Showbiz Stars Lead Outcry As Amanda HOlden, Joanna Lumley And Jonathan Ross Call For Beagle Lab Closure Over Cruelty Claims

Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden (pictured in London on December 10 2025) has signed a letter calling for the closure of MBR Acres’ research facility in Wyton, Cambridgeshire
Another co-signatory is actress Dame Joanna Lumley (seen in Westminster in May 2022)
Animal rights activists have filmed inside the MBR Acres beagle testing facility in Wyton
Animal Rising activists have carried out previous ‘rescues’ of beagles from the facility

A group of high-profile celebrities, including Amanda Holden, Dame Joanna Lumley, and Jonathan Ross, have joined forces to support a campaign calling for the immediate closure of MBR Acres, a controversial animal testing facility in Cambridgeshire. The site, the only one in the UK breeding dogs for research, has been at the center of years of protests due to its involvement in animal cruelty.

Police and protesters clash at the MBR Acres-adjacent Camp Beagle in 2021

The celebrities, along with cross-party MPs, animal organizations like Peta and Animal Rising, and more than 170,000 petitioners, are demanding that the government shut down the facility, which breeds around 2,000 beagles a year for use in scientific experiments.

Animal Rising director Rose Patterson said: ”The Government has a mandate to act and shutting down MBR Acres is the easiest first step they could take’

The call for action follows disturbing reports about the treatment of the dogs at MBR Acres, where healthy beagles are allegedly subjected to painful experiments, including being bled to death by needle insertion into their hearts. Animal activists, who have been protesting outside the site since 2021, have called for the rehoming of the dogs, pushing the government to “lead the world into a future without animal testing.”

Dog lover Will Young chained himself to fencing outside the research centre in November 2021

Among those supporting the cause is Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, who signed a letter urging the closure of the facility. Actress Dame Joanna Lumley and BBC’s Springwatch presenter Chris Packham are also co-signatories, along with many other public figures.

Love Island star Faye Winter gave a speech at a protest against animal testing, outside Parliament in February 2024

Animal rights groups, including Animal Rising, accuse MBR Acres of breeding the beagles solely for testing purposes, and they have organized several high-profile “rescue missions” to save the dogs from the facility. These operations have sparked controversy, including a well-known incident where Animal Rising activists defaced a portrait of the King to bring attention to the cause.

Opponents of MBR Acres argue that animal testing is not only cruel but increasingly unnecessary, citing the development of alternative methods, such as computer-based modelling and lab-based testing, which have proven to be effective in medical research. Critics, including Labour MP Brian Leishman, emphasize that these outdated practices should be phased out for good.

Despite the public outcry, MBR Acres’ parent company, Marshall BioResources, defends the operation, claiming it adheres to strict animal welfare regulations and is essential for biomedical research. They assert that their work is vital for scientific progress, especially in the development of life-saving medicines.

The controversy over MBR Acres has sparked a wider debate about animal testing in the UK, with politicians and activists pushing for the government to take action. Labour MPs and members of other political parties have called for the closure of the site, citing the importance of animal welfare and the need for progress in alternative testing methods