Britain's Got Talent: Did A Dog Really Deserve To Win?

Britain's Got Talent's live final on Saturday (May 12, 2012) has sparked a furious debate as to whether the eventual winner - a dog named Pudsey - did enough to win the $500,000 prize. Pudsey and her trainer Ashleigh Butler beat opera singers Jonathan and Charlotte to win this year's show, but not everyone in convinced.

Speaking to the UK's Sun newspaper just hours after Pudsey's victory, trainer Ashleigh said she would be sharing the huge lump sum with her canine friend, saying, "He was sitting on the bed and I told him: 'Pudsey, you've just won £250,000.'.He knows that he's done something good but he doesn't know what. He wouldn't know what to spend the money on so I'll probably have to spend it for him" Daily Mail columnist Dan Wootton thought the opera singers had done enough following their performance, saying, "Wow wow wow! Just watched Jonathan and Charlotte. In my opinion, the best BGT performance since Susan Boyle's audition. Serious goosebumps", while Glamour magazine editor Jo Elvin said, "We have to admit, winning this would mean more to Jonathan than it would the dog". Nevertheless, it was Pudsey who eventually scooped the prize, and his trainer says the dog is already getting used to the celebrity lifestyle, saying, "Pudsey kept Simon waiting for 30 minutes to see him as he had some filming to do".

Before Saturday's final had aired, it was reported that Simon Cowell had already offered Jonathan and Charlotte a one-million record deal whatever the result of the show.