Andrew Hayden-Smith is "so excited" about the 'Byker Grove' revival.
Andrew Hayden-Smith is excited for the return
The 39-year-old star - who played Ben Carter on the classic BBC coming of age drama, which ran from 1989 to 2006 - has weighed in on the surprise announcement the programme is being brought back by Ant and Dec 17 years after it went off air.
He told RadioTimes.com: "I’m so excited to hear that Ant and Dec are rebooting the series.
"'Byker Grove' never shied away from hard-hitting storylines so it’s going to be interesting to see the show tackle the new challenges that young people are faced with today.”
Andrew appeared in eight series of the original programme, and featured in a number of major storylines, until Ben's death when the character was run over.
Since leaving the show in 2003, he went onto appear on 'Doctor Who' as Jake Simmonds, and also worked as a presenter for CBBC and 'Blue Peter'.
Most recently, he appeared in over 60 episodes of 'Hollyoaks' between 2016 and 2017 as DS Armstrong.
Geordie stars Ant and Dec - who made their name on the show as PJ and Duncan - made the announcement on Tuesday (04.07.23) morning.
They will serve as executive producers for new show 'Byker' from Fulwell 73, which will be aimed at a "primetime audience".
The production company added that the reboot will "engage with a new generation of teenagers navigating the different challenges faced by young adults today".
In a video announcing the news, Dec Donnelly said: "17 years after it closed its doors for the final time, Byker Grove is opening them up again."
Ant McPartlin added that the series would be back for a "whole new audience", as well as viewers "who are old enough to remember it so fondly".
Dec continued: "Now, it's obviously a show very close to our hearts, the show which gave us our breaks, so we couldn't be more excited that we'll be giving it a new lease of life.
"Once again, it will follow a new generation of young people and their families as they try to navigate the challenges they face today in the 2020s."
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