Bog roll manufacturer Kimberly Clarke has come under fire for its decision to axe much loved canine actor Rex Falstaff from the popular Andrex puppy role, replacing him with an inexperienced youngster. At only four months old, the new casting, Snowy Fielding, had this to say, in Rik Mayall’s voice: “Obviously I’m a real admirer of Rex’s work, and feel so honoured to be assuming his mantle. I’ve watched his adverts ever since my eyes opened three days after I was born, so I hope I do him justice, but I really think it’s important that Andrex keep encouraging new talent and foster a new generation of stars.”
For some, however, the scandal is nothing but a repeat of the controversy that surrounded Falstaff’s appointment in the first place. At the time he replaced Andrex’s first female Labrador Natalia Dati, who was told that she was not welcome back after taking maternity leave following the birth of her seven puppies, even though the youngest, after being born with severe respiratory problems, was eaten by the father. Andrex has not only been accused of ageism in the casting, but of passing over the opportunity, in the current political climate, of appointing Andrex’s first black Labrador puppy, maybe with the voice that Richard Ayoade uses in The IT Crowd.