Sue Pig Coach Animals at Work

I'm John Barrowman with Animals At Work, the show where animals work.

All over the planet, there are millions of animals that have jobs.

Aargh! This is the show that brings you the funniest, coolest and most bizarre...

-Moooo!

-..animals at work.

Here's what we've got for you.

Sue the Pig desperately needs to find a new job.

This little pony works magic on children who are scared of horses.

He's very, very gentle. He knows what his job is.

And it's survival of the fastest, as the Fanimals go head-to-head with a hawk.

The hawk is pretty fast. I think I'm faster than it.

But now it's... DRUMROLL ..showtime!

Time for another talented animal,

and it's not me, ha ha!

Come on, Ricky, we can finish the marathon.

Let's head off to Herefordshire in England to meet our first animal at work.

Meet a very handsome boy called Sue.

Yep, that's right. Poor Sue got stuck with a girl's name.

# Well, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue #

He is a little boy,

even though he's called Sue.

He's 12 months old.

And he's a Kune Kune pig.

Sue currently works as a show pig.

That means he represents his breed, the Kune Kune in modelling competitions.

He gets to show off his Kune Kune tassels, which are called piri piri,

his Kune Kune height, which is smaller than most pigs,

and, most importantly, his Kune Kune charm.

He's a bit of an ambassador for the breed, really.

He shows people what lovely pigs Kune Kunes are

and how clever they can be.

Kune Kunes are very friendly,

and Sue's no exception.

He loves to hang out with his farm pals.

There's fellow Kune Kune pig Bradley,

the piglets,

some chickens,

and Bess the dog.

But Sue can't rely on his personality for much longer.

He's a year old, and he realises his looks won't last forever,

and he can't be a show pig all his life.

So Sue's facing up to reality. He needs to get a new job.

But what's this pig named Sue to do?

Sue looks creative.

Could he become an artist?

No, like all pigs, Sue's colour blind. Oh, well.

He's pretty good with heights.

Could he be an astronaut?

Well, there's been chimpanzees, spiders,

and even flies in space.

But sadly, NASA have never wanted a pig for the job.

What about acting?

Could Sue become an actor?

Again, it's a nice idea, but he's a bit too hammy. Ha ha ha!

Come on, Sue, we need to be realistic. What can you do?

Sue used to be quite agile. He was quite a runner when he was a piglet.

Ah! Running! MUSIC: "Hallelujah" by G F Haendel

Maybe running can be Sue's new career.

When Sue was just a piglet,

he showed an amazing ability to run an agility course.

This is something that normally only dogs do,

so it's certainly a special skill.

-Right, come on.

-Let's see if he still has what it takes. Come on, Sue, you can do this!

A young Sue could fly over the ramp like a rocket.

Now, well, ooh, he's a little shaky.

Good boy. And down.

Take your time, Sue. Well, you know, you've got all day.

Maybe Sue's just out of practice.

Let's see how he handles the tunnel.

Well, that's not going so well, is it?

He's at the final hurdle. Just one small leap for Sue.

And...

MUSIC: "Chariots of Fire" theme

Jump the hurdle! Jump the hurdle! JUMP!

This is a disaster. Oh, no, Sue. Even the dog's upset.

As he's getting older, he's getting a little bit more slower,

and not quite as enthusiastic as he was as a youngster.

So I think it's fair to say that reviving his early athletic career

is just not an option for Sue.

But Wendy offers a glimmer of hope.

As he gets older and becomes less able to do the tricks himself,

hopefully he'll take up coaching

and bring on some of the youngsters for us.

That's a great idea! MUSIC: "Hallelujah" by G F Haendel

With so many piglets on the farm, Sue could start a new career as a coach.

But with this unruly bunch,

finding the right student isn't going to be easy.

Oh, Sue, looks like you've got a huge job ahead of you.

Later, find out if Sue's attempt at a new coaching career is a success.

We've been finding out what animals get up to on their days off.

Check out this dog who's really bitten off more than he can chew.

(DOG VOICE) Hey, is this a big ball or have I just shrunk?

Hey, this isn't bad. I wanna bite it, I wanna bite it.

Gimme the ball, gimme the ball!

-And now those kids who love animals. It's the...

-Fanimals, yes!

And here they are, our animal detectives.

Today, we'll be finding out who's quicker. Is it fanimal or animal?

Meet Willow. He's a Harris Hawk.

And this is his boss Karl.

Harris Hawks originate in the Americas.

Their wingspan can be over a metre.

They're considered remarkable because they hunt in packs,

which is very unusual for a bird.

That's all well and good. But are they fast?

And more to the point, are they faster than the fanimals?

Today we're going to find out over a 60 metre dash.

First we'll see how long it takes for the fanimals to cover the distance.

Then we'll see how quickly Willow can do it.

