Ashleigh Butler and Pudsey at the premiere of Pudsey the Dog: The Movie, at Vue West End, Leicester Square, London. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Britain’s Got Talent winner Pudsey the dog took a ‘bow wow’ on the red carpet at the premiere of his big screen debut on Sunday.

The dancing dog – who won over many hearts when he and owner Ashleigh Butler won the ITV talent show in 2012 – arrived in London’s Leicester Square with the 19-year-old and Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams. He voices the pooch in Pudsey the Dog: The Movie.

The film sees Pudsey taking the lead in a battle to save his village from dog-hating landowner Mr Thorne, played by John Sessions.

Butler performed with Pudsey on the red carpet, and revealed her pet pooch had known something special was happening as they got ready for the premiere together.

She said: “Pudsey was very, very excited this morning. When he did both his routines he was showing off a little bit. When he saw the crowds he was like ‘This is my day!’

“I’ve always said he loves crowds and people cheering and today proved that.”

She insisted she does not mind that it is not Ashleigh and Pudsey: The Movie.

Butler said: “I think it was always going to be just Pudsey. I spoke to Nick (Moore), the director, before the final script was done and we both agreed it would be better for me to be behind the camera, making sure Pudsey performed to the best of his ability.

“The most difficult part of filming was just getting him to act. You can’t teach a dog to act, teach it to run off with another family and look like he’s in love, and some of the looks he gives are just perfect.”

Directed by Horrid Henry: The Movie’s Nick Moore and written by Paul Rose, the film also stars Jessica Hynes, Olivia Colman, Peter Serafinowicz and Amanda Holden.

Hynes, who plays Pudsey’s adopted mother in the film, attended the premiere with her partner and three children.

Luke Neal, Izzy Meikle-Smith and Luke Tittensor play Molly, George and Tommy, the family who adopt Pudsey.