TV presenters Ant and Dec joked they might sue each other after discovering the I'm A Celebrity theme tune samples a 1993 PJ and Duncan song.
The hosting duo were left gobsmacked on Tuesday while reading fan mail during an episode of their podcast, Hanging Out With Ant & Dec.
Co-host Declan Donnelly read out a message from a listener who noticed that the famous drum intro to the reality series sounded identical to one of their early musical releases.
Dec read: "My daughter Laurie figured out that the iconic drum beat intro of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is actually a sample from Tonight I'm Free (Cool Mix) by PJ And Duncan."
Ant McPartlin roared "What?" in surprise before Dec read the rest of the message, which asked: "Do Ant and Dec even know this fact?"
Ant quickly replied: "We have to play this, because we might sue ourselves."
Although the pair appeared skeptical at first, their doubts vanished once they played the 1993 track and heard the striking similarity for themselves.
Dec tried to suppress his giggles as he started playing the song for the podcast audience. After just a few seconds, the exact same intro beat used for I'm A Celebrity boomed out from the speakers.
"Oh my God. It is," Ant shouted, before urging Dec: "Do it again, do it again."
Realizing the connection, Dec laughed and said: "Right, someone is getting sued. I am going to sue you."
Fan discovery and legal jokes
Pointing his finger at his long-time broadcasting partner, Ant added: "And I'm going to sue you. I'm going to counter sue. So then we both win. And we're both quids in. Let's sue each other."
Despite the pair's amazement at the discovery, comments on social media revealed that the musical origin dates back even further than their 1990s pop track.
Responding to a video clip posted on the Belta Box Instagram account, user @c7pia pointed out that the beat originally came from American funk and soul band Earth, Wind & Fire.
The user wrote: "The original sample is from Africano by Earth, Wind & Fire (1:17)... Nice find though!"
Another commenter, @joebleasdalereal, confirmed the historical source of the rhythm, adding: "It's a really famous drum sample from the song Africano by Earth Wind & Fire. You can also hear it in Midnight Gloria by Keiino, among many other songs."
Africano was released by Earth, Wind & Fire on their acclaimed 1975 album That's the Way of the World, decades before it was adopted across pop and television productions.
Theme tune history and career origins
The iconic theme tune for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! was composed by musician Grant Buckerfield in 2002 for the launch of the ITV series.
Ant and Dec have hosted the popular survival show for 24 years since its debut, watching generations of celebrities navigate jungle trials in Australia.
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly first achieved national fame in 1989 when they starred as best friends PJ and Duncan on the BBC teen drama series Byker Grove, set in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Their popularity on the television drama launched a successful pop career in the mid-1990s under their character names, PJ and Duncan.
The musical duo released several hit singles, including Let's Get Ready to Rhumble, Eternal Love, and Stuck On You, before retiring their musical moniker to become full-time television hosts.
Let's Get Ready to Rhumble even reached number one on the UK Singles Chart years later in 2013 following a high-profile performance on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.
