I think Ant and I were ambitious because of where we come from. Both of us are from working-class families on council estates in Newcastle.

I think working as part of a brotherhood shows you can achieve personal satisfaction in a team.

Sometimes life has to tell you a little more forcefully: 'Slow down or change direction.'

I go for a sensible dinner with the wife when I can.

I think from doing so many live shows it gives you a real appreciation of being present. You don't know what's going to happen, you don't know what is around the corner.

We never want the audience to get bored.

I think you learn every day. You can't buy experiences; all these experiences shape you.

Anyone who's ever had a loved one go through addiction will know just how devastating it can be and how tough it is for those around them, as much as it is for the addict.

When you're younger you feel more invincible - that nothing is ever going to get you down or beat you. When you get a bit older, you realise the fragility of things, how easy it is to get caught out by things - and Ant did.

I was an average student. Not a dunce. Used to play for the school football team.

We treated it as another acting job. Some of these other bands had been put together, and it was their dream come true to be in a band, and that wasn't really the case for us. It was the next part of what we were doing.

We knew we were making records for a certain demographic. We didn't look outside of that.

We were lucky that when we were making the transition from children's to prime time a lot of other presenters our age shied away from that arena.

It's funny. I don't really think of us as TV presenters. I think of TV presenters as responsible people who show children what to do with empty fairy liquid bottles. Not a couple of blokes who don't mind telling kids to shut up.

I'm not sure how much Ant and I are insured against each other. I've heard it's a couple of million. However much it is, it would never be compensation for losing your best mate. I've never wanted to work alone since we started together. All the ideas we have are for the pair of us.

Saturday Night Takeaway' is the show we always wanted to make. It's a direct descendant of 'Game For A Laugh' and 'Noel's House Party' and 'Russ Abbot's Madhouse,' and they're all shows we grew up on as kids.

We have got offered some shows in America, but really dopey shows - like reality shows.

Cool is just something we've never been.

I've never massively minded not being cool.

The real big learning curve for us was 'SM:TV.'

Saturday mornings, you've got three hours of live telly and it's really forgiving.

I had my crisis at 30. I was actually really comfortable with 40. Life was in a better place.

I've definitely never said, 'Well, how about that, eh, I'm a national treasure.'

Ant was the only person who knew I was going to propose.

The first meaningful friendship moment we had was when Ant sent me a Fred Flintstone Christmas card and it said, 'To Dec from Ant, have a yabba dabba do Christmas.'

Ant and Dec seemed a natural name for us - it was just how people referred to us, cos we were always together. I've never resented the fact that his name comes first.

I think there is more to this world than we can possibly fathom. There's got to be.

Animals are great but babies are the most magical thing ever.

When times were good, we made more money. When times are bad, we make less money.

I think we're paid a going rate for how well our shows do.

I think obviously there is some kind of life form somewhere else. Whether it looks like the creature in 'Alien Autopsy,' I'm not sure.