Ant and Dec have reportedly written a clause into their contracts to stop "late finishes" on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.
The popular hosting duo were reportedly left unhappy last year when a number of the pre-recorded filming sessions ran well past their scheduled finishing time and left audiences, contestants, and production crews stuck at the studio until the early hours of the morning.
Now, the pair – whose full names are Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly – have reportedly altered their contracts for the ITV talent competition to say they cannot work past 11:30pm.
A source said: "Ant and Dec love doing the show but some of the finishes last year wore them out.
"They work on a load of shows across the board for ITV so as part of their most recent deal they asked for a clause about late finishes.
"It’s the least they could do as they are the golden duo of telly and are well-loved by everyone."
The source also reported that the show’s boss Simon Cowell has made it his "personal resolution" to make an improvement on his time management skills in order to prevent being late.
They added to The Sun newspaper: "It means Simon has had a kick up the bum too. And he’s made it his personal resolution to be better with timekeeping.
"Being back on ‘America’s Got Talent’ made him rethink his lateness too and he’s not missed a single deadline this year as a result."
The news comes after the presenting pair – who also host ITV’s ‘Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway’ and ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ – finalised their new £30 million contracts in November, which will see them tied to the broadcaster until 2019.
Ant, 40, and Dec, 41, said at the time: "We are absolutely delighted to be extending our relationship with ITV, to continue on the three shows we love as well as exploring further opportunities both in front of and behind the camera. This deal will take us past the 20-year mark with ITV and we couldn’t be happier."
Ant and Dec call for earlier finishes on Britain’s Got Talent
