Ashleigh and Pudsey was a

musical canine freestyle Musical canine freestyle, also known as musical freestyle, freestyle dance, and canine freestyle, is a modern dog sport that is a mixture of obedience training, tricks, and dance that allows for creative interaction between dogs and their owners. ...

act, comprising trainer Ashleigh Jade Butler (born 7 February 1995) and Pudsey (28 December 2005 – 20 July 2017), a male

Border Collie The Border Collie is a British list of dog breeds, breed of herding dog of the collie type of medium size. It originates in the region of the Anglo-Scottish border, and descends from the traditional Sheep dog, sheepdogs once found all over the ...

Bichon Frise A bichon is a distinct Dog type, type of toy dog; it is typically kept as a companion dog. Believed to be descended from the Barbet (dog), Barbet, it is believed the bichon-type dates to at least the 11th century; it was relatively common in 14t ...

, and

Chinese Crested The Chinese Crested Dog is a hairless breed of dog. Like most hairless dog breeds, the Chinese Crested Dog comes in two varieties, without hair and with hair, which can be born in the same litter: the hairless and the powderpuff. Description Th ...

powderpuff

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

. They achieved prominence as contestants in the sixth series of the television talent show ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

'', which they won on 12 May 2012, becoming the first dog trick act to win the competition. On 21 July 2017, Butler announced that Pudsey had died. Following his death, Butler said that her other trained dog, Sully, would take over future events but would "never become Pudsey”.

Career

''Britain's Got Talent''

Ashleigh and Pudsey were part of the sixth series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. Their audition was held in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and aired on 7 April 2012. They danced to "

Meet the Flintstones "Meet the Flintstones", also worded as "(Meet) The Flintstones", is the theme song of the American 1960s animated television series ''The Flintstones''. Composed in 1961 by Hoyt Curtin, Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, it is one of the most popula ...

" by

The B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...

. Although in 2012, four judges were introduced on the panel, on the day of recording

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...

was not able to attend, therefore they performed to the remaining three. With a standing ovation from the audience and all three judges, they were put through to the next round.

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

said "Pudsey is one of the best dancing dogs I've ever seen". They participated in the first semi-final on 6 May 2012, performing to "Peppy and George" from '' The Artist''. They were later voted through to the final by the public. The final was held on 12 May 2012, where they performed to " Theme from ''Mission: Impossible''". The routine involved Pudsey walking across the judging panel and then climbing onto Ashleigh's back. Later that evening, ''Ashleigh and Pudsey'' won the 2012 series of ''

'', beating classical duo

Jonathan and Charlotte Jonathan Antoine (born 13 January 1995) and Charlotte Jaconelli (born 24 August 1995), known collectively as Jonathan and Charlotte, were an English classical crossover duo from Essex. They finished as runners-up in the sixth series of ''Britain ...

Post ''Britain's Got Talent''

On 2 June 2012, Ashleigh and Pudsey performed at

Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including ...

in the presence of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

as part of the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

celebrations. In September 2012, Ashleigh and Pudsey were guest judges on

ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the fiv ...

's '' Top Dog Model''. As part of the prize for winning ''

'', Ashleigh and Pudsey performed at the 84th ''

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

'' on 19 November 2012 in the presence of

, which aired on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

on 3 December. In December 2012, Pudsey played the role of Duchess in

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...

's TV film adaptation of his children's book ''

Mr Stink ''Mr Stink'' is a children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake, first published in the United Kingdom in 2009 by HarperCollins. It was adapted into a 2011 stage musical and a 2012 television film broadcast by the ...

''. On Boxing Day 2012, Ashleigh and Pudsey were judges on

talent show '' That Dog Can Dance!'' hosted by

Christine Bleakley Christine Louise Lampard (''née'' Bleakley, born 2 February 1979) is a Northern Irish television presenter. She has presented various television programmes with Adrian Chiles, such as '' The One Show'' (2007–2010) and '' Daybreak'' (2010–20 ...

. In early 2013, Ashleigh and Pudsey were co-presenters on the

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

programme '' Who Let the Dogs Out and About?'' which toured the UK throughout the summer of 2012. Since Autumn of 2013, Ashleigh and Pudsey have become presenters of the main show, ''

Who Let the Dogs Out? "Who Let the Dogs Out" (originally titled "Doggie") is a song written by the Trinidadian musician Anslem Douglas and then recorded by the Bahamian Junkanoo band Baha Men. Originally released by Douglas as "Doggie" in 1998, it was covered by ...

