TV presenting beckoned. They hosted kids
programmes for ITV and the BBC, winning their first BAFTA in 1995 for
best children’s show. After a stint at Channel 4 in 1998, they returned
to ITV to present Saturday morning shows SMTV Live and CD:UK alongside
Cat Deeley. But there was no guarantee they would crack the adult
market.
Then, in 2001, ITV gave them a plum prime-time job hosting Pop Idol, which introduced the world to Simon Cowell. The next year they were signed to present I’m A Celebrity, where their comic links from Australia were considered a key factor behind its success. They reunited with Cowell in 2007 as hosts of Britain’s Got Talent.
That’s not to say Ant and Dec haven’t had their share of disappointment — an attempt to enter the movie business with the film Alien Autopsy in 2006 was a box office flop — but they seem able to bounce back with little fallout.
The show they are most passionate about is Saturday Night Takeaway, which they launched in 2002. It ran for seven years before the pair launched a new Saturday night show on ITV, Push The Button.
Incredibly, the lads — best friends who spend at least one night a week together at their local pub — had to convince ITV to bring back Takeaway. Executives were concerned it might not be as popular second time around.
Ant
and Dec also admit to feeling some trepidation about the show’s return.
‘We’re very proud of Saturday Night Takeaway. But we were nervous
bringing it back to screens for this series,’ Ant admits.
‘We had faith in the show so we’re just so pleased with the reaction.’
Now Takeaway is the show A-listers are begging to appear on. One top celebrity agent tells me: ‘No British celebrity would turn it down, even if it means being a little humiliated in one of their stunts.’
This series has featured One Direction, Ricky Gervais, Terry Wogan, Sharon Osbourne, Alan Carr and Louis Walsh. Tomorrow, Simon Cowell helps the pair play a hidden camera prank on Piers Morgan.
Ant and Dec hope to use the success of Takeaway to make a second bid at breaking the U.S.
They made one attempt in 2008, hosting game show Wanna Bet for ABC but it was axed after one series amid reports viewers struggled to understand their Geordie accents.
The issue, according to colleagues of the pair, is that they didn’t have creative control.
The only way they will return now is to host a U.S. version of Takeaway, which would be broadcast from heartland states like Texas. ‘It’s the right time to give it a crack,’ Ant has said.
In the UK, their unexpected music success will up the ante in forthcoming contract talks with ITV. Last month, I revealed in my Inside The Box column how the success of Takeaway has put the pair in pole position for a new deal.
Ant and Dec’s current £10 million deal expires at the end of the year. Insiders suggest a pay rise to at least £6 million each — the figure they were earning before the credit crunch — is likely. An ITV source explains: ‘You can’t underestimate the importance of Ant and Dec to this network. They are central to three of our most important franchises — Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity.’
But on Sunday night, as the chart is announced, thoughts of the future will be pushed to one side as they prepare to celebrate their first ever No 1 single over a pint in their local pub. Of course, as ever, they will be side by side..’
On Sunday, their re-released Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble is expected to enter the charts at No 1 — a feat the rap ditty didn’t achieve when it peaked at No 9 on its first release in 1994.
Even Prince Charles appears to have been taken in, saying of the pair at a charity event this week: ‘They still look about 15 — I suspect it’s all that rumbling they do.’
Hit:
Nineteen years after they tried (and failed) to top the charts, Ant
& Dec admit they're astounded their spoof rap's a hitThey are more popular now than at any point in their unlikely career, which has seen them develop from awkward teen soap stars to the best loved double act since Morecambe and Wise.
Immediately after their current show, Saturday Night Takeaway, finishes on April 13, the boys will be back on screen presenting the new series of Britain’s Got Talent.
The fly-on-the-wall ITV2 series brings washed-up Nineties pop groups such as Blue, 911, B*Witched, Liberty X, 5IVE and Atomic Kitten, back together to relive their former glories.
Since their fame faded, many of those band members have battled problems, from bankruptcy to drug addiction. Ant and Dec are among the few idols from the era to emerge with successful showbusiness careers.
Rhumbled: TV's favourite Geordie duo Ant and Dec are Britain's most popular duo since Morecambe and WiseBut Ant and Dec, who are also executive producers of Takeaway, didn’t even tell their Britain’s Got Talent colleagues they were considering a musical comeback.
‘It was a surprise,’ their friend Alesha Dixon, a judge on the show, says, ‘but watching them perform their classic hit was a diamond moment — they’ve still got it!’
The lads — who are donating the royalties from Rhumble to ChildLine — say they didn’t spend months rehearsing. ‘We did one rehearsal,’ Dec says. ‘But when we saw how good the other acts were, we got competitive and decided to up the rehearsals and ask for more dancers and pyrotechnics!’
On
Sunday, their re-released Let¿s Get Ready To Rhumble is expected to
enter the charts at No¿1 ¿ a feat the rap ditty didn¿t achieve when it
peaked at No¿9 on its first release in 1994They’re total professionals,’ she says.
Luckily, given the high-energy dance routine, the pair are in the best shape they’ve been in for years following a regime that includes regular rounds of golf together.
Not that it was difficult fitting into their old costumes.
