Ant & Dec offer leg-up to ‘kids like us’

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have launched a Prince’s Trust scheme to help diverse young people break into the industry and issued an impassioned call to producers for support.

The A-list presenting duo told Broadcast they want to hand “amazing” opportunities to “kids like us”, people from working class backgrounds who “don’t know which way to go”.

The resulting initiative - Making It In Media - is a two-week course offering hands-on training for 16-25 year olds who are not in education, employment or training, with the potential for employers to subsequently offer job interviews to those that take part.

The free course will get underway in London in July with an ambition to roll it out in Newcastle and Manchester.

It is the first project the Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity… presenting pair have established with the Prince’s Trust, having acted as ambassadors for 15 years.

The need for action has become urgent with the industry woefully unrepresentative of the wider population, said the pair.

“Ant and I have been working together for 30 years and the time is right for us to give something back and give people a chance,” said Donnelly.

Donnelly added that they had been fortunate that the producers of Byker Grove – the BBC kids drama where they got their break – visited their school seeking children to audition.

“There was no history of acting in our families and we grasped this amazing opportunity with both hands. But I worry that if you don’t see it and hear it then you’re not sure that it is accessible to you.”

Furthermore, indies that back the scheme will benefit from supporting youngsters from all backgrounds as they bid to remain relevant, said McPartlin.

“Television is changing more rapidly now than ever before,” he added. “We want to see fresh talent and new perspectives, ideas and expertise. Audiences need to see themselves reflected in what they’re watching, and I’m not sure that they are at the moment.”

’Fresh eyes’

McPartlin harked back to a time earlier in their careers when they would burst into production meetings full of topical ideas and said producers can harness the creativity that youngsters bring to revitalise classic shows. 

“I’m in my forties now and don’t know what younger audiences are talking about,” he went on to say. “I used to hate being told that we couldn’t do certain things, and we need people with that spirit in every office.

“On Saturday Night Takeaway we rely on the younger team members to come in with fresh eyes.

“The goal is to find different ways of doing things. The hidden camera format is an old genre but its about how it is packaged, shot, cut and edited that sets it apart.”

The duo, who run In For A Penny producer Mitre TV, are convinced that if more youngsters enter the industry they will naturally progress into senior roles over time.

“We were talking to someone the other day who started out as a runner on Poker Face in 2005 making cups of tea and carrying our bags,” said Donnelly. “Last year she was a series producer on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Here!. That is a great trajectory and this industry has a lot to offer if you have the talent and work hard.”

They added that more jobs have opened up as a result of the increasing demand for programming from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime.