Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway will return for a new series early next year, it has been confirmed.

This year's run was forced to end on an underwhelming note due to coronavirus, with a planned live show from Disney World in Florida ditched in favour of a virtual episode from Ant and Dec's respective homes.

Although the pandemic continues to present a lethal threat, plans are underway for the next series and in a Twitter post on Tuesday, the show's account announced that applications for audience surprises have opened.

"Psssst! We've got some news... #SaturdayNightTakeaway will be BACK in 2021 and applications to get involved in the best show on telly are NOW OPEN!" the post read.

"Apply yourself or nominate someone you know for the surprise of a lifetime today."

The new series is expected to begin in late February 2021.