FROM BYKER GROVE BOYS TO ROYAL FAVOURITES

THEIRS is one of the longest — and certainly most genuine — friendships in showbusiness. Ant and Dec’s obvious warmth and affection for each other is perhaps why, no matter what they have turned their hands to, they have never failed to captivate audiences.

They’re so close, many fans can’t tell which is Ant and which is Dec. In fact, there’s an easy way to work out who’s who — Ant’s been standing on the left in publicity shots since the duo’s earliest days.

That was back when Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly — both born in 1975 — met on the set of Byker Grove, a BBC children’s TV show set in their native Newcastle. Bonding over a shared love of Newcastle United, they soon formed a lasting friendship.

The show’s fifth series, which aired in 1993, saw their characters PJ (Ant) and Duncan (Dec) form a band, with a song called Tonight I’m Free. Telstar Records then asked to release the tune as a single, and the pair signed a record deal on Ant’s 18th birthday.

In 1994, Ant met Lisa Armstrong, then also an aspiring pop star, at a concert in Newcastle. They dated for 11 years before marrying in 2006. Dec would not marry until 2015, when he wed his manager, Ali Astall. Ant and Dec the double act went from strength to strength, forging a joint identity as the cheeky chappies of light entertainment.

A major change came in 2002, when ITV launched Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway — and also cast Ant and Dec as the hosts of I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! Fifteen years on, both shows are still going strong. Saturday Night Takeaway has even spawned an arena-packing live tour.

Then, in 2007, their fame was cemented when they were picked by Simon Cowell to host Britain’s Got Talent.

The duo presented the annual Brit Awards three times, and have also been singled out by the Royal Family, working with Prince Charles on a documentary to celebrate 40 years of the Princes’ Trust and hosting The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration on ITV.

They jointly own Mitre Television, which produces all their shows — and so closely are their TV identities linked that they are even insured against each other’s deaths. It’s thought either would be paid at least £1 million should the other pass away.