Kate and Gin
Encyclopedia
Kate and Gin are a musical canine freestyle
act consisting of Kate Nicholas, from Norbury
, Cheshire
and her dancing Border Collie
, 6 year old Gin. The two achieved fame following their 2008 appearances on the second series of ITV1
talent show, Britain's Got Talent
. Since the show, the duo have appeared publicly and published a book, Kate and Gin, about dog training. Kate and Gin are currently performing in pantomimes.
of Britain's Got Talent
on 12 April 2008 where they performed to Moby's
remake
of the James Bond
theme tune, received "three yeses" by the judges (Simon Cowell
, Amanda Holden
and Piers Morgan
) and were sent through to the semi-finals. Before the live shows, Cowell described the duo as the favourite to win. In the live semi-final, broadcast on 26 May 2008, Kate and Gin were again successful, performing a different routine to The Scissor Sisters
' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
" and finishing second behind dance group Signature
. Before the final Kate and Gin were one of the five favourites to win Britain's Got Talent. They again performed a routine to Moby's "James Bond Theme" in the show's final on 31 May 2008, but failed to make the final three. The competition was eventually won by George Sampson
. After the final, the duo performed with others from the show in the Britain's Got Talent Live Tour, again performing a routine to the Scissor Sisters' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'".
. The book was described by Jenny Johnston, writing for the Daily Mail
, as "a 'how to doggy dance' manual, full of step-by-step pictures of how you too can teach your pooch to collect plastic toys in a laundry bin, or jump about the garden in time to Bon Jovi
." Nicholas described the book as "about me and Gin growing up together and how to train dogs like I've trained Gin. It explains how to create a special bond with a dog."
Television appearances after the book deal included on Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong
and Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live
, alongside Amanda Holden
. Nicholas also gave up her course in animal management to instead focus on a career in pantomime
. They both appeared in a performance of Peter Pan
at the Theatre Royal, Windsor
and Nicholas is training a new dog, Ice. Kate, Gin and Ice appeared on the Trisha show 26 May 2009, where Kate said that she wants to open a school for training animals to appear in films and other events.
Musical Canine Freestyle
Musical canine freestyle, also known as musical freestyle, freestyle dance, and canine freestyle, is a modern dog sport that is a mixture of obedience training, tricks, and dance that allows for creative interaction between dogs and their owners...
act consisting of Kate Nicholas, from Norbury
Norbury, Cheshire
Norbury is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 190.-External links:...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and her dancing Border Collie
Border Collie
The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....
, 6 year old Gin. The two achieved fame following their 2008 appearances on the second series of ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
talent show, Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
. Since the show, the duo have appeared publicly and published a book, Kate and Gin, about dog training. Kate and Gin are currently performing in pantomimes.
Britain's Got Talent
Kate and Gin first appeared on the second seriesBritain's Got Talent (Series 2)
The 2008 series of Britain's Got Talent was the second series of the show. Notable differences from the 2007 series the included the fact that the auditions visited Scotland and that there were 40 in the live semi-finals...
of Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
on 12 April 2008 where they performed to Moby's
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
remake
James Bond Theme (Moby's re-version)
"James Bond Theme " is American electronica musician Moby's remake of The James Bond Theme used in the series of James Bond films. This remake was featured in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and is also featured as the second track in Moby's compilation I Like to Score, a compilation of...
of the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
theme tune, received "three yeses" by the judges (Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, Amanda Holden
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
and Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan , known professionally as Piers Morgan, is a British journalist and television presenter. He is editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children....
) and were sent through to the semi-finals. Before the live shows, Cowell described the duo as the favourite to win. In the live semi-final, broadcast on 26 May 2008, Kate and Gin were again successful, performing a different routine to The Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism...
' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
I Don't Feel like Dancin'
"I Don't Feel Like Dancin" is the first single from the second album by the American pop band Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah. It was written with Elton John, who provides piano for the song, and was the band's first top ten single in Australia and Canada. The song was written by Elton John, Scott Hoffman...
" and finishing second behind dance group Signature
Signature (dance group)
Signature are an English dance group which consists of British Pakistani Suleman Mirza and British Indian Madhu Singh. Their notable style of dance is British Bhangra and they frequently base their performances around Michael Jackson songs, such as "Billie Jean" and "Thriller"...
. Before the final Kate and Gin were one of the five favourites to win Britain's Got Talent. They again performed a routine to Moby's "James Bond Theme" in the show's final on 31 May 2008, but failed to make the final three. The competition was eventually won by George Sampson
George Sampson
George Jennifer Sampson is a street dancer and actor from Warrington, England. He won the second series of Britain's Got Talent on 31 May 2008 at the age of 14.-2007 series:...
. After the final, the duo performed with others from the show in the Britain's Got Talent Live Tour, again performing a routine to the Scissor Sisters' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'".
After the show
Hoping for a career in film, Kate and Gin signed with an agent after Britain's Got Talent, leading to appearances at parties and premiers. They received many offers to perform at events and entered into talks about appearing on television adverts, including offers from Carlsberg for a "best kennel in the world" advertising campaign. This led to appearances around England and in Wales. These have included public shows and sponsored events. On 6 October 2008, a book about the pair, entitled Kate and Gin, was released by HarperCollinsHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. The book was described by Jenny Johnston, writing for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, as "a 'how to doggy dance' manual, full of step-by-step pictures of how you too can teach your pooch to collect plastic toys in a laundry bin, or jump about the garden in time to Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
." Nicholas described the book as "about me and Gin growing up together and how to train dogs like I've trained Gin. It explains how to create a special bond with a dog."
Television appearances after the book deal included on Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong
Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong
Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong was an entertainment show on Channel 4, presented by Alan Carr. During the first series, voice-over commentary in between rounds on the scores is provided by Leslie Phillips...
and Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live
Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live
Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live is a British cooking show starring Gordon Ramsay. Originally conceived as a one-off episode, Channel 4 later commissioned a full series for late 2008...
, alongside Amanda Holden
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
. Nicholas also gave up her course in animal management to instead focus on a career in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
. They both appeared in a performance of Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
at the Theatre Royal, Windsor
Theatre Royal, Windsor
The Theatre Royal, Windsor is located in the town of Windsor, Berkshire, England, directly across the road from Windsor Castle.The present building was opened on 17 December 1910 after the previous theatre had burned down on 18 February 1908, under the ownership of Sir William Shipley.With the...
and Nicholas is training a new dog, Ice. Kate, Gin and Ice appeared on the Trisha show 26 May 2009, where Kate said that she wants to open a school for training animals to appear in films and other events.
External links
- "From poison to posing: How Britain's Got Talent's dancing dog narrowly escaped death". Daily MailDaily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
article. - "Kate's bully hell". The SunThe Sun (newspaper)The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
article.