Sex Male | Nation from United Kingdom Years active 2004-15 | |
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Sykes is a dog actor from Clifton, Oxfordshire, England. He is best known in the UK for his appearance as Harvey in Thinkbox's television commercial and, under his real name, in Midsomer Murders (Series fourteen to eighteen, inclusive). He has also appeared in several Hollywood blockbusters. Originally found as a stray in 2004, his owner is animal trainer and stunt dog specialist Gill Raddings. Since January 2016 Sykes has been in semi-retirement with him no longer being displayed as available for hire on Gill Raddings' agency website; however, if a producer from a previous role of his needs Sykes they are able to use him.
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History
Sykes was found roaming as a stray in 2004, at an estimated age of seven months. He was rehomed with Gill Raddings, a stunt dog specialist in Clifton, Oxfordshire, after some friends of hers found the dog while out walking dogs of their own. The police were going to place him in kennels, so Raddings took in the stray. Raddings runs a company called Action Stunt Dogs and Animals, and other dogs living at her home with Sykes include Kyte, the Belgian Shepherd who portrayed Wellard in EastEnders. Although a cross-breed, his owner believes that there may be some Parson Russell Terrier stock in him due to his long legs.
Career
Following his appearance in Thinkbox's award winning advert "Every Home Needs a Harvey", he has become better known to the public as his character in the advert, "Harvey". In the advert he gets up to several different antics in order to impress prospective adoptors in an animal shelter including ironing, cooking and driving children to school. By the end of 2010, the advert had been viewed on YouTube more than a million times, and had over 11,600 followers on Facebook. The advert was named "Advert of the Year" by ITV for 2010.
In September 2010, the John Smith's Brewery advert "Dog Show" began to broadcast, starring Peter Kay and co-starring Sykes as the Jack Russell Terrier "Tonto".
Films that Sykes has appeared in include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Other Boleyn Girl, Young Victoria, The Dutchess, Alexander, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Wolfman and Clash of Titans.
Sykes' first TV series was a brief disobedient role in Return to Cranford (2009). He was then cast in Midsomer Murders after attracting the attention of series producer, Brian True-May, and appeared in the show regularly from March 2011 until 2016.
