Coronation Street launches search for new dog to join ITV soap - but there's a catch

Daily Mirror

16-07-2025

Coronation Street bosses are on the lookout for a dog to star on the soap and have launched a nationwide talent search called Pup Idol with Strictly's Shirley Ballas on board to help
Coronation Street has launched a nationwide casting search for a dog with their new competition Pup Idol.
But there's a catch, as the doggies keen to become the next big soap star must meet a list of requirements to be a contender. The ITV soap has decided to look for a new canine star to appear on the cobbles, and Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas is leading the search through a campaign with This Morning.
The TV star called out to viewers in a recent episode of the ITV magazine show, where she reminded hopefuls that their pooch must be well-behaved and obedient to be within a chance of securing a role on the long-running soap. She said: "We'll be looking for the best little pup in Great Britain, so I'm very excited about that and would like to see that we have some obedience.
Continuing to rhyme off the list of requirements, she added: "Good behaviour - we're looking for something with [a] really good temperament. [The dog will also have to be] loving, kind, caring, well groomed and not easily distracted on TV sets, and maybe some good little tricks would be nice."
Shirley will be assisted in the search by veterinarian Dr Scott Miller and Jodie Prenger - who plays Rovers barmaid Glenda Shuttleworth - and the West End star referenced some of the furry friends of Weatherfield past. Jodie, who lives on a farm with her fiance Simon Motson and once helped Andrew Lloyd Webber look for a Toto to star in The Wizard of Oz, said: "From Schmeichel to David [and] Eccles, many paws have graced these famous cobbles and they've probably cocked their legs on a few lamp posts as well.
"Your furry friend could be joining that illustrious list. I am so excited to be part of the judging panel that will be putting the pups through their paces to see who will win the walk-on part in the nation's longest-running soap.
"So if you think your pooch should play the part, then what are you waiting for? And who knows, you could be watching your four-legged furry friend make their television debut," she told viewers live from the Corrie set.
Applications for the search can be found here, and fans must enter by July 25 to be in with a chance of getting their four-legged friend on screen. The lucky canine will be one of several pets who have featured on the programme throughout its 65-year history.
Some of the more recent canine residents of Weatherfield included Evelyn Plummer's greyhound Cerebus, and the Platt family dog David, whom David Platt (Jack P Shepherd) inherited from a salon client. Prior to that, Maria Connor ( Samia Longchambon) was gifted a Labrador by her husband Liam Connor shortly before he was killed in a hit-and-run accident.
Perhaps two of the more famous dogs to have resided on the cobbles include Chesney Battersby Brown's (Sam Aston) Great Dane Schmeichel, and Border Terrier Eccles, who lived with the Barlows at number one for several years. Other pets to have been included on the cobbles over the years included Yasmeen's pet chicken Charlotte Bronte, and rat Darryl, who arrived along with Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) shortly after his debut in 2011.
In the early days, original Street battle axe Ena Sharples (Violet Carson) received a budgie called Archie but passed it onto her friend Martha Longhurst (Lynne Carrol), and Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn) took a cat called Cleo to the factory to catch the mice.
In the 1990s, Rovers landlady Natalie Barnes ( Denise Welch) had a cat called Tiger, and David Platt famously had a rabbit called Barney. Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmey) was known for keeping pigeons, and his surrogate son Tyrone Dobbs ( Alan Halsall) found a stray one that he named after Beyonce.