A donkey and raccoon vie for Pudsey's BGT crown

A dancing raccoon and a painting donkey tried to steal Pudsey's crown as the nation's most talented pet on tonight's Britain's Got Talent.

They are among a menagerie of four-legged hopefuls aiming to succeed the reigning champ on the ITV show.

But show's co-host Declan Donnelly reveals it was not Melanie the raccoon's talent which left the most lasting impression when brought on stage by owner Kimberley Unger.

He said, "We had a dancing raccoon that didn't really dance - it did take a poo outside the judges' room though".

Patty the donkey also left a mark backstage prior to her performance.

The judges were not entirely impressed by the results of her artwork either when she daubed a few brushstrokes on a canvas.

Simon Cowell told her owner: "I'm slightly disappointed because I actually thought that the donkey was going to do a mountain range.

"My advice is you actually do pay for the donkey to have painting or drawing lessons. That isn't good enough".

Pudsey, who has published his autobiography and is off to Hollywood, proves to be a hard act to follow for other animal acts.

Yogi the dog auditioned with his owner Jo Butterwich, but Cowell was unimpressed by the animal's sluggish performance.

He said afterwards that it is "probably the worst dog act I've ever seen".

Meanwhile a troupe of dog beauticians - the League of Extraordinary Groomers - who stencil the faces of the BGT judges on the animals similarly fail to excite them.

"Did my one go wrong or do I have a moustache that I wasn't aware of?" Cowell asked, adding, "It's not an act is it?"