Nicola Walker feared beloved co-star was dead after shocking discovery on set

Nicola Walker has revealed an alarming moment from the set of her new Disney+ series Alice and Steve, where she briefly believed her canine co-star had died.

The 56-year-old Unforgotten actress disclosed that she was convinced Mabel, the dog who plays beloved pet Crosby in the series, had passed away after spotting what appeared to be a lifeless animal lying on a table.

"There's a scene, where obviously something awful we think has happened to Crosby, and you can't make a dog pretend to be dead," Ms Walker explained.

"I think there are some, actually, that can do it. But Mabel couldn't."

The production team had crafted an incredibly lifelike prop version of Mabel for the scene, in which viewers believe something terrible may have happened to Crosby.

The replica proved so convincing it gave Ms Walker a genuine fright.

"So they made this prop, this prop dog. And the prop dog - I walked through the set one day, and I thought that Mabel was dead on a table," the actress recalled.

Upon closer inspection, however, she realised the seemingly deceased animal was actually a rubber replica created specifically for filming purposes.

"But they'd made this amazing, which as you got closer, you realised it was a rubberised dead dog," she said.

"Really peculiar, and it's one of those days where you think, 'This job is really odd'," she added.

The prop was necessary because, while some trained dogs can convincingly play dead on command, Mabel lacked this skill.

Jemaine Clement, who spent considerable time working alongside Mabel during production, shared his own memorable experiences with the canine performer.

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The 52-year-old Flight of the Conchords star revealed that Mabel had undergone a month of intensive training to learn how to sneeze on cue.

"To get a reward, she would sometimes sneeze, and sometimes I'd have her on my chest, and she would sneeze on my face," Mr Clement recalled.

The actor admitted this was far from enjoyable for him, though Mabel remained a firm favourite with everyone else on set.

"So, it wasn't pleasant for me.

"But she was very popular amongst the rest of the cast," he said, adding that his colleagues found the sneezing incidents highly amusing.

Mr Clement also joked about having to carry both Mabel and Ms Walker during filming, noting that his human co-star proved far more cooperative.

Alice and Steve is billed as an anti-romantic-comedy and comes from the pen of Sophie Goodhart, the writer responsible for Sex Education and Rivals.

The series tackles one of life's most uncomfortable situations: what happens when your closest friend starts a romantic relationship with your daughter?

Ms Walker takes on the role of Alice, a mother left reeling when she learns that her 26-year-old daughter, Izzy, played by Yali Topol-Margalith, has become romantically involved with her 50-something best mate, Steve, portrayed by Mr Clement.

The drama escalates as Alice tries to separate the couple, only for Steve to fight back against her interference.

Events quickly spiral out of control, taking both characters to places neither could have foreseen.