2002-10-17 - 4:19 p.m.

Yesterday�s ad of the day was:

Stuffed animals requiredfor use in film, stuffed ferrets in particular, the condition that the animals are in is unimportant. Call xxx xxx xxxxx, Camden Town

Kind of baffling at first but I suppose that just because �Mr Frisky� is now sadly doing his business in the great cat litter in the sky doesn�t mean that it�s too late for a posthumous career as an international star of stage and screen. Granted the action scenes could be a little stilted without the help of some major special effects, but there�s obviously still a demand for post-taxidermy pet actors. And could this be the first great ferret-themed feature of the new millennium? Just imagine if it captures the imagination of the cinema-going public � your ex- animal could even work its way up to making movies with the likes of, say, Hugh Grant. I imagine it would be difficult to sharing the screen with a torpid, weasel-like co-star that�s seen better days and is unable to actually deliver lines or portray any kind of emotion. But I�m sure the ferret would get used to it, eventually.

These are old jokes. Really.