What were Saturday nights without the jovial patter of cheeky Geordie chappies holding court on a shiny floor?
Whatever show Ant & Dec were presenting, it felt incidental to the fun they seemed to be having. It felt like two best mates were letting you in on a joke.
Their new podcast, though clearly a strategic move into the creator economy as the flagship of their new “digital entertainment channel” Belta Box, is also a testament to the intimacy they have with fans. According to Dec, when they asked their audience what they wanted from a podcast, they insisted on merely hearing them “hang out”.
Whether or not you want to hear about their new year resolutions, what sold Ant on his new local butcher or which Marvel actor he met at his golf club, will depend on whether you see them as more than just light entertainment filler. If you’ve recently named your newborn Declan Anthony (as one very fond listener has), you’ll love it.
Having said that, anyone would appreciate the 90s diary Dec recently dug out – an endearing snapshot of their baby-faced days as a nightclub act called PJ & Duncan. “Oh boy, quite a busy day today… our fan club cards didn’t arrive so we had to autograph fliers and stuff…. Arrived in Portsmouth at 4pm, had a beer and went on stage at half five. The crowd were great and Why Me? went down well. Bad Boys Inc were there too and two guys called ‘General’ or something. Top blokes. Respect, guys!”
On Mondays, Ant & Dec turn themselves into unwitting subjects of a segment straight out of Saturday Night Takeaway. “Mystery Door Monday” springs someone, or something, on one or both of them. Fun in theory, but if the first Mystery Door is anything to go by, it’s no “Little Ant & Dec”.
A guest called Jane walks in, and they spend the first five minutes guessing which Selfridges department she works in. After finally figuring out her “holistic healing” business, Psychic Sisters, we’re then subjected to a bewildering 10-minute ramble of platitudes as Jane carries out “psychic readings”.
At one particularly low point (both spiritually and culturally), Ant insists on Jane doing a tarot reading for the podcast itself.
Needless to say, the cards spell a successful 10-year run for this audiovisual entity, complete with a TV talk show deal and a T-shirt line. And if there’s one thing Ant & Dec do have, it’s longevity. These two have been “ready to rhumble” since 1994, and sound as chirpy as ever in Hanging Out. But they would do well not to lean on formats as flimsy as a mystery door.
