A GIFTED animal has waved goodbye to a chance to appear on hit TV show Britain's Got Talent.

Producers behind the show have been attempting to sign up Darren – the waving Anglo-Nubian goat – for this year's show.

But staff at White Post Farm in Farnsfield, which Darren calls home, say he will not be performing his trick on national TV.

Anthony Moore, marketing manager at the farm, said: "The producers have been phoning us for a few months asking if Darren can appear.

"At first we thought it was a crank call. At the time we said we would think about it, but decided then that if it came to an audition we wouldn't do it."

Mr Moore said the farm had been called around a dozen times in recent weeks by production staff working on Britain's Got Talent, seeing if he could take part.

The farm even received a call last week saying eight-year-old Darren had passed the first round of auditions after producers watched a video of the goat waving that had been posted on the internet.

Producers want Darren to appear at the live auditions in Birmingham next month.

However, Mr Moore said allowing Darren to following in the footsteps of last year's singing sensation Susan Boyle would be bad for him.

"They want Darren to appear on stage in front of Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden. Sure, we'd get good press out of it, but it's a long way for a goat to travel for a five-minute trick," he said.

"It's not our thing – it goes against the animal welfare standards we've set here. Making him wave in front of thousands of people would not be right for Darren.

"Also, we don't even know if he would do the trick outside of the context of his pen. We've therefore said 'thanks but no thanks'."

Darren became an overnight sensation last year after his antics appeared on the ITV1 show Animals Do The Funniest Things and videos of his waving were posted on YouTube.

Mr Moore said a clip of Darren standing on his hind legs and waving gleefully at passersby even appeared on Australian TV and ABC News in America.

"It's been an amazing year and this offer caps it off, but we feel that enough is enough," he said.

Until last year, Darren's trick would be performed at the farm's annual summer show. Staff have now "retired" him from the spectacle, although visitors can still stand and wave at Darren in his pen.

bryan.henesey@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk