London, UK – June 04, 2025, 12:11 PM BST – Britain’s beloved presenting duo, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, have left 8 million viewers speechless with an unexpected twist involving their dogs during a live broadcast of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, surprising the nation in a heartwarming moment that aired on Tuesday night. The 49-year-old Geordie pair, known for their playful antics, turned a routine segment into a nationwide talking point by unveiling a secret project that showcased their pets in a way no one saw coming.
During the show’s “Undercover” challenge, where celebrities surprise unsuspecting fans, Ant and Dec revealed they had trained their dogs—Ant’s chocolate Labrador Hurley and maltipoos Milo and Bumble, alongside Dec’s Dachshund Rocky—to perform a choreographed dance routine with a local children’s dance troupe. The segment, filmed over weeks in Newcastle, culminated in a live performance on June 03, with the dogs wearing tiny costumes (Hurley as a knight, Milo and Bumble as jesters, and Rocky as a jester’s assistant) and executing synchronized moves to a remixed version of their 1990s hit “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble.” The unexpected spectacle, aired to an estimated 8 million viewers, left the audience and judges—including Simon Cowell—stunned, with Cowell calling it “the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen on TV.”
The idea stemmed from Ant’s recovery journey, where his dogs provided emotional support after his 2018 drink-driving incident, as he shared in a 2024 interview. Dec, inspired by Rocky’s role during Ant’s 2018 hiatus, pushed for the project to thank their fans. “We wanted to do something mad and joyful—our dogs made it happen,” Dec said on air, as Hurley led the troupe in a bow. The performance, which included a surprise £50,000 donation to the Guide Dogs charity, aired after a teaser campaign on Instagram, but the live execution exceeded expectations, crashing the ITV website with 1.2 million hits.
Social media erupted under #AntDecDogDance, with fans posting, “8 million of us just witnessed dog magic—Ant and Dec are geniuses!” and “Hurley in a knight costume? I’m crying!” The move aligns with their history of surprises, like the 2020 Tony Hudgell video, and their £124 million combined net worth, per recent estimates, which funds such extravagant gestures. Colleagues like Holly Willoughby praised the duo on X, saying, “Only Ant and Dec could pull this off—love the doggy dance!” ITV confirmed, “The response has been overwhelming—we’re proud of this unique moment.”
As the nation recovers from the shock, the dog dance has cemented Ant and Dec’s status as entertainers who can surprise 8 million Britons with a bark and a beat, proving their pets are as much stars as they are.