Ant and Dec target of BAFTAs TV Awards jibe seconds into BBC broadcast

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly attend the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly attend the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards -Credit:Getty Images


It took BAFTA TV Awards hosts Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan just a matter of moments of this year's show starting to land a dig in the direction of nominees and former winners Ant and Dec, before the Geordie stars missed out on one of the night's top awards.

Big names from the UK and abroad descended on London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday evening, with comedians Rob and Romesh on presenting duties at the annual event for the second year in a row. Sticking with tradition, the ceremony aired 'as live' on BBC One, despite many of the winners appearing online well before they appeared on screen.

In a sketch at the very start of the BBC broadcast, Rob and Ramesh took part in a sketch which saw them sorting out the seating arrangements in the BAFTA TV awards venue. After putting Stephen Merchant at the back due to his height, the duo picked up plaqards with Ant and Dec's faces on, before putting them in position a few rows in.

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As the camera then panned to Dec being on the right of Ant, Romesh remarked: "Rob, that's Dec and Ant," prompting his hosting colleague to reply "Does it matter?" And then, sticking the knife in Weakest Link star Romesh retorted: "Na, no one knows which one's which anyway, do they?"

Not for the first time at the annual event, Ant and Dec were up for the Entertainment Performance prize, facing competition from the likes of Hannah Waddingham, for the Eurovision Song Contest, Rob and Romesh themselves, who made the shortlist thanks to their Sky series Rob & Romesh Vs and eventual winner Joe Lycett, who triumphed for his Channel 4 show Late Night Lycett.