TV duo, Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly have reportedly eared a flabbergasting £41,000 (€47,513.67) a week throughout the first half of the pandemic. New figures show the Saturday Night Takeaway presenters cashed in on vast earnings, even as the industry was forced into lockdown for several months.
The Geordie pair managed to bag roughly £2.1 million by June 30th, 2020, even without many of their usual duties. Recent audits of accounts for their two businesses, Mitre Holdings and Hurley Productions, revealed the massive amounts the pair earn.
Hurley Productions is home of their hit weekend, family show, Saturday Night Takeaway. Both firms possess a reported, combined share of £3.3 million and paid around half a million in tax. Even more crazy is the monumental sums account for only a proportion of the pair’s earnings, thanks to deals with ITV for their different shows.
The pair also receive a salary as hosts of Britain’s Got Talent, which is currently on hiatus due to ongoing restrictions. Simon Cowell’s popular talent show is expected to return next year, following a lengthy break during the pandemic. TV bosses also hope I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! will return to Australia this November, after the show was moved to North Wales due to travel restrictions.
According to reports, the pair are said to have a “golden handcuffs” agreement with ITV, on a massive three-year deal. A source said: “This isn’t all they earn but it’s a bit part of their own business and even with everything that has gone on this year they’re still doing incredible numbers. With everything else factored in they are far and away the biggest names in British telly - but their viewing figures are still enormous so they’re worth every penny.”
