An attempt by BBC Radio Lancashire's breakfast show to recreate the Cheltenham Gold Cup using rodents ended in chaos when one of the runners broke free and was lost under the studio's control desk.
Host Tony Livesey freed two hamsters and two gerbils to see which would be first up his producer Alison Butterworth's trouser leg, tempted by a piece of cheese hanging on a string. Each of the rodents were named and backed by listeners but soon after a hamster called Alison's Surprise won the trophy, disaster struck. Gerbil Sparkle made a break for freedom and found a home among the intricate wiring beneath the studio presentation desk. With the words of its owner ringing in their ears - 'They'll eat anything you know' - Tony, Alison and their team spent two hours trying to coax Sparkle into the open. Comedian Ted Robbins who hosts the show following breakfast had to evacuate his team and decamp to another studio while rescue operations progressed. Eventually Sparkle was tempted into the open by a piece of carrot.
A spokesman for BBC Radio Lancashire said: 'We will not be attempting to recreate the Cheltenham Gold Cup with hamsters and gerbils next year.' | 
