Dog from Flintshire among the cast in new Wonka film

Rumble, an award-winning bullmastiff in Talacre, plays Twizzle in the film, which is released in cinemas on December 8 and stars Hugh Grant and Olivia Colman.

The production focuses on the early life of Willy Wonka, a character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, written by Roald Dahl and later made into a film.

Jayne Roberts, Rumble’s owner who also runs K9 Courier Services in Holywell, said she initially thought her dog’s invitation onto the set was a “wind-up”.

Rumble the award-winning bullmastiff (Image: Jayne Roberts)

She said: “He’s just a lovely dog to live with. He was only supposed to go down to filming for eight weeks at Warner Bros’ studios, but we went into lockdown, so he ended up staying for eight months.

“He became a family pet of one of the producers, who we’ve made good friends with, and he’s got a few really good parts in the film.

“You see him on a treadmill which is powering the chocolate factory’s electricity, and he has scenes with some of the big actors, like Timothée Chalamet (Willy Wonka) and Tom Davis (Bleacher).”

Jayne said Rumble has previously won “best veteran in bullmastiffs” at the dog show Crufts and was bred in Holland 10-and-a-half years ago.

He was bought by Jayne’s husband for her a birthday present shortly after, with the family having owned him since he was a puppy.

Rumble, the award-winning bullmastiff (Image: Jayne Roberts)

She added: “They all said what a lovely dog he is, and that he’s a right diva!

“They nicknamed him ‘the one-hit wonder’ because every time they filmed with him, he’d nail it in one take.

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“They treated us all really well. We thought it was a wind-up at first, though - we didn’t have a clue what it was all about!”

Also starring in Wonka are Matt Lucas (Prodnose), Sally Hawkins (Willy Wonka’s mother), Olivia Colman (Mrs Scrubbit), Hugh Grant (Lofty the Oompa-Loompa), and Rowan Atkinson (Father Julius).

The film celebrated its world premiere in London, at the Royal Festival Hall, on November 28.

Neil Hannon, lead singer of the band The Divine Comedy, contributed original songs for the film.