Ant and Dec winning Best Presenter at the National Television Awards – year after year after year – started out as a bit of a playful talking point, but after 17 (!) consecutive wins, it has become an annual staple.
Then came the news of McPartlin's presenting hiatus.
Earlier this week (January 7), the NTA shortlist was announced and, despite the fact that Ant and Dec haven't appeared on television together for the best part of a year, they are still in the running.
It's a fact that seems to have upset perpetual snowflake Piers Morgan, who used some of the air from today's (January 8) Good Morning Britain to rant about it.
In a move that's probably got nothing to do with the fact that despite making the longlist he failed to make the final cut himself, Piers questioned how deserving Ant is of the accolade due to the fact he's been, er, "sitting on his backside for the entire year".
By now everyone should be aware that, following a drink-driving incident in March 2018, Ant decided to step down from his presenting duties, leaving Dec to hold the fort on Britain's Got Talent and the final two episodes of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. It was later revealed that Ant intended to take a break from all television work for the rest of the year while he, quite rightly, focused on his recovery.
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This left a hole in November's I'm a Celebrity roster which, as we now know, was filled by This Morning host (and close friend of Ant and Dec) Holly Willoughby. It marked a very different jungle series, that's for sure, but it was far from a failure.
In fact, many believed that Dec upped his game to deliver an abundance of banterous one-liners, something that's become synonymous with the series, while Holly kept the pace going and offered someone else to bounce off.
Ant may have been away from our screens for the best part of a year, but it is clear that the legacy he carved out with his best friend, spanning three decades, is still just as strong. Not only do the audience continue to tune in to support Dec in his solo presenting duties, but it is this very same audience that has placed them back in the running for the Best Presenter award.
Unlike many other ceremonies – such as the Golden Globes and the TV BAFTAs (with the exception of the Audience Award – the NTA shortlist and results are decided by a public vote.
It is the viewers who placed Ant and Dec in the shortlist, already whittling it down from the extensive longlist (sorry, Piers), and it will be they who decide on the final winner.
So this should not be a discussion of who is most deserving of acclaim: it is quite literally (and properly) a popularity contest. It's a celebration of the public's favourite, a title that, results so far suggest, still belongs to Ant and Dec.
Let's take a moment to revisit last year's NTA show, which itself followed a particularly tough few months for Ant and Dec. By this point, Ant had been to rehab once and also announced the end of his marriage to longterm partner Lisa Armstrong.
The duo's first big comeback played out on 2017's I'm a Celebrity, which likely contributed to their unbroken NTAs winning streak a few months later.
It seemed the public wanted to offer them their backing. And all signs are currently pointing to a repeat, meaning an 18th win for Ant and Dec.
The final round of voting for the 24th National Television Awards is now open. The NTAs ceremony will be broadcast live on ITV on January 22 from The O2 London and hosted by Dermot O'Leary.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
