The Underdog Show 2008 – Contestants Announced

Published on July 23, 2008 by Freelance Contributors   ·   1 Comment

Ten famous faces find themselves in the unlikeliest of TV double acts as they pair up with ten wonderful rescued Dogs Trust canine companions to compete in The Underdog Show, launching live on Living TV from middle September. Presenters Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Mark Durden-Smith follow every step of the celebrities’ journeys as they enrol on a six-week crash course in doggy discipline, aided by their own individual trainers. As the pressure piles on and eliminations loom, which of our celebrities’ underdogs will be transformed into the nation’s wonderdog?

All of the dogs have been selected from the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, Dogs Trust, to represent the wide range of rescue dogs available across the UK. At the end of each episode a panel of expert judges and a studio audience will cast their votes and a celebrity and his or her hound will be voted off.

The chosen personalities, Brian Blessed (actor), Raef Bjayou (The Apprentice contestant) MC Harvey (former member of the So Solid Crew) and girlfriend Javine Hylton (singer), Lesley Joseph (Birds of a Feather actress), Camilla Dallerup (Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer), Elize Du Toit (actress), Kevin Sacre (former Hollyoaks star), Jason Wood and Ninia Benjamin (both comedians) will set about mastering a series of highly charged obedience and agility tests, with the added burden of a weekly elimination thrown in to up the ante. The first show of the night sees the celebrities showcase their new found skills within a specified time limit, putting their pooches through their paces in a bid to impress not only the hawk eyed panel of experts, a daunting task in itself, but also the audience.

The eventual winner must train intensively, connect with their dog, have a comprehensive understanding of dog psychology, and most importantly remember all the rules, all under the scrutiny of three professional judges and an endlessly ticking clock!

Over the course of the series, the celebrity/dog pairings will be scored by a trio of judges, all of whom possess a bark and a bite to outdo any of the performers they encounter adding a wealth of knowledge and experience to the panel.

Exposing all the nerves, demands and dedication that go with being a dog performance professional, the ten celebrities are about to find out that the route to victory definitely isn’t a dog’s life.
The Underdog Show is a Splash Media production for Living TV.

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, and cares for over 16,000 dogs every year through a network of 17 rehoming centres. Dogs Trust never destroys a healthy dog in its care.

• Award winning actor Brian has had roles on both screen and stage including I, Claudius
• Brian is the vice president of ‘Dogs for the Disabled’
• Brian has four rescue dogs (including a Labrador called Gary)

• Raef was the ninth contestant to be fired from this year’s The Apprentice and became renowned for his dapper dress sense and articulate language
• Raef has never owned a dog, though grew up with a family Poodle cross

• Former So Solid Crew member and partner to Javine Hylton, Harvey has gone on to land roles as a TV presenter and starred in the film Out for A Kill
• Harvey owns a Doberman with Javine

• Girlfriend of MC Harvey, Javine found fame in Popstars: The Rivals and has since gone on to achieve success in the charts as a solo artist
• Javine represented England in the 2005’s Eurovision Song Contest
• Javine owns a Doberman with MC Harvey

• Lesley best known for her role as Dorien in Birds of a Feather has also had roles in Night and Day and stared on stage in A Midsummer’s Night Dream and the Vagina Monologues
• Lesley has never owned a dog before but owns cats

• Having danced since the age of two, Camilla became a household name after dancing in each five of the Strictly Come Dancing series
• Camilla represented England last year in the first Eurovision Dance Contest
• Camilla owned a German Shepherd as a child

• Elize first rose to fame as Izzy in Hollyoaks, and departed the soap in 2004. She has since had a part in Dr Who and the award winning BBC drama The Line of Beauty
• Elize owns a Yorkshire Terrier called Lucy and has had family dogs all of her life

• Kevin first appeared on TV in ITV’s Night and Day, he then landed the role as Jake Dean in Hollyoaks. He finally left Hollyoaks this year after six years
• Kevin doesn’t own a dog but had a family Shetland Sheep dog

• A well established performer, Jason has been on the live comedy circuit for fourteen years and appeared in the first series of Strictly Come Dancing
• Jason has never owned a dog before

• One of the UK’s best known female comedians, Ninia shot to fame in 3 Non-Blondes
• She has also had a stint at presenting and acting with roles including Gory Greek Gods and Twisted Tales
• Ninia has never owned a dog before

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