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Kyle O'Sullivan & Robert Dalling

Little Ant and Dec: What became of the doppelgangers who 'outgrew' Saturday Night Takeaway

They were the mini doppelgangers that were once more popular than the men themselves.

Saturday Night Takeaway has just returned to our screens with the nation's favourite double act, Ant and Dec. The first show in the 2022 series on Saturday, February 19 saw the presenters shock mum-to-be Vicky Powell with a surprise wedding live on telly and Jeremy Clarkson pranked as the latest victim of the Undercover sketch.

Whilst some of the favourite features of the show are alive and well, long time fans will know there is one bit that is missing - in the form of Little Ant & Dec.

READ MORE: Ant and Dec surprise mum-to-be with surprise wedding live on telly

They were one of the highlights of the show, and got many laughs each week by putting big name celebrity guests in the hot seat with uncomfortable questions, like the current prime minister Boris Johnson, former prime minister Tony Blair Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Katie Price, Victoria Beckham and Ewan McGregor.

James Pallister and Dylan McKenna-Redshaw were the Geordie duo's original young lookalikes - and some even thought they may take over once the presenters retired.

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly and Little Ant & Dec with their award for Most Popular Entertainment Programme during the annual National Television Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in central London in October 2003 (PA / Ian West)

They spent five series on the show, having started in 2003, before returning to their normal lives at school. They were replaced by an even younger duo in 2013, as producers realised the originals were too old - and too tall - to carry on with the act as they were nearing their twenties.

Dec admitted the pair are both "six footers" and now dwarf their older counterparts in size. And they look far different to the pair they tried to emulate back in the noughties, ditching their trademark Ant & Dec hairstyles, but keeping to their routes in the North East.

James went on to work as a vehicle technician for BMW before joining the RAC, whilst Dylan started his own nutrition business, the Daily Mirror reports.

Dylan was pictured enjoying a beer with the actual Ant and Dec during a reunion in 2013.

He said: "It’s always good to see Ant and Dec again. They were shocked when they saw us, it’s been a few years since we have caught up and we are much taller!

"It was a really good experience. Me and James used to joke with Ant and Dec. They were great teachers! Looking back I guess we were able to be more naughty and cheeky than they would have got away with. Times have changed. I don’t think I look like a Little Ant now but I really enjoyed the experience and its something I’ll never forget."

Neil Overend and Haydn Reid took over from the longstanding pair during series 10, and they also had some hilarious encounters with celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence, Wayne Rooney, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson, before they themselves "outgrew the role", quite literally.

The replacement Little Ant & Dec with Ashley Roberts (ITV)

Once again, exactly the same issue arose as before and show bosses decided the boys had "outgrown their role".

"They sometimes come down with their families," Dec told Digital Spy last year. "They'll come down to a show every year. But we didn't see them last year. And we won't see them this year because we won't have anybody at the studio.

"We haven't seen them for a little while. They normally come down to take in a show. That's the one that makes us feel really old!"

The duo also admitted that height was an issue with both versions of their little lookalikes.

"The first Littles are massive as well. They're two six-footers," added Dec.

"We haven't seen the second Littles for a little while. It'll be nice to see them when we can get them back to the studio."

However, this might not be the last time we see a version of Little Ant and Dec on out screens as the Geordie duo are not opposed to finding more lookalikes at some point in the future.

"The good thing is, with something like that, in the future we might want to do it again," Ant said last year.

"We might search again for two new Littles and do the item again. And we might try it again with two new ones."

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