ANT and Dec have issued an update over the future of their popular ITV series Saturday Night Takeaway.

ITV has confirmed that the Geordie duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly will 'take a break' from the Saturday night entertainment programme after the 2024 series.

The award-winning presenters have said thatreaching the “milestone” of 20 series seemed like the “perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath.”

The hit series has previously taken a pause in 2009 before returning four years later in 2013.

When did Saturday Night Takeaway begin?

Launching in 2002, Saturday Night Takeaway has received multiple Bafta and National Television Awards (NTA), including presenting accolades for Ant and Dec.

The pair will continue their exclusive working relationship with ITV, as hosts of popular shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win.

“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,” McPartlin said.

Donnelly 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.”

The most recent series of Saturday Night Takeaway aired in February and attracted 6.4 million viewers which was ITV1’s biggest overnight audience of the year.

Kevin Lygo, ITV managing director, media and entertainment, said: “When you think of Saturday night television you think of Saturday Night Takeaway.

“Over 20 series the show has become a cultural phenomenon, and while we eagerly anticipate what Ant & Dec have up their sleeves for the 2024 series, we completely understand their desire to take a pause, take stock, and think about what the next incarnation of the show might look like.”