Former TV-Am boss Greg Dyke has revealed that Roland Rat's handler David Claridge wanted the creature to have his own office at the breakfast station.

"I told him he couldn't have one - and gave him a broom cupboard," says Greg.

Humans can become very protective of their furry little TV friends. Harry Corbett allegedly put air holes in Sooty's travelling box.

But not all telly animals deserve VIP treatment. Take Archie the Aardwolf (from hell), who's in ITV1's Wild At Heart this Sunday.

"He spat at people and generally didn't play ball," says WAH star Dawn Steele, who plays vet Alice. "The producer actually renamed him Satan."