Fresh-faced duo Anthony McPartin and Declan Donelly may look like college boys but they have their feet planted firmly on the ground. For your information, Ant & Dec are Britain's hottest singing duo.  Like Australia's Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, they, too, first carved their mark on a popular British TV series, PJ and Duncan, before switching to cutting albums. Of course, since the TV series was a hit, it wasn't difficult to sell their albums.
        At present, "we come on the airwaves twice a week on this programme called Unzipped...light entertainment which is quite stupid actually, come to think of it. We will also be working on another TV series before the end of the year."
        Sounds like life is happening and money is pouring in. As 21-year-olds with lots of money, surely there is a tendency to spend, spend and spend?
        "Well, last year, I bought a jeep. That's all," says Dec. Chips in Ant: "I mainly buy CDs every month. Nothing else." How interesting.
        Ant & Dec, who were often referred to as PJ and Duncan until they decided to stick to Ant & Dec for good, first appeared on that programme when they were barely 13. As the series slowly won many a child's heart, so, too, did they. In next to no time, Ant McPartin and Declan Donelly became household names and one of Britain's most-loved pop bands. Having been in the limelight for the past eight years, you could tell from their happy, smiling faces that life has never treated them so well.
        They've won numerous awards, have their own TV show, two successful Top 10 albums, performed Stepping Stone with The Monkees ("It was simply mind-blowing, a dream come true for us"), have a new London flat and money to burn.
        "The last four years have been very significant for us. It's been fantastic, you know. The awards, the TV shows, being treated so well wherever we go...it just takes your breath away," says Ant.
        "I just enjoy getting all the good seats on the plane," chips in a smiling Dec. They were recently in Malaysia (their second trip) to promote their third album, The Cult Of Ant & Dec.
        Cult...after only a third album?
        "Well, it actually came from the British Press who wrote that we've got quite a cult following, based on the reaction we've been getting from our fans. So we thought, why not?" explains Ant. He added that this album has less "kid's stuff" and naivete. "It's certainly more mature. We were young before but now we've grown and so too have our fans. We can't be doing the same thing all over," explains Ant, adding that the album is a mix of rap, house and Brit pop.
        Some big names worked on this album, namely Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe who are famous for writing and producing three number one hit songs for Spice Girls. Tony Vickers and Rob Keen of East 17 fame wrote a couple of songs while Ray Hedges of Boyzone and Take That is responsible for three songs. However, on The Cult Of Ant & Dec, which Ant and Dec penned most of the songs, is set to be their biggest yet, after two multi-platinum albums, Psyche and Top Katz.
        Indeed, the two have come a long way since PJ and Duncan and New Castle, England and moving to their own London flat is the first "adult" thing they have done.
        "It is the first time we've been away from our family. It's a good laugh, really. Never mind if we're not all that domesticated," says Ant.
        So, in the past eight years, they've been acting, travelling, working and cutting albums together and now, they are living under the same roof. Don't they ever get tired of seeing too much of each other?
        " We were best mates even before we were popular. We get on really well. However, once, our friends got a shock when after a few drinks at a pub, we got into a fight. We were absolutely sloshed and started screaming and beating each other up. Friends thought, "That's it. The record company is going to have a major problem now."
        "The next day, our record company got yet another shock when they saw us come to the office together like nothing had taken place the previous night. That's how it is. If it ends tomorrow, we'll still be the best of mates," assures Ant.