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Ant and Dec feared SM:TV live would end their careers as daytime show struggled to book guests before securing A-listers
ANT and Dec have taken a trip down memory lane this Boxing Day looking back at their breakfast show SM:TV live more than 20 years on.
TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly reflected on their time hosting the popular ITV breakfast show alongside co-presenter Cat Deeley.
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Looking at the highs and lows of SM:TV, the duo revealed their path to success after a shaky start to the 90s favourite.
Things got so bad that at one point, the pair worried they would have to move back home to Newcastle.
Dec explained: "We thought, 'If they pull this, I'll lost my house, have to move back to Newcastle with my parents'. I thought, 'This is bad'."
"It was a struggle to get any guests," he later added. "We needed to slightly forget about the music show and put our efforts into the other parts."
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Arriving on the scene as PJ and Duncan in Byker Grove, the 45-year-old's looked back on their time breaking out into TV presenting together.
Ant and Dec explained on the Boxing Day special that they originally pitched an idea for a music show to ITV.
While the broadcaster was keen on the idea, the pair turned down their offer twice before striking up a deal and creating SM:TV Live.
Dec explained: "We were turning down a massive commission - 52 weeks of the year for three hours every Saturday.
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"Then we realised we were looking a gift horse in the mouth."
After accepting the offer, the pair chose Cat, 42, as the third member of their trio - who was sold on it because it was focused on music.
Despite finding the right presenters, their show wasn't the instant hit they'd hoped it would be.
Ant revealed: "We got it wrong, initially. We concentrated all our efforts on the music section at the end.
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"It had been going fairly badly for a long enough time that people we asking should we even be on air."
The turnaround came when Ant and Dec did a pantomime stint, and learned to connect with their young audience.
"We realised what makes them laugh," Ant added. "It's toilet humour and slap stick, the same as it's always been."
While Dec joked: "On the BBC, they were cosy and nice to the kids. We wanted to be their mischievous older brothers."
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The show began to gain traction, and the pair noticed popularity had grown when they travelled back home to Newcastle for a visit.
"People were loving it and we were enjoying doing it," Ant said.
With success came a plethora of star-studded guests, including Mariah Carey, and Victoria Beckham, who famously drew a pair of breasts on a screen in one sketch.
Reflecting on their time on the show, the reunion special saw the presenters discuss how hard it was to leave SM:TV behind and call it quits.
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Ant explained he and Dec had been approached by Pop Idol to host the show, and the pair agreed they couldn't handle both.
"It was gut wrenching to leave," Ant explained. "We worked from the conception to the very last day. Even now, I hate the thought of us having left.
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"By the end it was the show we wanted to make all along."
The Story of SMTV Live is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
Ant and Dec share first look at SM:TV Live reunion as they recreate first scenes of the show
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