Ant & Dec give update on Byker Grove reboot, hinting at cameo
What *did* happen to PJ & Duncan?
The internet broke when Ant & Dec announced they would be rebooting the show that made them famous, Byker Grove.
The northern young adult series propelled them – among others – into household names, and the Geordie duo have planned to pay homage to their roots with a revival of the series, this time named just "Byker".
RadioTimes.com spoke exclusively to them at the National Television Awards 2023 following their landmark 22nd win for Entertainment Presenter and found out how the reboot is coming along.
Ant said: "Production's in the very early stages. We're still working out plots, cast and storylines. But there's a lot of interested parties in the show. We're very excited. And we're thrilled with the response!
"We didn't expect [to break the internet]... we thought it might be a bit of a trade story and a bit of a media story, but we didn't expect it to be as big as it was.
"I suppose a lot of people grew up on that show and it was important to them. It touched upon a lot of serious topics back in the day and it was obviously important to people, so we'll treat it with respect – and have a lot of fun shooting it!"
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Dec added: "That's the thing, it's a show really close to our hearts. It's where we started, it gave us our break. We were always going to be really careful about bringing it back and what we would do with it.
"But seeing the reaction from everyone online and the reaction when we announced it makes you think, 'Oh God, we've got to be really careful what we do for everybody!' It's not just our show, it's everybody's show. Everybody's invested in it and everybody watched it."
Ant joked: "So my idea of turning it into a musical is out, is it?!"
Fans will fondly remember Ant & Dec played PJ & Duncan (respectively) in Byker Grove – and it seems the roles haven't left the presenters, with them both admitting they often wonder what happened to their characters.
Could a cameo be on the cards?
Dec admitted they are "slightly tempted", before adding: "We did think when we were first talking about it, 'I wonder what PJ & Duncan do now... in their mid-40s. PJ moved away and Duncan went off to university...' I've just made that up!
"It would be interesting to know what those characters are doing and if they ever met up again. Anything's possible."
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- Paul O'Grady honoured at National Television Awards in touching win
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Authors
Helen Daly is the Associate Editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.