The quickest will be the winner.

The fanimals are feeling confident.

The hawk is pretty fast, but I think I'm faster than it.

I'm going to go quite slowly at the beginning,

then I'll run as fast as I can at the end and see where I end up.

Well, I'll probably just try my hardest and just sprint all the way.

The hawk can try, but he's not going to win.

Ooh, unlike the fanimals, Willow doesn't go in for the big talk,

but he is looking quietly confident.

We'll soon find out.

Despite the rain, the fanimals take to the line.

All three are off the line quickly.

It looks like Matthew's edging ahead

in the right-hand lane.

Bradley and Tia are pulling it back.

Do they have a strong enough finish?

They're storming along the straight. Yes, here they come! Who can it be?

Matthew! Matthew was the first to cross the line

with the others right on his heels.

Well done, Fanimals. An amazing effort by the Fanimals.

9.6 seconds. That's very, very quick.

So it's clear Matthew is the fastest fanimal.

Next up, it's Willow.

And the time he has to beat is 9.6 seconds.

He's going to be covering our 60-metre course by flying

between his assistant and Karl.

Everyone's looking serious, and so they should. This is serious business.

Willow's under starters' orders.

It's hard to watch.

-Here we go.

-Willow!

# Bird of prey

# Take me on your flight

# Flying high #

What elegance.

Look at that wingspan!

And landing.

Now that everyone has done the dash,

it's time to declare a winner.

Matthew was the fastest fanimal with 9.6 seconds.

APPLAUSE

And, sorry, Matthew, your time was no match for Willow's 5.2 seconds.

You hawks sure know how to fly.

Let's see it again.

# Come fly with me

# Let's fly, let's fly away #

That is one graceful bird.

Better luck next time, fanimals.

This beast is the fastest for now.

Now let's trot back to Herefordshire in England.

Earlier, we met a very unusual male pig.

For starters, he's got a girl's name.

He is a little boy, even though he's called Sue.

That's right. He's called Sue.

But that's not all that makes Sue different.

He's a Kune Kune pig, which means he's shorter than normal pigs,

and he has these attractive tassels which are called piri piri.

Sue's got the ideal job for such a handsome swine.

He's a show pig, taking part in competitions showing off his good looks.

You go, girl! I mean, boy.

But at the ripe old age of one, Sue's looks aren't what they were.

The time has come for him to find a new job.

In his young, well, younger days,

he was quite an athlete.

But those days are behind him so there's no job there.

Sue's now pinned his hopes on

working with the champion show pigs of the future by becoming a coach.

Perfect. There's a show in two days.

Think how amazing it would be if Sue could coach one of his young friends to glory.

It sounds like a great plan,

but first, Sue needs to find the perfect piggy pupil.

Come and train these children. Come on.

There's lots of possibilities.

I'm quite hoping the younger piglets will learn by copying Sue.

But with this unruly bunch, finding the right student will take work.

# A, B, C, easy as 1, 2, 3 #

First up, Sue's going to give Sniff a try at the high jump.

Um, you know, maybe that's a little too high for a pig like you.

Sorry, Sniff.

Next up, Sue is showing Dopey how to tackle the ramp.

Dopey, you should be paying attention to this.

Ooh, he's off to a good start.

But this piggy's in a world of his own.

Oh, Sue, what's a pig to do?

We've got one last chance with Spotty,

who'll be taking a shot at the tunnel.

That a boy! Keep it coming.

Nice work, Spotty!

CHEERING

Hey! You made it through!

ALARM

Oh, wait, scratch that.

You can't pee on the agility course.

Yuck!

Those piglets are just too immature to take this seriously.

Maybe Sue's hopes of a coaching career have collapsed already.

This is a disaster for Sue.

But wait. There's one more pig.

Sue's buddy Bradley.

Behind Sue, he's the hottest pig on the farm.

# Don't you ever stop being dandy, showing me you're handsome #

With Sue's specialist training and Bradley's raw talent,

this might just be onto a winner.

Come on, get up, Sue.

There's no time to waste.

There's a competition, and if you're going to make a new career,

you need to start training Bradley.

Bradley needs all the help he can get

so Sue starts him on the basics,

but Bradley's not really paying attention.

We want Bradley to just walk sedately around the ring

so the judge can see what he looks like,

whether his legs are straight.

It's starting to work. Bradley is copying Sue's every move.

Go, Bradley, go!

What he's doing now is just what we want. Just a sedate, slow walk.

Bradley's doing wonderfully for a beginner.

I think he's a little star.

Bradley's really getting the hang of this, and it's obvious who to thank.

Sue's a great help, really.

He's a good, calming influence.

I'm hoping he'll follow Sue's example.

This is amazing news. Sue has real talent as a coach.

