A doggy diva! Cute corgi star of hit West End show sent home with tail between her legs after refusing to work with Helen Mirren Lizzy the corgi refused to obey the Oscar-winning actress's commands Panicked producers of The Audience have now stepped in The canine's understudy will now tread the boards in Lizzy's place Dame Helen, portraying the Queen in The Audience, has a new doggy co-star after one of the play's corgis refused to follow stage directions For many actresses, appearing in the smash West End show The Audience alongside Dame Helen Mirren would be the opportunity of a lifetime. However, one star has been sacked from the production after refusing to work with the Oscar-winning national treasure. Lizzy the corgi, a breed beloved of Her Majesty, was replaced by theatre bosses just days before opening night at London's Gielgud Theatre because she would not obey Dame Helen, who portrays the Queen as she meets various prime ministers over her 61-year reign. In a scene set at Balmoral with former PM Harold Wilson, the seven-year-old dog is lead onto the stage by the 67-year-old actress, who also portrayed the Monarch in the 2006 film The Queen. She is then lead off stage left, but at the end of the scene she was meant to run back across the stage when called by Dame Helen. Unfortunately, Lizzy ignores her commands and only her canine co-star Rocky, five, has finished the scene for 16 consecutive preview performances. Theatre bosses could take no more of her obstinacy and instead appointed Coco the understudy, who has so far been faultless. Stephen Daldry, the director, said Lizzy was spot on for the first three shows but began misbehaving soon after. He told The Sunday Telegraph: 'She was excited the first three times, and then I think she decided she didn't want to be an actress anymore. She decided to retire from the British stage. Now she's at home, a resting actress, resting by the fire.' Dave Jordan, of Animal Actors, the agency that provides the thespian hounds, said homesickness was behind Lizzy's sudden change of heart. The Queen with her beloved corgis. The animal actors that portray them appear in a scene with former PM Harold Wilson He said: 'She was in the wings and and the exit was there and she decided it was her time to go home. 'Once it's in a dog's head it's difficult to stop it. It is slightly diva-ish behaviour. 'The understudy is doing OK, touch wood, but we've got another one just in case.' Lizzy has been used numerous times by Queen look-a-likes keen on an extra touch of authenticity. The use of the corgis in the play has resonated with audiences, who often sigh with delight when the animals come on. Mr Daldry, who directed Oscar-nominated films Billy Elliot and The Hours, added: 'People seem to think corgis nip and yap, but all the ones we work with - including dear old Lizzy - have been gorgeous. Producers, unfazed by Lizzy's behaviour, are planning to add a scene with a live pony. It is being put in by the play's writer Peter Morgan, who also wrote the screenplay for The Queen. Fond of corgis since she was a small child, Elizabeth II has owned more than 30 since she became Queen