ITV has announced that Byker Grove will be returning to screens nearly 20 years after the last episode of the teen drama, which launched Ant and Dec’s TV careers
Byker Grove is returning to TV nearly 20 years after the final episode.
ITV has revealed it is to stream the beloved teen drama, which launched the careers of Britain’s Got Talent hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. The show was set in Byler, Newcastle upon Tyne, and became a hugely popular after-school programme.
The series ran between 1989 and 2006 on BBC One, but now ITVX and STV Player have agreed a co-exclusivity deal with Mitre Studios. It is is currently available to watch for free on STV Player and will be made available on ITVX later this year.
Craig Morris, managing editor of ITV Channels and ITVX, said: “We are so excited to bring this iconic coming-of-age series to ITVX, marking the first TV appearances of two ITV stalwarts. Relive all the great moments with us later this year.”
STV managing director Richard Williams said: “Just when you thought the ’90s revival might have been slowing down, we’ve only gone and brought back one of the seminal TV shows of the decade.
Byker Grove was an integral part of so many British childhoods and we’re delighted that those original viewers – now of a slightly more mature vintage – can relive all the nostalgic action on STV Player.
“And if any Gen Z viewers want to find out who really started the baggy trousers trend, look no further than Byker Grove!”
It wasn’t just Ant and Dec who got famous from the show as it also launched the careers of actors Jill Halfpenny and Donna Air. It followed the lives and relationships of young people at a youth club called the Grove in the Byker area of Newcastle.
It was known for tackling a range of social issues, such as drug addiction, child abuse, homophobia and abortion. In 1994, the series featured what is said to be the first gay kiss on UK children’s TV, when character Noddy Fishwick kissed Gary Hendrix at the cinema.
McPartlin and Donnelly played PJ and Duncan respectively in the series, and after the show they launched a music career under their characters’ names. They ended up scoring eight UK top 20 singles, including the number one Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble.
The show’s writer Catherine Johnson went on to pen the hit musical Mamma Mia!, and Tom Hooper, one of the show’s directors in 1997, would go on to win an Oscar for best director for his work on The King’s Speech.
As well as hosting ITV talent show Britain’s Got Talent, the pair have also presented I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway since leaving Byker Grove.
Ant and Dec gave fans an update on the highly-anticipated reboot of Byker Grove. They said: “It’s very, very early days, but we are developing it, looking at storylines, looking at characters, looking at the world. It can be whatever we want it to be, so there’s a lot of possibilities.”
Ant added: “There’s some very juicy roles going in it.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
