‘Byker Grove’ Gets Reboot From ‘Kardashians’ Producer Fulwell 73, Ant and Dec on Board
K.J. Yossman “Byker Grove,” the iconic British teen drama that launched dozens of entertainment careers – as well as unleashed a strangely catchy theme tune on the world – is back. Seventeen years after the last episode aired on the BBC, “Byker Grove” is returning with two of its former stars – Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, collectively known as Ant and Dec – at the helm. “The Kardashians” producers Fulwell 73 will co-produce alongside McPartlin and Donnelly’s production company Mitre Studios (“Saturday Night Takeaway”). Originally launching in 1989, “Byker Grove” was set in a Newcastle youthclub and did not shy away from hard-hitting storylines. Among the well-known faces who came up through its ranks were “The Gentleman’s” Charlie Hunnam, former MTV host Donna Air, Jill Halfpenny (“Coronation Street”) and McPartlin and Declan, who played PJ and Duncan. The duo launched a short-lived career in pop music under their characters’ names, PJ and Duncan, before a successful pivot to TV presenting.