The hit teen drama Byker Grove has been announced to return to our television screens in the near future, with former stars Ant and Dec set to be executive producers.

The duo were given their big breaks on the show, playing the characters PJ and Duncan, which saw the beginning of a partnership that lasts to this day.

Byker Grove, which was set in a youth club in the Byker district of Newcastle, ran for 17 years on the BBC, but Ant and Dec were only involved in the first few.

Relatively quickly into the show's run, the pair exited from the programme, with Ant and Dec revealing the brutal end to their tenure.

Why did Ant and Dec leave Byker Grove?

In an interview with The Sun, Ant revealed that his and Dec's departure from Byker Grove was rather forced upon them.

He said: "We’d met up in the morning to see each other at a meeting.

"In our little world we thought we were walking in to discuss our own spin-off show.

"But we were told the BBC didn’t want it, and the producers had decided we were too old to carry on in Byker Grove.

“We were both 18 and learnt the lesson that you can go from being someone to no one in a split second.

"Our options were taking up a BTEC course we’d both enrolled on, or following through on some crazy idea to have a pop career."

This revelation stunned the duo, but they promised to each other to stick together in future creative ventures.

The Northern Echo: Ant and Dec went into music before taking on TV presenting rolesAnt and Dec went into music before taking on TV presenting roles (Image: PA WIRE)

"We had no idea something like that could happen and we made a pact then, that if we stuck together we could be stronger," Ant added.

Thankfully it paid off for them, with a short tenure in music giving them the stepping stone into TV presenting where they have thrived ever since.

Byker Grove revival coming soon

Byker Grove finished up its run in 2006 but after 17 years a revival is coming to give people from the North East opportunities in front of and behind the camera.

Ant and Dec's production company Mitre Studios is teaming up with another production company in Fulwell 73 to make it happen.

In a video on Twitter announcing the revival Dec said: "Once again it will follow a new generation of young people and their families as they try to navigate the challenges they face today in the 2020s.”

"As proud Geordies, we’re looking forward to help shine a spotlight on the North East and the talent the region has to offer both in front of the camera and behind it."

Ant and Dec will serve as executive producers and creative consultants on the show, which is set to be titled 'BYKER'.