The actor is in ‘doggy and musical heaven’ – hosting a primetime grooming show on TV and returning to the stage for a showtune extravaganza. So who’s got the best topknot: her or the shih tzus?
When teenage Sheridan Smith played Annie in am-dram in Doncaster, her own stray was cast alongside her as the orphan’s canine companion. It was the start of a glittering career combining musicals and mutts. Starring as Annie once more in Sheffield, for her first professional role, she brought her dog on stage again. Then, in West End smash Legally Blonde, she and a chihuahua named Bruiser wore matching hot pink sweaters. “If they couldn’t find me they’d know I was in the dogs’ dressing room,” she laughs. Now, Smith is again in “doggy and musical heaven” as she fronts primetime grooming contest Pooch Perfect and hosts a celebration of showtunes at the Palladium.
Pooch Perfect, her first presenting gig, gives her a catchphrase (“Dog squad, release the hounds!”) and an adorable cross-breed co-star, Stanley. “He’s a one-take wonder,” beams Smith. “Me on the other hand?” She giggles. A sort of Great British Bark Off, it brings escapist glee to ease lockdown gloom. Comparing her own topknot to the shih tzus’, Smith observes cordial yet competitive snipping, shampooing and blow-drying. “I was heavily pregnant when the BBC asked me. I thought what a lovely job to go back to. I’ve always just done acting. Before having a baby I’d have been too nervous to do things as myself.”
