Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway returned to our screens at the weekend for its 19th series.
Featuring Doctor Who star David Tennant as guest announcer, Saturday's show saw the presenters get up to their usual antics including pranking Alison Hammond with a creepy 'haunted' hotel. It was also confirmed that the series finale will be held abroad for the first time in five years, with Ant and Dec set to host from Florida.
Viewers who have tuned in since the beginning will likely remember Little Ant and Dec, the Geordie duo's mini-mes. The original duo first appeared on the show all the way back on the second series in 2003, with James Pallister starring as Little Ant and Dylan McKenna-Redshaw playing Little Dec.
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The pair, both just nine years old when they landed their primetime roles, were snapped up by Granada Television who scoured Tyneside to find the perfect pair. They were given the opportunity to interview some very high profile guests including Tony Blair, Will Smith, Katie Price, David Beckham and music legend Diana Ross, who they serenaded with a version of Geordie anthem Fog on the Tyne.
James and Dylan starred on Saturday Night Takeaway until 2006, when they had to be replaced with another pair of youngsters when a growth spurt meant that the original 'Little' Ant and Dec were no longer quite so little. But the pair reunited with Ant and Dec in 2021 and took a snap showing how much they'd changed - with both lads now taller than their namesakes, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Reminiscing on their reunion, Dylan 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."
After leaving the show in 2006, the pair have been regulars in the Saturday Night Takeaway audience ever since, according to Ant and Dec. James now works as a vehicle technician for BMW and Dylan is a nutrition business owner.
Saturday Night Takeaway will continue next Saturday on ITV, with the pair due to pull an Undercover prank on Rylan later in the series. Meanwhile, Claudia Winkleman and Joe Wicks are both set to take part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Out Of Me Ear in future episodes.
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