Ant and Dec are in talks with ITV about a new live entertainment format, and Declan Donnelly says the pair want it to go out across television and social media at the same time. Speaking at SXSW London, he said the duo is working closely with ITV and hopes to launch something soon.
Donnelly said they wanted to “reach everybody all at once,” and hinted that the plan could become a real-time simulcast built for both screens. That makes the project more than another studio idea: it is a bid to pull TV viewers and social media audiences into one live moment, rather than keeping them apart.
The timing matters because Ant and Dec have already used ITV this year to launch Holey Moley, a family entertainment show built around a giant crazy golf course. The series brings together amateur and professional players, who face imaginative obstacles and physical challenges as they chase the Holey Moley golden putter, a green plaid jacket and a “fantastic prize.”
McPartlin has said the show is “absolutely perfect for us” and that it is “all about pure fun and entertainment for the whole family from start to finish.” Donnelly called it a blend of “huge entertaining moments” that families can watch together, and ITV has framed it as a brand-new entertainment format presented by the duo.
What remains unresolved is the shape of the new live project itself. Donnelly said they may have another live format, but the details are still under wraps, leaving the broadcaster and its biggest presenting pair with an idea that is public enough to spark interest but not yet clear enough to pin down.
If ITV does move ahead, the real question is not whether Ant and Dec can make live television work. It is how far the pair want to push it beyond television, and whether the next big format from one of the UK’s best-known presenting acts is designed to be watched, shared and experienced everywhere at once.
