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Paul James O'Grady
MBE DL (born 14 June 1955) is an English comedian, broadcaster, actor, writer and former
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...
. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage, very popular in the 1990s. O'Grady subsequently dropped the character and in the 2000s became the presenter of various television and radio shows, most notably ''
The Paul O'Grady Show
''The Paul O'Grady Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Paul O'Grady, first shown on 11 October 2004. The programme is a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, a ...
''.
Born to a working-class Irish migrant family in
Tranmere, Cheshire, O'Grady moved to London in the late 1970s, initially working as a peripatetic care officer for
Camden Council. He developed his drag act in 1978, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found amongst female relatives. Touring England as part of drag mime duo, the Playgirls, O'Grady later went solo as a stand-up comedian. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the
Royal Vauxhall Tavern
The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a Grade II listed gay entertainment venue in Vauxhall, London. It is also known as the RVT. It is South London's oldest surviving gay venue.
History
The RVT was built between 1860 and 1862 at Spring Gardens, Kenning ...
(RVT) and The Fox and Firkin in
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
, he gained a popular following among London gay people and used his character to speak out for
gay rights. After being nominated for a 1992
Perrier Award
Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle.
Perrier was part of th ...
, O'Grady attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Savage, he presented the shows ''
The Big Breakfast
''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4. Originally presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, the show was latterly presented by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu.
The p ...
'' (1995–1996), ''
Blankety Blank
''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps.
The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'' (1997–2002), and ''
Lily Live!'' (2000–2001), earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure.
Wishing to diversify from Savage, O'Grady starred in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
sitcom ''
Eyes Down'' (2003–2004) and presented two travel documentaries for
ITV. In 2004, he began presenting ITV's daytime chat show ''The Paul O'Grady Show''. After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to O'Grady's production company
Olga TV
Olga TV is a British independent television production company set up by the entertainer and talk show host, Paul O'Grady in 2005.
Named after O'Grady's pet dog, Olga the company is best known for producing shows such as '' The Paul O'Grady Sho ...
, he moved to
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
in 2006, where the show was rebranded as ''The New Paul O'Grady Show,'' airing until 2009. O'Grady presented the late night ITV show ''
Paul O'Grady Live'' (2010–2011) and
BBC Radio 2's ''
Paul O'Grady on the Wireless'' (2009–2022). Additional television shows included ''
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs'' (2012–present), ''
Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans'' (2014–2016), ''
Blind Date
A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance.
Structure
A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
'' (2017–2019), and ''Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape'' (2020). Since 2008 he has published several books, including a four-volume memoir.
O'Grady was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in the
2008 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...
for services to entertainment. In 2020 he became president of the
British Music Hall Society, taking over the role from
Roy Hudd. He is a
DL for the County of Kent.
Early life
Childhood: 1955–1971
O'Grady was born on 14 June 1955 at St. Catherine's Hospital in the
Tranmere area of
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
,
Cheshire (now
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...
). His father, Patrick "Paddy" Grady (1912–1973),
was Irish and had grown up in Ballincurry,
County Roscommon, before moving to England in 1936 and settling in the working-class area of Birkenhead. His name was changed from "Grady" to "O'Grady" in a paperwork mistake when he joined the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
, and he kept the new name. Patrick married Mary "Molly" Savage (1916–1988), who was born in England to Irish immigrants from
County Louth. Paul was their third child; his birth came over a decade after those of brother Brendan (born 1941) and sister Sheila (born 1944).
O'Grady spent his early life at the family's rented home at 23 Holly Grove in Higher Tranmere. He later said, "When I look back on my childhood I have no bad memories. Our family was loving and full of affection. I never knew what divorce was until I moved to London. I was an indulged child and completely protected from anything bad." Attending St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, O'Grady excelled in all subjects except mathematics. Hoping that he had a good future ahead of him, his parents budgeted to send him to a private school, the Catholic-run
Redcourt, but his grades dropped. Failing the
eleven plus exam
The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academi ...
, he was unable to enter a
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
so attended the Blessed Edmund Campion R.C. Secondary Modern and the Corpus Christi High School. It was at the school that O'Grady experienced his first homosexual encounter, enjoying a brief romance with another boy, although he still assumed he was heterosexual.
A fan of the popular television series ''
The Avengers'' and ''
Batman'', O'Grady was enrolled in the
Cub Scouts
Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...
by his mother, but he hated it, leaving after a month. An
altar boy
An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helps bring up the gifts, brings up the book ...
at a local Catholic church, he was dismissed after laughing during a funeral service. He then joined the
Marine Cadet Section of the
Sea Cadet Corps, later commenting that he was following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, the cartoon
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.[paper round
A paperboy is someoneoften an older child or adolescentwho distributes printed newspapers to homes or offices on a regular route, usually by bicycle or automobile. In Western nations during the heyday of print newspapers during the early 20th ...](_blank)
that he kept for a week, and through this and other jobs, he saved up to afford
Mod clothes, for a time becoming a
suedehead
"Suedehead" is a 1988 single by English singer Morrissey, released on 15 February 1988. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's first solo release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was in ...
