ITVDec has finished tonight’s Saturday Night Takeaway with his head held high doing the job on his own, showing his true presenting talent following Ant McPartlin’s arrest.
Opening and closing the show to a standing ovation, Dec’s nerves were quickly settled as he opened into a joke about having to finish the job himself, and kept guest announcer Stephen Merchant from coming down to the stage as a stand in, on the basis he’d make him look like a short arse.
Dec kept a brave face opening the show alone after Ant’s public breakdown following his divorce from Lisa Armstrong in January, a result of self-confessed drink and drug dependency. In March McPartlin crashed his car and was arrested and charged with drink-driving.
Dec said, after Paloma Faith started the show with her new song:
Thank you for that very warm welcome. Welcome to your Saturday Night Takeaway. Thank you for the warm welcome but we must get on.
I have twice the amount of work to do.
It wasn’t the intro monologue most were expecting; beside the joke Dec made no reference to his colleague Ant McPartlin’s arrest for drink-driving.
The public showed their support for Dec to complete the job on Twitter:
Has the country ever wanted one person to do so well as much as tonight? #SaturdayNightTakeaway pic.twitter.com/wB95goS5b7
— Harry Barnes (@HarryBarnes1) March 31, 2018
i dont know why i feel like crying watching dec on his own but i just want to hug him and tell him everything will be okay #SaturdayNightTakeaway
— holly⚡ (@thewalkingphan_) March 31, 2018
I’ve never wanted to see someone do so well in my whole life #SaturdayNightTakeaway pic.twitter.com/3QaGjo72gs
— lewis aitken (@basicallylewis) March 31, 2018
I bloody love Dec. What a tough job tonight. He’s holding this show together magnificently. #SaturdayNightTakeaway
— Matt Edmondson (@MattEdmondson) March 31, 2018
dec melts my heart, he looked very overwhelmed and as if he was going to cry at the start of the show #SaturdayNightTakeaway
— it’s aries season, bitch ♔ (@emmaaaaat_) March 31, 2018
So proud of Dec right now, he’s so nervous, but he’s doing it and he’s doing it well #SaturdayNightTakeaway
— All Ant and Dec (@allantanddec) March 31, 2018
It has brought scenes of harmony never been seen before in the Twitterverse. Well done Dec!
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Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.