'Heads Could Roll': Furious Simon Cowell Launches Inquiry at Britain's Got Talent over Matisse's Fake Stunt
- Simon Cowell launches 'urgent investigation' into Britain's Got Talent final
- Dog Matisse was replaced by a look-alike stunt dog, Chase, for winning act
- Ofcom may now launch own investigation after receiving 365 complaints
- Viewers angry about not being told that stunt dog used for performance
Daily Mail UK, 2 June 2015
Simon Cowell has ordered an internal investigation after Britain’s Got Talent winner Jules O'Dwyer was revealed to have switched the dog used in her final piece for a look-alike stunt double.
The 56-year-old music mogul said ‘heads could roll’ and wants to know why producers did not inform the public that Matisse was replaced for the show-stopping tight-rope trick by another dog.
Ofcom has now received more than 365 complaints from viewers into the switch and is considering launching its own investigation about the public being 'misled'.
ITV also confirmed it has received a further 130 complaints.
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'Heads will roll': Simon Cowell has ordered an urgent investigation into how producers kept hidden from the public the fact that Matisse was replaced by another dog for the daring tight-rope trick on Britain's Got Talent
Investigation: Simon Cowell (pictured with his partner Lauren Silverman and kissing Ms O'Dwyer's third dog Skippy) said an internal probe would be carried out to see why the public was not told about the dog switch
Ms O'Dwyer, 49, yesterday defended her decision claiming that Matisse was unable to pull off the daring stunt because he is 'afraid of heights' and was replaced by another dog, called Chase.
Now, the show’s boss Cowell has ordered an urgent investigation into how the dog swap was allowed, without viewers being informed during Sunday’s performance.
A source said: ‘He is shocked and angry. He had no idea. He wants to know who is responsible. Heads could roll.’
Ms O'Dwyer and Matisse won over the judges and stunned more than 13 million viewers on Sunday night to scoop the £250,000 prize money and a chance to star in the Royal Variety performance.
The duo narrowly beat favourites choir Cor Glanaethwaym, securing 22.6 per cent of the 4.5million votes cast and pipping runner-up magician Jamie Raven by just 2.2 per cent of the vote.
But viewers were left feeling cheated after Ms O'Dwyer revealed on ITV's Lorraine that Chase had performed during the finale.
Revelation: Matisse's owner Jules O'Dwyer, 49 (pictured with her three dogs), has defended her decision, claiming that Matisse was unable to pull off the daring tight-rope stunt because he is 'afraid of heights'
Together: Chase, Matisse and Skippy (left to right) pose with Jules after winning the Britain's Got Talent final
She revealed how the switch occurred after Matisse disappeared behind a door, before he later returned to complete the routine.
Speaking on the show, she said: '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.'
The admission quickly sparked a Twitter storm, with viewers saying it was 'shameful' and that the act should be stripped of their prize.
But Ms O'Dwyerr insisted that it had never been her intention 'to mislead people’.
Talking to MailOnline about the furore, she said: ‘Chase was the more advanced at that trick - it fitted into our story so we decided to put it in.
'I chose to split the act up so as not to overwork my dogs.'
Asked why Chase hadn't been revealed to viewers at the end of the routine, she added: 'It was a live show and technically not possible to get the second dog around the set and out on to the stage in time.
Angry: Music mogul Cowell is said to be furious about the dog switch and wants an investigation into it
Controversy: Furious viewers took to Twitter after discovering Matisse had been swapped for a fellow dog
'I'm not there to pull my dogs from pillar to post.'
She added: 'I was disappointed when people said I allegedly hid Chase and I was trying to make it like Chase was Matisse. That's not so.
'I introduced Chase in the semi-final, and I said Chase is Matisse's best mate. Chase does the trick very well, Matisse prefers it lower but he's never been at that height.
'I have a choice: I have a dog that can do it at that height, or I have a dog I'd have to push in three days to achieve this
'Why put the pressure on the dog, when I already have another dog who can perform it on television?'
Ms O'Dwyer and Matisse were the final act of the night, choosing a cops and robbers theme for their last performance, which ended with another dog, three-legged Skippy, coming on stage for an emotional ending to the story set to the tune of Lily Allen's Somewhere Only We Know.
The performance reduced judges David Walliams and Amanda Holden to tears, with the latter gushing: 'Honestly it was just one of the most wonderful story, I'm crying my eyes out it's pathetic. You've knocked it out the park.'
Simon Cowell added: 'It is your love for that dog which really really shows, maybe we just saved the best until last.'
Ofcom is now assessing whether it will launch its own investigation into the show after 200 people complained about the dog switch.
The watchdog's code states:
'Broadcasters must ensure that viewers and listeners are not materially misled about any broadcast competition or voting.'
A further 200 viewers also complained to Ofcom about the dresses worn by judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon, which both sported plunging necklines.
Illusion: Magician Jamie Raven stunned the judges with his trick involving a lemon in the Britain's Got Talent final, but viewers appeared to work out how he did it
Money: The audience was amazed by the trick, as were the judges as Alesha pulled the note out of the lemon
The magician, who came second to Jules and Matisse, wowed judge Alesha Dixon with the trick, which saw him pull a banknote out of the fruit.
But several people watching the ITV show immediately tweeted that they had seen a hole in the lemon, prompting questions of whether Jamie pushed the note through the pre-prepared fruit.
A spokesman for the producers of Britain's Got Talent apologised if Ms O'Dwyer's dog switch had not been 'made clearer'.
They said: 'The audience had previously seen from Jules's semi-final routine that she works with a second dog Chase alongside Matisse. For the final performance, as Jules has said publicly herself, Chase completed the tight-rope walking section of the act.
'During the competition viewers have seen that Jules's act involves a team of dogs, including Chase and Skippy, alongside starring dog Matisse, to perform her unique mixture of dog agility and story-telling.
‘We are sorry if this was not made clearer to the judges and viewers at home during their final performance.'
MailOnline has contacted ITV for further comment about Jules and Matisse and the internal investigation.
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