Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, known as Ant and Dec, have not returned to acting since their 2006 film 'Alien Autopsy', which effectively ended their big-screen careers. The Geordie duo, now celebrated as TV presenters, had previously acted in the children's drama 'Byker Grove' before venturing into music and eventually presenting.
The spoof film, based on the 1995 alien autopsy scandal involving Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, saw Ant and Dec cast against type. Ant played the serious Shoefield, while Dec portrayed the loud Santilli. The film also starred Bill Pullman and Omid Djalili.
Despite being a moderate commercial success in the UK, reaching number three at the box office, the film reportedly earned only £2.5 million against a £5 million budget. Critical reception was poor, with The Times calling it 'an utterly dismal attempt to craft a post-modern spoof' and The Independent criticising the pair's big-screen performance.
Ant and Dec have since focused on presenting, winning Most Popular TV Presenter at the National Television Awards for 20 consecutive years. They host shows including 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' and 'Britain's Got Talent'.