''. In April 2015, Ashleigh and Pudsey were guest presenters at the 10th

Young Scot Awards The Young Scot Awards is an annual award ceremony hosted by Young Scot to honour young people in Scotland for considerable achievements and positive contributions to charity or their community. Sunday Mail and Young Scot partnered to deliver th ...

. In July 2016, Ashleigh participated in Episode 2/4 of '' Celebrity First Dates'' on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

and decided against a second date. In March 2020, Ashleigh and Sully appeared on ''

Crackerjack! Cracker Jack is a snack consisting of caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts. Cracker Jack or Crackerjack may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Cracker Jack (Street Fighter), Cracker Jack (''Street Fighter''), a ch ...

''.

''Pudsey the Dog: The Movie''

In January 2013, it was announced that

would produce '' Pudsey: The Movie''. The film, which was released in the UK on 18 July 2014, follows Pudsey and three siblings Molly, George and Tommy as they move to the village of Chuffington-on-Sea with their mother Gail (

Jessica Hynes Jessica Hynes (''née'' Stevenson) is a British actress, director and writer. Best known as a comedy actress, she has played Cheryl in ''The Royle Family'' (1998–2010), Siobhan Sharpe in ''Twenty Twelve'' (2011–2012) and ''W1A'' (2014–2 ...

) and set out to save the village from their landlord Mr Thorne (

John Sessions John Sessions (born John Marshall; 11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020) was a British actor and comedian. He was known as a regular performer on comedy improvisation show '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', as co-creator, co-writer and co-star of the ...

) and his cat Faustus. Pudsey is voiced by comedian

Theatre

From December 2012 to January 2013, Ashleigh and Pudsey performed at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking in ''

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington ( March 1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal,Will of Richard Whittington: " I leave to my executors named below the entire tenement in which I live in the parish of St. Michael Paternoster Royal, Londo/ ...

'' opposite

Stephen Mulhern Stephen Daniel Mulhern (born 4 April 1977) is an English television presenter, entertainer, magician and comedian. He began his career at CITV presenting the children’s television shows '' Finger Tips'' (2001–2004) and '' Tricky TV'' (2005� ...

. The deal is believed to have been worth around £150,000. From December 2013 to January 2014, Ashleigh and Pudsey performed in ''

'' opposite

Jodie Prenger Jodie Christine Prenger (born 12 June 1979) is an English actress and singer, best known for winning the second series of ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2006 and the BBC talent show '' I'd Do Anything'' in 2008, the latter of which subsequently laun ...

at the Opera House,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. From December 2014 to January 2015, Ashleigh and Pudsey starred in ''

'' at the

Bristol Hippodrome The Bristol Hippodrome () is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, United Kingdom with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features shows from London's West End when they tour the UK, as well as r ...

. They played the roles of Dorothy and Toto in the Easter pantomime of ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'' at the Playhouse, Whitley Bay on 9 and 10 April 2015.

Filmography

Television

;Guest appearances *'' Daybreak'' (12 April 2012, 14 May 2012, 13 August 2012, 18 December 2012, 30 July 2013, 18 February 2014) – Guests *''

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

'' (14 May 2012, 12 April 2013, 4 December 2014) – Guests *''

This Morning This Morning may refer to: * ''This Morning'' (TV programme), a British daytime television programme * ''This Morning'' (radio program), a Canadian radio show which aired from 1997 to 2002 * ''CBS This Morning'', an American morning show, succes ...

'' (10 April 2012, 14 May 2012, 10 October 2012, 8 July 2014, 13 April 2015) – Guests *'' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' (18 May 2012) – Guests *''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' (4 June 2012) – Guests *''

T4 on the Beach T4 on the Beach was an annual British one-day music event which was held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised on Channel 4. The event began in 2003 as Pop Beach in Great Yarmouth, changing to the current title and venue in 2005. The ...

'' (1 July 2012) – Guests *''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'' (11 July 2012) – Performers *''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

'' (18 July 2012) – Performers *''

Red or Black? ''Red or Black?'' is a British television game show which was broadcast on ITV between 3 September 2011 and 29 September 2012. In each round, contestants choose red or black, with those that choose the incorrect colour being eliminated. During ...

'' (1 September 2012) – Performers *''

The Alan Titchmarsh Show ''The Alan Titchmarsh Show'' is a British daytime chat show presented by Alan Titchmarsh. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2007 until 14 November 2014 and aired on weekday afternoons. The show's main focus is the "Best of British" th ...

'' (3 September 2012, 13 November 2013, 3 March 2014) – Guests *''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about aspects of ...

'' (24 October 2012) – Guests *''

Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...

