Ant and Dec ‘to REUNITE with SMTV: Live co-host Cat Deeley for a reboot of the iconic Chums sketch… 19 years after leaving the beloved show’
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are reportedly set to reunite with their SMTV: Live co-host Cat Deeley for a one-off special based on the iconic Chums sketch.
Sources claim the trio will join forces for an extended version of the famous sketch, which spoofed the iconic sitcom Friends.
Ant and Dec originally hosted SMTV: Live with Cat back in 1998, catapulting them to nationwide stardom and departed the series in 2001 to pursue their TV presenter career.
Back together? Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are reportedly set to reunite with their SMTV: Live co-host Cat Deeley for a special based on the Chums sketch (pictured in 1998)
In pictures obtained by The Sun, Ant and Dec were seen reuniting with Cat for lunch in London, amid claims they’ve convinced her to reprise her role in Chums.
Insiders have now claimed Ant and Dec have put a script together for a new Chums sketch, and are hoping to invite their celebrity pals to make cameos.
It’s though the sketch could form part of a larger special, but plans are still in the early stages.
Pals: The trio originally appeared on SMTV: Live together from 1998 to 2001 and sources claim Ant and Dec convinced Cat to sign on after writing a script for the special (pictured in 2004)
A source said: ‘They’ve worked on a script they think justifies bringing it back as part of a TV project they’re in talks for. And they’ve met with Cat in the last couple of weeks and she’s on board too.
‘They’ve started to ask celebrity pals, of which all three have many, to see who fancies taking part in it.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Cat Deeley and Ant and Dec for comment.
Pals: Chums saw Ant and Dec living in a London flat with Cat playing fictional versions of themselves, in a spoof of the sitcom Friends
Chums originally appeared on SMTV: Live during Ant and Dec’s stint as hosts, from 1998 to 2001, and saw the trio joined by an array of celebrity guests, from Tom Jones to Carol Vorderman to Mariah Carey.
Fans were hooked on Dec and Cat’s fictional will-they won’t-they romance during the sketch, and hoped each week the pair would finally kiss before being rudely interrupted.
Chums came to an end when Ant and Dec said goodbye to SMTV, and concluded with Dec and Cat finally kissing despite a disastrous wedding day, though the trio did appear in a special one-off sketch in SMTV’s final episode in 2003.
Back in 2017 it was thought that Ant, Dec and Cat would reunite for an SMTV: Live special to mark the series’ 20th Anniversary the following year, but the plans were put on hold following Ant’s drink-drive arrest.
Since rising to fame on SMTV, Cat has travelled Stateside to pursue her presenting career, and has hosted So You Think You Can Dance? since 2006.
Gorgeous: Since rising to fame on SMTV, Cat has travelled Stateside to pursue her presenting career, and has hosted So You Think You Can Dance? since 2006 (pictured in February 2020)