Could it be with Sue's coaching,

Bradley's got a chance at the upcoming pig show?

I would hope that he's going to be noticed by the judge, but we'll see.

The competition's around the corner,

and there's plenty at stake.

If Bradley wins, Sue's proven his career choice was the right one.

Failure, and Sue's career is in tatters.

Later, it's the most important pig show of Sue's life.

We've been searching to find out what your animals get up to on their days off.

Check out this parrot who's found a game that's right up his alley.

It's the perfect strike.

He's really a knock-out.

And again. And again.

OK, that's enough.

This guy's just bowling me over. Ha ha ha!

And now we're off to Oahu, Hawaii in the USA.

# It's a kind of magic #

Meet Magic, a miniature horse with a big job.

Magic's a beach pony unlike any other.

He specialises in giving children their first ever horse ride.

His job in life is to give a great experience to children,

to make them feel good about being on a horse

and having the horse experience.

Magic's perfect for his job,

because although he looks like a regular horse,

he's actually small, (LITTLE VOICE) very small.

In fact, he's about the height of an average toddler.

Normally, full-size horses are about 183cm tall,

but Magic is a mere 76cm.

That's really tiny.

I think a regular-size horse would weigh about 1,200 pounds,

and Magic is about, I would say, 230 pounds.

Being so small, Magic is the ideal size for little kids

with no experience of riding big horses.

I think he actually becomes even more gentle,

as he knows that this is his purpose,

to make children smile and to give them the experience of a small horse.

But it's not just his size that makes Magic ideal for his job.

Magic just loves children.

# Wake up, it's a beautiful morning #

And children aren't the only thing Magic loves.

# Let's go surfing now, everybody's learning how #

He's also mad for the beaches,

which makes him the luckiest little horse in the world,

as here in Hawaii, he gets the most amazing beaches on the planet.

Don't be fooled, though.

Despite the tropical location, Magic has no time to relax in the shade.

He's one busy pony.

Mornings can be quite chaotic, as Magic lives with a bunch of friends

who can be a rowdy old lot.

There's fellow horse Mystic,

and check out these guys.

It's miniature goats, Stewart, Nicolas and Pearl.

Miniature goats make excellent companion animals,

as they're apparently a very calming influence.

It's a good job, as someone needs to be around here.

And look at these pooches.

They're miniature Italian greyhounds.

Here's Blaze, that's Angus, and this is Boomer.

Er, Magic,

if you want to get to the beach today,

you don't have time to give this canine cowboy a ride.

One final check before you leave.

After all, it's vitally important that a beach pony looks his best.

Nice traditional costume you're wearing there, mister.

We put on this beautiful lei so he looks very Hawaiian and happy.

Yes, yes, Magic, you look just great.

Now, can we please get going?

There's children waiting for you and you need to get to work.

Finally, Magic's off.

Wonder what today has in store.

Maybe he'll get to go for a paddle in the sea.

Magic's in demand before he even gets to the beach,

and of course, Magic fulfills his obligations and stops to be petted.

Look how gentle he is.

It's very important to be this well-behaved when you're working with small children.

Being a bucking bronco is not an option.

OK, Magic, enough's enough. You have to get to work, remember?

Come on, mate, trot on.

And finally he gets to the sand.

This guy is one beach pony.

He looks so at home here.

But wait, there don't seem to be any children on this beach. Disaster.

Magic takes a closer look.

Ooh, panic over.

Here are some children. It's not going to be a wasted day.

And without further ado, Magic gets to work.

Hi, who's this?

Look at the pleasure this pocket- sized pony is giving the children.

Magic is quite the character, and a well-known face on the island.

He's definitely a hit with all the kids and tourists alike.

He likes me and he knows who I am.

Say "cheese", Magic.

Well, Magic, another great day at work.

But can you really call it hard work

when the weather and scenery are this spectacular?

And off Magic goes to tell all his mates about his busy day as a beach pony.

It's not just today that animals have had jobs.

In fact, history reveals that in the past,

they've had even more amazing jobs than today.

And here are those History's Heroes.

Hello. I'm Professor John Bumbleman,

the world's greatest animal historian.

Now, over the years, there have been many, many, many, many, many, many

many, many wonderful animals

who've held down incredibly important jobs.

These brilliant beasties have put their hairy, furry and scaly necks

on the line all in the name of good, old-fashioned hard work.

Today we're looking at the secretive world of undercover agents.

Our first anonymous animal was Fred the Cat,

who did a one-off job for the New York City Police Department.

His mission started when the police contacted him

about a man who was posing illegally as a veterinarian.

The boys in blue couldn't catch this criminal in the act,

so drafted in Fred.

With the help of an human partner,

the undercover kitty pretended to be sick.

COUGHING

Together, they exposed this man who didn't know how to treat animals

and wasn't a real vet.

