Ant and Dec teen drama Byker Grove to return to screens in ITV streaming deal

ITV is to stream the teen drama Byker Grove, which launched the careers of Britain’s Got Talent hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, for the first time.

The teen drama, which ran between 1989 and 2006 on BBC One, 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.”

The show also launched the careers of actors Jill Halfpenny and Donna Air, and followed the lives and relationships of young people at a youth club called the Grove in the Byker area of Newcastle.

Byker Grove was known for tackling social issues, such as drug addiction, child abuse, homophobia and abortion, and in 1994, the series featured what is thought to be the first gay kiss on UK children’s TV, when character Noddy Fishwick kissed Gary Hendrix at the back of a cinema.

McPartlin and Donnelly played PJ and Duncan respectively in the series, and went on to enjoy chart success under their characters’ names with eight UK top 20 singles, including the number one Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble.

The show was also the starting point for former writer Catherine Johnson, who went on to pen hit musical Mamma Mia!, and Tom Hooper, who directed episodes of the show in 1997 and went on to win an Oscar for best director for his work on The King’s Speech.

The show being made available for streaming comes as part of a deal with McPartlin and Donnelly’s production company Mitre Studios, which owns the rights to the series.

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.