Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have a secret weapon – a special scriptwriter called Andy Milligan.
The Geordie duo are used to taking the mick out of each other on hit shows I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Britain’s Got Talent and Saturday Night Takeaway.
But the nation’s darlings couldn’t have achieved their success without the help of top scriptwriter Andy.
Milligan, a fellow Geordie, has worked closely with the dynamic duo for over a decade, tailoring their jokes to gain maximum effect.
And it is understood Milligan plays a crucial role in writing fresh material to make sure the best mates stay at the top of their games.
Ant and Dec with Andy (Image: Instagram/@itsamilligan)
This year’s I’m A Celebrity saw Ant and Dec back to their best, just over two years since Ant’s driving incident threatened to derail their careers.
But spotlight-shy Milligan is one of the main brains behind TV’s golden pair, having worked with them for 12 years on various award-winning shows.
Milligan also co-wrote their best-selling autobiography and is credited as being the double act’s only full-time writer.
Andy Milligan writes Ant and Dec’s jokes (Image: TWITTER)
The Mirror revealed that Milligan actually sleeps all day and then goes to work around midnight to create new gags for Ant and Dec’s shows, particularly I’m A Celeb.
He works on sketches and fresh jokes for a few hours until the threesome meets up to discuss what might or might not work in a show.
Ant and best mate Dec, both 45, arrive at 3.30am and record some voiceovers, then have a meeting with Andy and other writers for gag ideas.
The duo watch clips from the show at around 4.30 am, then have a script meeting and hone the gags at 5.30am.
After a quick run-through to perfect comic timing, they are on air at 7am.
Like what you see? Then fill your boots…
There’s MUCH more where that came from! Want all the jaw-dropping stories from the world of showbiz and up to the minute news from TV and soaps?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our showbiz, TV and soaps newsletters – they’ll drop straight into your inbox and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
We’ll bring you the inside track from telly expert Ed Gleave and soap specialist Sasha Morris. Oh, and your daily fix of Piers, Katie Price, Demi Rose and all your other Daily Star favs.
You can sign up here – you won’t regret it…
Milligan rarely speaks publicly and his Twitter profile says modestly: “Written all things Ant and Dec for a canny while.”
A source revealed: “It might be Ant and Dec on screen, but off it they regularly work as a trio and it is Ant and Dec and Andy.
“The boys have him involved in all of their big shows – Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity – and haven’t made a project without him in more than a decade.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
