About the character
Alfred is Claude's
lurcher (dog). He always looks mangy and half starved, and has a fondness
for crisps.
Zepto writes: Claude's dog alfred is of course a lurcher. Lurchers
are not a breed of dog but are a cross between 2 or 3 other breeds of
dogs. They are not mongrels, more "cocktail" dogs. Alfred is a Cross between
a Bedlington terrier and a whippet. This is a common cross, especially
in the North east. Bedlington/whippet Lurchers are advertised regularly
in the Countryman's weekly.
About the actor
Tramp is owned by a reader.
Fans are so impressed by Alfred, some have even suggested cloning him!
Tramp, the dog that plays "Alfred", has retired for the Season 8 of HEARTBEAT. He is replaced by Rosie - an almost identical dog - but several years younger. Rosie is then replaced by another dog - I understand she was considered "too placid".
Rosie has played "Alfred" once before, when Tramp had a holiday with his owner.
Tramp's owner writes: Now that Tramp has retired
from TV work - well, he is twelve, which makes it about time that he spent
a bit more time at home with the family - I am more at liberty to talk
about him, as we are no longer under contract to Yorkshire TV or their
publicity department. The rumours that he has left because of decreptitude
and illness are not true; in fact he has begun training for dog agility
again!
He loved working on the programme and being fussed over by all the cast
and crew, but the shooting schedule meant that he could be away from home
for two to ten days at a time, and I was missing him. Oh, he enjoyed having
one harem here at home and another with his TV handler, but that didn't
make me miss him any the less.
Apart from me, Tramp's family consists of an eleven year old greyhound/labrador,
Perdi, an eight year old Border Collie, Jess, and a very bossy three year
old Border Collie, Megan. To be truthful, Tramp really is Perdi's dog
rather than mine, as I agreed to take him home only because she needed
a companion and she had fallen in love with him....she came in season
the next day, so she might just have easily fallen for a chair, or anything
else with four legs, had I only known it! But this disgusting looking,
smelly, worm ridden, sex-mad, slightly aggressive dog came to stay, and
has been with us for ten and a half years now. I hasten to add, he has
improved enormously since he first came, and is now fluffy, clean, affectionate,
charming, and has a wicked sense of humour. He always had to be made to
look dirty - it was not his normal appearance; scruffy, yes, but not dirty.
