Ant and Dec lead presenter viewing figures

Ant and Dec were the most-watched TV presenters of 2007 in the UK, research has revealed.

Fri, 11 Jan, 2008 - 16:51

Ant and Dec were the most-watched TV presenters of 2007 in the UK, research has revealed.

The Geordie duo, hosts of Saturday Night Takeaway, I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and Britain’s Got Talent, were seen by 51% of the nation at least once last year.

Their nearest rival was X Factor and Big Brother’s Little Brother host Dermot O’Leary, who was watched by 50% of the UK at least once.

This Morning’s Phillip Schofield, Gary Lineker and Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly – the only woman in the top ten – followed.

Ant and Dec, whose Saturday Night Takeaway show was drawn into the rigged phone-ins controversy, rose from eighth place the previous year.

The report, compiled by media agency MPG, is based on Barb (Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board) figures, and will be published next week.

Bruce Forsyth, 79, in seventh place, is a newcomer in the Top 10 thanks to the BBC1 hit Strictly Come Dancing.

Other new names are Top Gear’s Richard Hammond (6th), who also presented Brainiac, Jeremy Clarkson (8th), who also guest hosted Have I Got News For You, and James May (9th).

O’Leary, who is second thanks to his new job as host of the X Factor, is also a newcomer.

Lineker took the top spot previously, thanks to the 2006 World Cup.

Previous high entrants, Who Wants to be a Millionaire star Chris Tarrant, Big Brother host Davina McCall and former X Factor presenter Kate Thornton, have dropped out of the Top 10 completely.

Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby, signed to shows like Comic Relief and Dancing on Ice, just miss the list.

Martyn Stokes, MPG strategy director, said: “Our analysis shows that Ant and Dec are the new kings of British TV presenting.

“We predict their popularity will carry on growing throughout 2008 due to ITV’s continued investment in Saturday evening TV, leading to further fame and a higher possibility of success in the US.”

:: The Top Ten, with the number of viewers seeing them more than once in 2007:

1. Ant and Dec

I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent

29 million

2. Dermot O’Leary

X Factor, Big Brother’s Little Brother

28.5 million

3. Phillip Schofield

This Morning, Dancing On Ice

27.5 million

4. Gary Lineker

Match Of The Day