THE PRODUCERS OF Britain’s Got Talent have apologised to viewers after a substitute animal was used in a section of the winning performance by dog act ‘Jules and Matisse’.

Unbeknownst to viewers, a second dog called ‘Chase’ was used for a tightrope act in the show’s finale.

“Matisse is a little bit afraid of heights, so although he could officially do it, Chase is the action dog, so he plays the double for him,” dog trainer Jules O’Dwyer told ITV’s Lorraine show.

Every dog has a different character. The tightrope takes months of training.

After O’Dwyer’s admission prompted a Twitter backlash, producers released a statement maintaining previous performances had shown several dogs were involved in the act.

Regarding the substitute dog used in the final, the statement said: “We are sorry if this was not made clearer to the judges and viewers at home during their final performance”.

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