ANT ‘N DEC’S USA TAKEAWAY
HOW I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris is to step into the shoes of Ant and Dec by hosting a U.S. version of ITV hit Saturday Night Takeaway.
And it will mean a new cash bonanza for the Geordie duo, who created the show along with ITV Studios, after a deal was sealed with broadcaster NBC.
Harris is on a roll after starring in screen hit Gone Girl as well as being announced as the host of next year’s Oscars.
Takeaway was revived last year after four years off air and soon regained its position as a ratings hit with more than seven million viewers.
It won two Baftas this year, and the hosts also took it on an arena tour.
NBC has ordered 10 episodes of the variety show to be filmed in front of a live audience, with Ant and Dec acting as executive producers, along with Harris.
In a statement, the pair said: “As co-creators of the show, we’re hugely excited and very proud that Saturday Night Takeaway is heading to the USA. There’s no-one better equipped to host it there than Neil Patrick Harris and we’re looking forward to working with the team to help make it a favourite with families across America.”
Siobhan Greene, of ITV Studios UK, said: “I’m thrilled for the team behind this fantastic show in the UK.”