.
Early adulthood: 1972–1977
Leaving school aged 16, O'Grady obtained a job in the civil service, working as a clerical assistant for the
DHSS
The Department of Health and Social Security (commonly known as the DHSS) was a ministry of the British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Services.
Hi ...
at their
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
office; he commuted in from his parents' Tranmere home. Supplementing this income, he worked part-time at the bar of the
Royal Air Forces Association
The Royal Air Forces Association (also called the RAF Association or RAFA) is the largest single service membership organization and the longest standing registered service charity that provides welfare support to the family of RAF members. Th ...
(RAFA) club in
Oxton. Called for a disciplinary hearing at the DHSS and accused of incompetent behaviour and tardiness, he resigned. Obtaining a job at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in
Virginia Water
Virginia Water is a commuter village in the Borough of Runnymede in northern Surrey, England. It is home to the Wentworth Estate and the Wentworth Club. The area has much woodland and occupies a large minority of the Runnymede district. Its n ...
, Surrey, aged 17, O'Grady moved there; the management accused him of stealing, which he denied.
Promptly returning to Birkenhead, he increasingly socialised within the Liverpudlian
gay scene
The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...
, attending meetings of the
Campaign for Homosexual Equality and working at
gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term '' gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities.
Gay bars once serv ...
the Bear's Paw; this was kept a secret from his parents, to whom he was not "out of
the closet
''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...
". He also had
casual sex
Casual sex is sexual activity that takes place outside a romantic relationship and implies an absence of commitment, emotional attachment, or familiarity between sexual partners. Examples are sexual activity while casually dating, one-night ...
with a female friend, Diane Jansen, who became pregnant, news which O'Grady discovered in the same week that both his parents suffered heart attacks; his mother made a recovery, but his father died. Following the birth of his daughter, Sharon Lee Jansen, in May 1974, O'Grady agreed to pay towards her upkeep, but refused to marry Jansen, recognising his homosexuality.
Briefly working as an assistant clerk at
Liverpool Magistrates' Court
The Magistrates' Courts is a building on Dale Street, Liverpool used for magistrates' court hearings until 2015. It is a Grade II listed building designed by John Grey Weightman built between 1857 and 1859. Until the 1970s buildings in Great Cr ...
, O'Grady subsequently worked as a barman at
Yates's Wine Lodge, supplementing the income with the occasional night at the Bear's Paw. Realising this wage was insufficient to support both himself and his daughter, he travelled to London, lodging in
Westbourne Green, but found only poorly paid work as a barman. In London, he began associating with
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...
s, particularly a couple who used the stage name of the Harlequeens. Although making friends in the city, O'Grady was homesick and returned to Birkenhead. Employed as an accountant in a FMC Meats Merseyside
abattoir
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...
, he then worked for three years at the Children's Convalescent Home and School in
West Kirby
West Kirby is a resort town on the north-west corner of the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, to the north-east lies Hoylake, to the east Grange ...
, a home for disabled and abused children.
Returning to London, he rented a flat in
Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of North London, approximately from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described by the BBC as one of "a new breed of urban villag ...
and began busking with a friend in
Camden Town before obtaining a job as a physiotherapist's assistant at the
Royal Northern Hospital
The Royal Northern Hospital was a general hospital on Holloway Road, London N7, near Tollington Way. It had inpatient, outpatient, accident and emergency facilities and was also a centre for postgraduate education.
History
The hospital was foun ...
. Made redundant by public sector cuts, O'Grady took up a job at a gay club called the Showplace, befriending a Portuguese lesbian named Teresa Fernandes. In May 1977, they married to prevent her deportation; they lost contact and only legally divorced in 2005.
[Paul O'Grady, '']The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
'', 16 August 2011 Taking up jobs as a cleaner and a waiter at private functions, he began working for
Camden Council as a peripatetic care officer; living in with elderly people and dysfunctional families had a lasting effect on him.
Career in drag
Lily Savage and the drag circuit: 1978–1984
While working for Camden Social Services, O'Grady made his first attempt at putting together a drag act, creating the character of Lily Savage; he later said, "I wanted to get up there but be larger than life, a creature that was more cartoon than human." His debut was on the afternoon of 7 October 1978 at
The Black Cap gay pub in Camden, where his act involved miming the words to
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
's "Nobody Makes a Pass at Me" from the show ''
Pins and Needles''. Following a holiday to Poland, he visited an ex-boyfriend in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
in the Philippines, there working briefly as a barman and waiter at a brothel.
