It was already planned to be a moving night after 22 years on the screen,
And Saturday Night Takeaway fans admitted they are feeling “emotional and nostalgic” just seconds into the show’s final episode – after noticing a major change in the oversized swan song.
The two-hour special began with a tribute to the show’s famous opening titles, with a montage of the various performances that appeared throughout the show.
It was a change that did not go unnoticed by many fans, who shared that the change had already left them in tears.
Posts on X included: ‘#SaturdayNightTakeaway impressed by the combination of all the titles over the years; I loved that opening!’
Saturday Night Takeaway fans admitted they felt “emotional and nostalgic” just seconds into the show’s final episode after it began with a special version of the opening titles.
‘We start with a montage of all the #SaturdayNightTakeaway opening titles over the years! Feeling emotional and nostalgic;
‘All the opening titles from all the years…; OMG, obsessed with combining titles for 20 years!
‘Consecutive opening titles were always the best;
‘WELL, @itvtakeaway LITERALLY JUST STARTED AND MADE AN AMAZING MONTAGE OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, THE OPENING CREDITS OF OVER THE YEARS!’
“One minute into #saturdaynighttakeaway and the opening credits are a little emotional for me.”
The final episode of Takeaway featured its most stellar line-up 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 wasn’t an easy decision, as they spoke about their emotional farewell during an appearance on Friday’s This Morning.
Chatting to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary about the final show, the pair explained that it seemed “the right time” to leave the iconic show “on a high”.
It was a change that did not go unnoticed by many fans, who shared that the change had already left them in tears.
After watching a special version of the opening, fans admitted they were already crying upon reaching the final.
Praising its 22 years of broadcasting, Dec said: “When we made the decision to call it quits – and we did it because 20 series seemed like a good time to do it – we told our management first.”
“We said, ‘We want to rest, but we reserve the right to change our minds several times between now and then,’ and we did. But I think in our hearts we know it’s the right thing to do.”
Ant agreed, repeating: “For the show and for us personally, it’s the right thing at the right time.”
As they teased a series of highly anticipated surprises for the big finale, the Geordie duo admitted they are unsure if the show will ever appear on screen again.
Appreciating his memories on the show, Ant said: “You want to make sure you include enough new and fun things so it’s not just a look back.”
“We don’t know when the show will be back and we don’t know if we’ll 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 is over, and that it has been “pretty tough” in the final few days before broadcast.
Ant said: ‘I’m sure there will be tears. It’s been pretty difficult this week knowing it’s the last week of rehearsals, script meetings and all that.
‘We have kept this a secret until now. Until we got here and saw the scenario, we were like, oh, it looks pretty final.”
Last year, Ant and Dec announced they would be leaving Saturday Night Takeaway ahead of series 20, surprising fans across the country.
Ant and Dec, who initially found fame in Byker Grove in the late 1980s, first fronted the show from 2002 to 2009 and then again from 2013, when it returned.
The couple will continue their exclusive working relationship with ITV, presenting hit shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win, all of which air on ITV1 and ITVX.
Ant said at the time: “We love doing Saturday Night Takeaway, but hitting the 20 series milestone seemed like the perfect time to pause for a moment and catch our breath.”
Dec added: ‘We still have a momentous 20th series to look forward to first, so we’ll 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 Miter 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.