Ant & Dec share amazing throwback pic with Cat Deeley on SMTV anniversary

In news that will make some readers feel particularly old, SM:TV Live, the Saturday morning pop music show and general festival of silliness hosted by Ant, Dec and Cat Deeley, is 20 years old.

And to celebrate, McPartlin and Donnelly posted the first picture in months from their joint Instagram page, of the trio looking fresh-faced and ready for a round of ‘Wonkey Donkey’.

The show first aired on August 29, 1998, and ran up until December, 2003, but attained a cult following among both kids and young hungover adults huddled under duvets on the sofa.

Along with the chart show CD:UK, which immediately followed it on ITV, it cemented McPartlin and Donnelly’s status as presenters, and also made a star of Deeley.

Deeley, of course, then went on to become a star in the US, hosting So You Think You Can Dance.

But she has segments like ‘Wonkey Donkey’, in which children would phone in (and find themselves hilariously berated) to solve a rhyme puzzle, and the Friends spoof ‘Chums’ to thank for it all.

A handful of fellow UK TV stars chimed in following the post, including Laura Whitmore, who commented: “You all kinda look the same!”

Earlier this year, Donnelly revealed that the show was set for a 20th anniversary comeback, telling The Sun: “ITV have just agreed to it. They are on board now. We’ve had the first discussion now and it’s going to be August or September next year.

“We can’t say too much but we’re getting the team back together. It’ll be on Saturday morning again at 9.25.”

However, it’s thought that that the plans were shelved following McPartlin’s recent problems.

He was charged with drink driving in March this year, and was later fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months.

After announcing he’d be taking a year off to deal with his recovery from alcohol addiction, it was recently revealed that Holly Willoughby will be filling in for his usual presenting role on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, airing in November.

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