Fred retired soon after that

and re-trained as a hospital carer.

We can't reveal any more, as his identity is now protected.

To be a good undercover agent,

you need excellent survival skills,

and in that department, no human spy could beat Old Rip the Horned Toad.

In 1896, Old Rip was rudely placed inside the cornerstone

of a courthouse in Texas as part of a time capsule.

Despite the stupidity of the humans who did this,

Old Rip lasted out the ordeal for an incredible 31 years.

His survival trick was hibernation.

Old Rip deservedly became something of a celebrity in the state of Texas,

and spent the rest of his life touring

so that ordinary people could meet

the greatest survival expert of all time.

I can hide better than Old Rip.

Can you see me? Can you see me?

Ahem.

And finally, History's Heroes can reveal

an unbelievable but true mission

to train cats to spy on the Russians.

In the late sixties,

America's spy agency, the CIA, had an idea. Ting!

They thought it would be clever to rig up a cat with a microphone

and put an antennae in its tail.

Really!

The plan was that the cat could sneak around unnoticed

and listen in on secret spy news.

They called it Operation Acoustic Kitty.

But the scheme didn't go well.

The spy cat kept wandering off to look for food.

Yummy, yummy.

So in 1967, the operation was abandoned.

These cats may not have made the best spies,

but when they were around,

the Russians never had any problems with mice.

Ha ha ha! Miaw miaw.

And that concludes this week's History's Heroes.

COUGHING

Now we're heading back to Herefordshire in England.

Earlier we met a boy named Sue.

Sue used to be a show pig travelling the country starring in pig shows,

but at the old age of one, his looks have faded,

which means it's time to get a new job.

After toying with other possibilities,

Sue's decided to turn his trotter

to helping champion show pigs of the future,

by becoming a show pig coach.

WHISTLE

Sue's first trainee is a handsome hog named Bradley.

Sue's taught Bradley the essentials of show pig competing.

Walking tall and proudly.

Bradley got to grips with things quickly, which is a good job,

as today, he'll be taking part in his first competition.

If Bradley's successful in today's show,

then Sue's got a new job.

If Bradley fails, then Sue's career is over.

It's the day of the competition.

There's a lot riding on this.

For coach Sue's sake, Bradley must put on a good show.

Although Bradley is nervous, Sue is sticking with him every step of the way.

Sue has been helping Bradley along with getting ready this morning.

He travelled with him in the lorry,

looked after him all the way here,

slept with him last night, too.

I think Sue has a very relaxing influence on him.

Sue looks pretty relaxed himself.

Competition is fierce.

There are piggies here from all across the land.

It's a bit of a wake-up call for Bradley,

as these are Kate Hogs and Naomi Hambells of the piggy world.

But with Sue by his side, Bradley has plenty to be confident about.

When Brad goes into his class,

he'll be judged on beauty, really.

Now, I think Bradley is very nice,

but then I'm not the judge.

If Sue's done his job properly,

Bradley will behave himself.

Unlike some of the other naughty porkers backstage.

Just to be sure that everything is in tip-top shape,

Sue takes Bradley out for some last-minute grooming

to make him even more handsome for the judges.

He's really enjoyed being groomed, bathed, stroked, scratched,

they love all this attention, don't you, hey?

A little bit of oil behind your ears to make you look beautiful.

Good boy.

And shine your little snout up, too.

And while Bradley's in make-up,

Sue can only wait nervously with Wendy's daughter Lucy.

Sue has a big influence over Bradley's career.

I think Bradley does stand a big chance of winning

because he's a strapping little piglet.

Sue's just whispered in his ear.

Sit down nicely, Bradley. Smile your best smile.

And don't wee-wee in the ring.

It's show pig time.

But Sue's too nervous to watch.

He heads back to his pen to await the final result.

There are some good-looking piggies in this competition.

Oh, yeah.

And the judge takes a good look at Bradley.

But who will be deemed the fairest pig of them all?

And in first place,...

Oh, no! Bradley's not won.

It goes to the white boar.

And in second place,...

it's Bradley!

Well done, you pretty little piggy!

Sue's ecstatic and can't wait to greet Bradley

with some celebratory hogs and kisses.

# Rain or shine, you've stood by me, girl

# I'm happy at home, you're my best friend #

He didn't win, but he did very well.

He came second and he behaved impeccably.

I think Sue will be very impressed with that.

Well done, Sue. You've done a crackling job at coaching Bradley.

Your little trainee success means you now have a new career.

And Brad Pig?

With Sue's continued help,

you might have a promising career yourself in Hoggywood.

Ha ha!

Er, that's all from Animals At Work.

John said he had to go and see a man about a dog.

Sounds a bit fishy if you ask me.

Hmm, see you next time.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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