‘They’re ever so baggy,’ Dec says of their XXL-sized shirts. ‘We were always so swamped in things.’ The live performance was flawless, though they were left out of breath as they signed off. ‘It’s a lot quicker than I remember. We’ve honestly aged a bit. We’ve either got a lot older and slower or the track’s got quicker,’ Dec joked.
Eight million people watched them Rhumble on TV, and another million saw it as it became a viral hit on the internet. Did they have any idea it would explode? ‘Not in a million years,’ Ant insists.
‘We just did the performance and thought that would be that. It’s crazy what has gone on this week.’
By Sunday morning, the song had entered the Top 20 on iTunes. By Monday, it was No 1, with bookies predicting it would hold top spot in the official chart.
Busting out all the old moves: The pair dressed in their PJ & Duncan guises to perform the trackIt's like riding a bike: The pair remembered all the words and all the old dance moves to put on a special showActually, I’m a little bit annoyed we may get one now without any effort!’
The secret behind Ant and Dec’s success is their boys-next-door personas. After growing up on council estates in Newcastle, they have jointly won the National Television Award for best entertainment presenter 12 times in a row.
Amanda Holden, who has worked with them on BGT for six years, puts it like this: ‘They don’t crave fame or attention but receive it by default. They work because they genuinely love each other and what they do. Dec is the fun, naughty one and Ant is more business-minded.’
Richard Cowles, executive producer for Takeaway, concurs: ‘They don’t try to be cool. They aren’t nasty — everything is done with a twinkle in their eyes. A generation has grown up with them and a new generation is discovering them now.’
In reality, both are multi-millionaires who oversee every aspect of their careers. It’s a far cry from 1989, when they made their debut as two 15-year-olds on the BBC’s Geordie teen drama Byker Grove.
They were helped by record producer and songwriter Nicky Graham, who was asked if he could find a song for two lads known as PJ and Duncan on the show.
‘The script called for them to make a track in their studio, and I found one called Tonight I’m Free, which they learned and recorded in one day,’ he says. ‘It was a pretty average song. It didn’t really stand a chance, but Telstar put the record out and it went in at No 55.
‘But there were loads of girlies going into Woolies asking for it. Telstar thought there was something there and told me to go away and write more songs.
‘At that time, Ant and Dec were clearly two actors. So we said “Right, you’re now pop stars,” and they did it very well, learnt their dance routines, did all the travelling. But they were still the same couple of guys who would go out and have a few pints of Brown Ale.
‘I don’t think it even occurred to them to be pop stars until we came along and said you could be — otherwise they would probably have gone their separate ways when Byker Grove finished.’
Success: Eight million people watched them Rhumble on TV, and another million saw it as it became a viral hit on the internetThen, in 2001, ITV gave them a plum prime-time job hosting Pop Idol, which introduced the world to Simon Cowell. The next year they were signed to present I’m A Celebrity, where their comic links from Australia were considered a key factor behind its success. They reunited with Cowell in 2007 as hosts of Britain’s Got Talent.
That’s not to say Ant and Dec haven’t had their share of disappointment — an attempt to enter the movie business with the film Alien Autopsy in 2006 was a box office flop — but they seem able to bounce back with little fallout.
The show they are most passionate about is Saturday Night Takeaway, which they launched in 2002. It ran for seven years before the pair launched a new Saturday night show on ITV, Push The Button.
Incredibly, the lads — best friends who spend at least one night a week together at their local pub — had to convince ITV to bring back Takeaway. Executives were concerned it might not be as popular second time around.
‘We had faith in the show so we’re just so pleased with the reaction.’
Now Takeaway is the show A-listers are begging to appear on. One top celebrity agent tells me: ‘No British celebrity would turn it down, even if it means being a little humiliated in one of their stunts.’
This series has featured One Direction, Ricky Gervais, Terry Wogan, Sharon Osbourne, Alan Carr and Louis Walsh. Tomorrow, Simon Cowell helps the pair play a hidden camera prank on Piers Morgan.
Ant and Dec hope to use the success of Takeaway to make a second bid at breaking the U.S.
They made one attempt in 2008, hosting game show Wanna Bet for ABC but it was axed after one series amid reports viewers struggled to understand their Geordie accents.
The issue, according to colleagues of the pair, is that they didn’t have creative control.
The only way they will return now is to host a U.S. version of Takeaway, which would be broadcast from heartland states like Texas. ‘It’s the right time to give it a crack,’ Ant has said.
In the UK, their unexpected music success will up the ante in forthcoming contract talks with ITV. Last month, I revealed in my Inside The Box column how the success of Takeaway has put the pair in pole position for a new deal.
Ant and Dec’s current £10 million deal expires at the end of the year. Insiders suggest a pay rise to at least £6 million each — the figure they were earning before the credit crunch — is likely. An ITV source explains: ‘You can’t underestimate the importance of Ant and Dec to this network. They are central to three of our most important franchises — Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity.’
But on Sunday night, as the chart is announced, thoughts of the future will be pushed to one side as they prepare to celebrate their first ever No 1 single over a pint in their local pub. Of course, as ever, they will be side by side..’