Facing the nation's TV and press does not seem to have done Baldrick the bald hedgehog any harm.Since being featured in The Mercury his prickle-less plight has been beamed into homes nationwide and made headlines across the world.

Facing the nation's TV and press does not seem to have done Baldrick the bald hedgehog any harm.

Since being featured in The Mercury his prickle-less plight has been beamed into homes nationwide and made headlines across the world.

But this week his carers have noticed a few tufts of recovery and hope it is the start of a veritable armour of spines, without which he will never be released into the wild.

Tonia Garner, who runs Foxy Lodge wildlife hospital with her husband John in Hemsby, said there had been no major changes in his condition but that he seemed to have a few more spikes on the way.

She said she was surprised by the level of interest in Baldrick's story with the BBC and ITV wanting to send crews and interest from newspapers including British broadsheets and redtops and the Belfast Telegraph.

None of the exposure had translated into donations for the hospital, which is currently caring for 25 hedgehogs born too late to hibernate but Baldrick apparently has three web pages devoted to him.

Baldrick is being scrubbed and oiled daily to encourage his spines to grow - and more importantly to stay in - after the last batch of re-growth fell out.

“We are very busy with hedgehogs,” Mrs Garner said. “We have 25 at the moment who are all too small to hibernate and we have had to rearrange the nursery. The phone is ringing every night,” she added.

The hospital welcomes all donations. Call 01493 384237.