Ant and Dec reveal they tried out as Radio 1 DJs

Ant and Dec tried out as Radio 1 DJs 25 years ago, doing a breakfast show pilot. They revealed this during a recent interview, highlighting their early career in radio.

Ant and Dec have shared details about nearly hosting the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

The I’m A Celeb presenters say they were asked to do a breakfast show pilot about 25 years ago.

The dynamic duo Ant and Dec, renowned for hosting several of ITV’s flagship programs, revealed on the At Home with Vick and Jordan Podcast that around 25 years ago, during the ascent of their TV careers, they auditioned for a significant opportunity at the station.

Dec recounted that station executives had requested them to film a pilot show. Despite a successful run, their hopes were dashed when the opportunity was handed to Sara Cox.

During that period, the pair was engrossed in presenting the immensely popular weekly morning show SM:TV Live on ITV. Initially hesitant due to a perceived hectic schedule, Dec mentioned they reconsidered after experiencing the pilot.

He shared, “We found it immensely enjoyable and considered, ‘Hey, we’d genuinely like to helm the breakfast show.’ We thought we could manage both the breakfast show during the week and continue with SM:TV on Saturdays. That would have been incredible.”

Their excitement grew, but just as Ant and Dec were gearing up for the possibility, Sara Cox was announced as the chosen presenter. Cox subsequently led Radio 1’s Breakfast from 2000 to 2003 and currently hosts an afternoon show on Radio 2.

Post-Cox’s tenure, Chris Moyles took the reins for eight years, followed by Nick Grimshaw and the present host, Greg James.

During their appearance on Radio 1 with Jordan North and Katie Thistleton, Ant and Dec engaged in the Access All Apps segment, revealing details from their phones. The hosts of Saturday Night Takeaway fielded listener queries about recent online purchases, deleted photos, and WhatsApp exchanges.

When discussing their latest communication with pop stars, Ant shared an interaction with Elton John, mentioning an email request for tickets to see him, to which Elton promptly replied, “It’s all sorted,” making it a seamless arrangement.

However, jokingly reflecting on their return from filming I’m A Celeb in Australia, they noted the absence of messages from Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney Spears’ sister. Dec amusingly remarked, “She doesn’t seem to be getting back to us these days,” alluding to her departure from the show due to medical reasons.