Ant and Dec confirmed on Tuesday that they’re heading up a Byker Grove reboot.
Ant and Dec famously played best pals PJ and Duncan in the original series and will serve as executive producers and creative consultants on the reboot, which is returning to screens 17 years after it was last broadcast.
The show will return under the name Byker and be filmed and produced in and around the Northeast, following a new generation of teenagers as they navigate the challenges faced by young adults today.
Speaking about the exciting news, Ant said: ‘We owe such a lot to Byker Grove and the Northeast so we can’t wait to start working with Fulwell 73 and the team to bring this iconic series back to life.’
Dec added: ‘Byker Grove will always be very special to us as the show which gave us our break, so we are beyond excited to be working together with Fulwell 73 on bringing it back.’
But who else starred alongside Ant and Dec, both 47, in the iconic show? Allow us to jog your memory.
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Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny, 47, famously played Nicola Dobson on the show between the ages of 13 and 17.
Since then, she’s gone on to bag roles in the likes of EastEnders and Coronation Street and remains an in-demand TV star decades on from her Byker Grove stint.
She even won a coveted Olivier award for her performance in Chicago on the West End.
In 2022 she starred in Channel 5’s drama, The Holiday, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Charlie Hunnam
Yep, believe it or not, Charlie Hunnam started his acting career with a role in Byker Grove.
The 43-year-old played Jason in three episodes and the rest, as they say, is history.
Since his time on Byker Charlie’s starred in films like Triple Frontier and Jungleland and most famously portrayed lead character Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy.
Denise Welch
You’d be forgiven if you don’t remember 65-year-old Loose Women star Denise Welch on Byker Grove, after all, it was before her days on the Corrie cobbles.
But she did appear in seven episodes of Byker Grove, playing Polly between 1990 and 1991.
Donna Air
Any true Byker Grove fan will remember 43-year-old Donna Air’s portrayal of Charlie Charlton.
Donna started playing Charlie when she was just ten years old and even ended up joining a pop group with co-stars Jayni Hoy and Vicky Taylor, although their venture into the world of music was ill-fated.
Donna has also worked as a TV presenter (The Big Breakfast, anyone?) and in 2018 took part in Dancing On Ice.
Andrew Hayden-Smith
Andrew Hayden-Smith, 39, played Ben in Byker Grove but poor old Ben was eventually killed off thanks to his bad boy antics.
After Byker, Andrew nabbed presenting gigs on both CBBC and Live & Kicking, but his acting career was far from over.
Not only did he play DS Gavin Armstrong in Hollyoaks (RIP) but he was also cast as a Doctor Who regular. Not bad going!
Charlie Hardwick
These days, 62-year-old Charlie Hardwick is best known for playing Val in Emmerdale, but she was also a Grove staple – stepping into the shoes of youth leader Sian for a handful of series.
In fact, Charlie even reprised her character for the sake of Geoff’s funeral and has since gone on to become a soap legend, previously winning a British Soap Award for best comedy performance.
Dale Meeks
Before playing Simon Meredith in Emmerdale – undoubtedly Dale Meeks’ biggest role – he headed up Denton Burn, the Grove’s rivals.
More recently, Meeks scored a role in ITV’s The Hunt for Raoul Moat in April 2023 but sadly died aged 48 just days after the series’ final episode aired.
Ant and Dec were among the first to pay tribute, writing: ‘We are so incredibly sorry to hear the very sad news of Dale’s passing.
‘He was the loveliest of guys, even though he was a Denton “Burner”, the arch nemesis of the Byker “Grovers”! A sad loss at such a young age. RIP Dale. Sleep well bonny lad.’
Holly Matthews
After playing Emma in Byker Grove, Holly Matthews, now 38, also tried her hand at being a popstar, releasing a single called Little Miss Perfect in 2004.
Unfortunately, it only reached number 32 in the charts and Holly soon returned to acting, playing Leigh-Ann Galloway in Waterloo Road before appearing in Doctors and The Bill.
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