Infectious: Ant and Dec at Leeds Arena 12/08/14

As we were stuck in London with The Expendables (more on that at the weekend but hanging around hotel rooms waiting is not fun) we sent our Assistant Ed Mel - whilst Karen completes her maternity leave - and her 11 year old son Tyler to see the irrepressible Ant And Dec at Leeds First Direct Arena..

Arriving to a packed arena, with the widest cross section of Yorkshire folk possible,  the warm up guy had no trouble getting the audience ready to receive the dynamic duo. It was clear that audience participation, singing dancing and silly moves, were going to be the order of the evening and the audience-cam was capturing all the action. I confess I hadn’t quite loosened up enough and was slightly mortified to be captured mid sing song and appearing on the big screen but my son soon put me in my place..  Ant n Dec bounded down the stairs of the Leeds Arena, touching the flesh like some kind of evangelical types, no doubting they are slick entertainers who came across as warm and down to earth and the receptive audience were putty in their hands. Guest host, the bang tidy Keith Lemon, added an extra layer of comedy without taking anything away from the stars of the show during his I’m A Celebrity Get out Of My Ear section which could have been taken straight from his own Celebrity Juice..

My pre-teenage son's initial embarrassment of having to stand up and dance was replaced by an unstoppable need to join in with the activities and get down with the crowd. The 3 hour show consisted of a variety of acts and features from Ant and Dec's popular shows, pyrotechnics a plenty, dancers and jokes.  A karaoke slot included a performance by has-been boy band, Blue and I managed to watch a stunning performance of River-dance, despite a long standing fear of Michael Flatley. Ashley Roberts assisted Ant n Dec with a challenge reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Arc and performed her latest single but failed to add a great deal to the show apart from appealing to the males in the crowd. Looking round the Arena though, it was difficult to see one person who was not engaging in the lively atmosphere as everyone was up on their feet. Win the Ads saw a Leeds woman walk away with a new car and two gran holiday, not a bad result for a night out.

Even the most hardened party pooper would struggle to avoid being swept along by the shared frivolity and infectious sense of fun created by Ant n Dec. Yes, it could be described as a blow the budget Butlins cabaret but what would life by with a good old night of fun and laughter. Let yourself go and enjoy the ride. With a Let’s Get ready to Rhumble finale, how could you fail?

The tour continues...see here