[Arneldo]

ANT and Dec are bringing Pop Idol back to our screens by hosting the first celebrity version of the show, TV Biz can exclusively reveal.


The Geordie lads will return to host the ITV1 telly talent contest — but this time showbiz stars will be battling it out to win a record contract.

And the pint-sized duo could be reunited with their old pal Simon Cowell.

Telly execs are trying to persuade the X Factor judge to join them in the “ten-day extravaganza” to be screened in May.

If they succeed, it will be the first time the three will have worked together on telly since Pop Idol was last shown in 2003 — when tubby Michelle McManus won the crown.

By signing up for Celebrity Pop Idol, Ant and Dec would sacrifice the chance to host and play in singer Robbie Williams’s Celebrity World Cup tournament.

Robbie is leading the British team at the Soccer Aid event here in Britain in the build-up to the World Cup in Germany this summer.

An insider said the boys had been offered the job but were “set to do” Celebrity Pop Idol.

The source added: “The only sticking point is whether Simon will sign up — the boys are waiting to see if he will do it. Simon will be the cherry on the icing but he has American Idol commitments and doesn’t know if he will be able to find the time.

“Everyone is crossing fingers we can get him.” Celebrity Pop Idol is expected to run up to the launch of Celebrity Love Island — which will go head to head with Channel 4’s Big Brother 7.

Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, both 30, will return with Saturday Night Take-away in the autumn, followed by I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

Their film debut in sci-fi comedy Alien Autopsy is due to be released in April.

A pal said: “It’s a very exciting year for them.”