PETA say game show stunt frightened sheep

Chiswick based duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have attracted the ire of animal rights campaigners after they spray-painted sheep as part of their new TV show.

The flock in Roundhay Park, Leeds were coloured red and black for an item on Red or Black which is currently being filmed for broadcast in the Autumn.

A spokesman from People for the Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) was quoted in the Daily Star as saying, “It’s never a good idea to make sheep, or any animals, props. Sheep are sentient, intelligent and complex animals and flockmates recognise each other even if they’ve been separated for years. Subjecting these shy sensitive animals to long periods of restraint in order to spray them with potentially noxious chemicals will also be stressful and frightening for them.”

No comment on the issue was made by the show's production company Syco which owned by Simon Cowell. ITV sources were quoted as saying that the dye used was harmless and the guidelines for the use of animals on TV were followed.

Contestants on the show will be able to win up to £1 million with the finale to be filmed at Wembley Arena in front of a live audience of 15,000.

June 28, 2011