'' (16 November 2012) – Performer (Pudsey Only) *''

'' (3 December 2012) – Performers (part of the ''BGT'' prize) *'' Pet School'' (3–5 December 2012) – Guests *''Super Famous Animals'' (30 December 2012) – Contributors *''

National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...

'' (23 January 2013) – Award presenters and performers *''

Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on ITV2 between 24 September 2008 and 15 December 2022. The show was written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon. The format for th ...

'' (7 March 2013) – Guest panellists *'' The British Animal Honours'' (18 April 2013) – Award presenters *''

The British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV. The trophies given to the winners are made from metal and glass and hav ...

'' (19 May 2013) – Award presenters *''

'' (1 June 2013) – Guest performers *''

Sam & Mark's Big Friday Wind-Up ''Sam & Mark's Big Friday Wind-Up'' (also called ''Sam & Mark's Big Wind-Up'' for repeat compilations featuring just the pranks and ''Sam & Mark's Big Christmas Wind-Up'' for Christmas specials) is a British children's entertainment series aire ...

'' (16 August 2013) – Guests *''

Britain's Got More Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

'' (26 May 2014) – Guests *'' Good Morning Britain'' (7 July 2014) – Guests *''

Weekend The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...

'' (12 July 2014) – Guests *''

Celebrity Squares ''Celebrity Squares'' is a British comedy game show based on the American comedy game show ''Hollywood Squares''. It first ran on ITV from 20 July 1975 to 7 July 1979 and was hosted by Bob Monkhouse, then—also hosted by Monkhouse— ...

'' (17 September 2014) – Guest *''

The Gadget Show ''The Gadget Show'' is a British television series which focuses on consumer technology. The show, which was broadcast on Channel 5, is presented by Ortis Deley, with reports from Georgie Barrat and Jon Bentley. Originally a thirty-minute ...

'' (13 October 2014) – Guests *'' Phillip's 24 Hour Marathon for Text Santa'' (1 December 2014) – Guests *''

Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay Entertainment subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment for the BBC and hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode, four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but ob ...

'' (21 December 2014) – Contestants *''

Reality Bites ''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller in his feature directorial debut. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Stiller, with supporting roles by Janeane Garofa ...

'' (12 February 2015) – Guest, Ashleigh only *''

Crufts Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, held since 1891, and organised by The Kennel Club. It is the largest show of its kind in the world. Crufts is primarily a championship conformation show for dogs, and ...

2015'' (8 March 2015) – Contestants in

Dog agility Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. The handle ...

*''

Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (referred to simply as ''Saturday Night Takeaway'', ''Takeaway'' or ''SNT'') is a British television variety show, presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as Ant & Dec), ...

'' (27 February 2016) – 'Who Shot Simon Cowell?' sketch *''

The Saturday Show ''The Saturday Show'' can refer to: Radio *The Saturday Show (Radio Sweden), ''The Saturday Show'' (Radio Sweden), a program broadcast on Radio Sweden 1967–1981 *Amazing Radio, ''The Saturday Show'' (Amazing Radio), a weekly radio show broadcas ...

'' (5 March 2016) – Guests *'' Celebrity First Dates'' (15 July 2016) – Participant, Ashleigh only *'' Ultimate Brain'' (2016)

Film

Theatre

Writing

On 11 October 2012, Pudsey's "official" autobiography, ''Pudsey: My Autobidography'' (), was published by the Sphere imprint of

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emil ...

. The book formed part of a £100,000 publishing deal with Ashleigh Butler.

Charity work and campaigns

In 2012, Ashleigh and Pudsey fronted a

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

campaign calling for a ban on cruelty to animals in circuses. In December 2012, Ashleigh and Pudsey launched a Christmas appeal alongside Vets4Pets to highlight the risks that pets face over the Christmas period.

Pudsey's death and aftermath

On 20 July 2017, Pudsey was euthanised as he had terminal leukaemia. Ashleigh announced Pudsey's death via her

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

. The next day, Butlers's management announced that her trained dog, Sully, a Border Collie, Chinese Crested Powderpuff, and Poodle cross, would replace Pudsey in booked pantomime appearances and other future arrangements. In 2018 and 2019, Sully (full name Ag Ch. The Closet Monster of Ashpen), along with Butler, won the small breed agility competition at

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashleigh And Pudsey Britain's Got Talent winners Entertainer duos 2012 establishments in England 2017 disestablishments in England

Career

''Britain's Got Talent''

Post ''Britain's Got Talent''

''Pudsey the Dog: The Movie''

Theatre

Filmography

Television

Film

Theatre

Writing

Charity work and campaigns

Pudsey's death and aftermath

See also

References

External links