Producers of the ITV drama Midsomer Murders have had to invest in dog food for the show's latest cast member.
Sykes, a Jack Russell, will join the cast as detective chief inspector (DCI) John Barnaby's canine companion.
Detective Barnaby (played by Neil Dudgeon) will replace DCI Tom Barnaby, played by actor John Nettles, who retired at the end of the last series.
Producer Brian True-May cast Sykes as the crime-fighting pooch and revealed that he will feature in the new series "quite a lot just for fun".
He said: "When he is sent out to check a car suspected of carrying drugs, all he does is cock his leg over a wheel. He is brilliant and will steal the show."
Dog lovers may recognise Sykes as he has worked in showbiz in the past.
The pooch's breakthrough performance came in the role of Harvey, the wonder dog, in the Thinkbox advert.
Midsomer Murders will return to ITV later this month and Mr Dudgeon revealed that he expects Sykes to get a fair bit of attention.
He said: "We will get a lot of mail from dog lovers saying: 'You should give him this', or: 'You shouldn't give him that'."