Returning to London, O'Grady moved to
Purley and then
Streatham with a drag act, the Glamazons. With one of them, nicknamed "Hush", he founded a two-man drag mime act, the Playgirls, although found little work in London. Agreeing to a tour of northern England, they moved to
Slaithwaite
Slaithwaite , locally ''Slawit'' (Old Norse: Timber-fell clearing), is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies in the Colne Valley, lying a ...
, Yorkshire, also accepting a month's work at a club in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark. Diversifying their act, O'Grady learned
fire eating
Fire eating is the act of putting a flaming object into the mouth and extinguishing it. A fire eater can be an entertainer, a street performer, part of a sideshow or a circus act but has also been part of spiritual tradition in India.
Physi ...
and developed a striptease while wearing a
fat suit
A fatsuit, also known as a fat suit or a fat-suit, is a bodysuit-like undergarment used to thicken the appearance of an actress or actor of light to medium build into an overweight or obese character, in conjunction with prosthetic makeup. Fatsui ...
he named "Biddy". After Hush returned to London, O'Grady continued his drag performance as a solo act under the name of "Paul Monroe", a reference to
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
. Under financial strain, O'Grady moved back in with his mother in Birkenhead. Amid mass unemployment, O'Grady
briefly lived off the dole before resurrecting the Playgirls with his friend Vera; initially performing in Liverpool, where they were caught up in the
1981 Toxteth riots
The Toxteth riots of July 1981 were a civil disturbance in Toxteth, inner-city Liverpool, which arose in part from long-standing tensions between the local police and the black community. They followed the Brixton riot earlier that year and we ...
, they began touring other parts of northern England until returning to London.
Again working as a support worker for Camden Council Social Services, O'Grady lived in
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
and then
Brixton before reviving the Playgirls with Hush, devising an act based upon the film ''
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?''. At the end of the year, he appeared as an
Ugly Sister in a drag
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
of ''
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
''. In March 1983 he joined the
Equity union, allowing him to take a role in the theatrical adaptation of ''If They'd Asked for a Lion Tamer'' at the
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...
. The Playgirls gained bookings to appear across London, and also in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
and Copenhagen; O'Grady and Hush joined with drag artist David Dale to form an act known as "LSD", which stood for "Lily, Sandra, and Doris". Devising an act that parodied children's television show ''
Andy Pandy'', they gained bookings across London and in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
.
Residency in Vauxhall: 1984–1992
In 1984, O'Grady began work as a barman at a Vauxhall gay pub, the Elephant and Castle. As Lily, he compered "
Ladies Night" each Tuesday, where amateur drag acts would perform. As compere, he tried out comedy routines, becoming known for insulting both the acts and the audience; he attracted growing crowds and he was interviewed by artist
Patrick Procktor. After six months, he transferred his act to the nearby
Royal Vauxhall Tavern
The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a Grade II listed gay entertainment venue in Vauxhall, London. It is also known as the RVT. It is South London's oldest surviving gay venue.
History
The RVT was built between 1860 and 1862 at Spring Gardens, Kenning ...
(RVT) gay pub, re-opening his show on Thursday nights as "Stars of the Future". In 1985 he obtained his own
council flat
A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 a ...
in Vauxhall's Victoria Mansions. During the mid-1980s, he entered a relationship with Brendan "Murph" Murphy, the manager of a
gay sauna near
the Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
,
Kennington. Murphy subsequently became O'Grady's manager.
Eventually appearing at the RVT three times a week, on Sundays O'Grady began performing at the Union Tavern in
Camberwell and the Goldsmith's Tavern in
New Cross
New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwic ...
, where he often preceded
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...
' three-hour show ''
Vic Reeves Big Night Out''. Quitting his council work, he focused full-time on his career as Lily, taking his act across the country and abroad. Other venues he performed at included the Madame JoJo's club in
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develo ...
, the
Bloomsbury Theatre, and the
Heaven nightclub. Befriending American drag queen
Divine
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
and his manager Bernard Jay, Jay booked O'Grady to appear in
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Florida. As Divine had done, O'Grady also recorded his own
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...
song, "Tough at the Top", which was produced by DJ
Ian Levine
Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, and DJ. A moderniser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of Hi-NRG, he has written and produced records with sales totalling over 40 million. ...
. In 1988, he performed as Madame in ''The Scythe of Reason'', and appeared at the
Glasgow Mayfest
Glasgow Festivals include festivals for art, film, comedy, folk music and jazz. Glasgow also hosts an annual queer arts festival in November.
Unlike the Edinburgh Festival (where the main festival and fringe festivals all occur around about the ...
, where he developed a lifelong friendship with actor
Ian McKellen.
