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Katie Wilson

Dec Donnelly is adorable in unearthed clip from first TV role in Byker Grove

Declan Donnelly looks adorable in a throwback clip from his days in Byker Grove.

The Saturday Night Takeaway star started off his career as a child actor at the age of 12.

In a nostalgic look back for Channel 5’s Ant & Dec’s 30 Greatest Moments, the now 46-year-old appeared as a fresh-faced youngster in the hit Nineties kids show.

Fans who have followed Dec from the beginning will know it’s where he met best pal and longstanding presenting partner Ant McPartlin.

The Geordie duo starred as PJ (Ant) and Duncan (Dec) in the North East-based drama, which was set in a Newcastle youth club.

A fresh faced Dec in his Byker Grove days (BBC)

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The show was ground-breaking at the time as it tackled issues such as sexuality, teenage pregnancy and drug addiction.

And who can forget the cautionary tale that was PJ's accidental paintball blinding at the hands of girlfriends Debbie Dobson and Amanda Bewick?

Horrifying scenes at the end of series four saw the girls aim and fire at PJ as punishment for flirting with them both.

But it just happened to be at the exact moment the lothario chose to take his goggles off - and led to best mate Duncan screaming the now infamous line: "He cannae see, man!"

Byker Grove is where Dec met best pal Ant McPartlin (BBC)

The boys later launched a mic-wrecking music career and were known by their Byker Grove character names, PJ & Duncan.

Their biggest hit was 1994’s Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble, which belatedly topped the charts in 2013 after they performed it on Saturday Night Takeaway.

Prior to being dropped by their record label in 1997, the pair managed to clock up 14 Top 40 singles.

But it was presenting where they really came into their own and after being rebranded as ‘Ant and Dec’, they went on to become some of the highest paid TV stars the UK has ever seen.

The boys formed pop group PJ & Duncan (Getty Images)
Their biggest hit was Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble (Redferns)

Back in 1998, the duo teamed up with Cat Deeley to present SM:TV, kickstarting their TV careers and winning them a string of awards.

They were then snapped up to present Pop Idol in 2001, making the move into primetime Saturday night telly. This paved the way for them to host their very own weekend show, Saturday Night Takeaway.

Ant and Dec have presented I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here since it began in 2002. They are also regular hosts of Britain’s Got Talent after reportedly signing a £40 million deal with ITV.

Ant and Dec are some of the highest paid TV stars in the UK (ITV)

Speaking about their special bond, Dec said that from the beginning him and Ant vowed to stick together.

“We made a pact. We said to each other ‘Look, whatever happens, I’ll always be there for you and you’re never in this life on your own or against the world – you’ve always got a mate looking out for you.’”

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