O'Grady used his act to speak out on issues affecting the gay community, especially during the
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
crisis. In April 1988 he took part in a march against
Section 28
Section 28 or Clause 28While going through Parliament, the amendment was constantly relabelled with a variety of clause numbers as other amendments were added to or deleted from the Bill, but by the final version of the Bill, which received R ...
, a policy introduced by
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
's
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
government that many denounced as
homophobic
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...
. Regularly doing charity fundraisers for HIV/AIDS research, many of his friends died from AIDS-related complications; he later related that "People my age will never get over the horrors." He performed in a play about the disease at the
King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...
in
Islington, befriending co-star
Amanda Mealing.
From 1989 to 1992 O'Grady performed annually as Lily at the
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
, gaining increasing recognition. He was nominated for the 1991
Perrier Award
Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle.
Perrier was part of th ...
alongside
Jack Dee
James Andrew Innes Dee (born 24 September 1961), known professionally as Jack Dee, is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom ''Lead Balloon'' ...
,
Eddie Izzard
Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime.
Izzard's stand- ...
, and (the ultimate winner)
Frank Skinner. He later related that "The Edinburgh Festival changed my life. The experience opened doors for me that would otherwise have been firmly closed, exposing me to a much wider audience than I'd previously been used to." O'Grady followed this with a show titled ''Lily Savage Live from the Hackney Empire''; a sell-out, it was the first time that his performance was recorded. In 1992 he embarked on an Australian tour, performing alongside the Australian comedian
Mark Trevorrow
Mark Trevorrow (born 4 February 1959 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian comedian, television host and media personality. In the early 1980s he had two Top 20 hits as part of Globos with Wendy De Waal, and in 1984 he debuted "Bob Downe" ...
, and proceeded to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, where he was present for the
1992 riots in that city.
O'Grady obtained his breakthrough into television when he played the character of a transvestite prostitute informant, Roxanne, in three episodes of
ITV's police drama ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused o ...
'' between 1988 and 1990. Just before filming on the first episode, O'Grady's mother died. In 1990 he appeared in the ITV miniseries ''
Chimera
Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to:
* Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals
* Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilici ...
'' as a social worker; during filming he befriended co-star
Liza Tarbuck. He followed this with a performance as a
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
-style cabaret singer in an episode of
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...
's ITV comedy ''
The New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
''. He had continued to perform regularly at the RVT, and after the proprietors Pat and Breda McConnor decided to move on, he and Murphy unsuccessfully sought to replace them. O'Grady never compered at the RVT again after the McConnors left.
Mainstream success: 1992–1998
After leaving the RVT, O'Grady continued to tour as Lily and released
VHS videos of his performances. Gaining further public exposure through an appearance on the late-night
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
comedy show ''
Viva Cabaret!'', he appeared on an episode of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
quiz show ''
That's Showbusiness''. Moving into radio, he began making regular appearances as Lily on ''
Woman's Hour
''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946.
History
Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by ...
'' and ''
Loose Ends''. Also moving into film, he travelled to
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, Ireland to play an inmate in the 1993 film ''
In the Name of the Father
IN, In or in may refer to:
Places
* India (country code IN)
* Indiana, United States (postal code IN)
* Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN)
* In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Businesses and organizations
* Indepen ...
''; although not in the Lily character, he was credited as "Paul Savage". In character as Lily, he appeared on an October 1994 episode of BBC series ''
The Steve Wright People Show'', had a cameo in the soap ''
Brookside Brookside may refer to:
Geography Canada
* Brookside, Edmonton
* Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Brookside, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
* Brookside, Berkshire, England
* Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England
United States
* Br ...
'' the following month, and presented an episode of BBC music show ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...
''. He also appeared as a female pirate in an episode of BBC children's show ''
Pirates''.
Employed to narrate the
BBC 2 series ''Life Swaps'', he was also given his own late-night Channel 4 series, ''Live from the Lilydrome'', which was filmed in a
working men's club
Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class ...
in
Blackpool. Given top billing at the gay rights charity
Stonewall's 1994 Equality Show in
Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...
, he also played the role of Nancy in the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...
's performance of the musical ''
Oliver!''. Reflecting his increasing success in mainstream British comedy, in 1994 he was nominated for both Top Live Stand-Up Comedian and Top Television Comedy Newcomer at the
British Comedy Awards
The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.
The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
. Some in the South London gay scene were critical of O'Grady, accusing him of being a
sell out
Sell Out may refer to:
* Selling out, the compromising of principles in exchange for success
* ''Sell Out'' (Halfcocked album), 1998
*'' $ell Out'', a 1999 album by Pist.On
*'' The Who Sell Out'', a 1967 album by the Who
* "Sell Out" (Reel Big Fish ...
; he fiercely denied these accusations, stating that "I've done nearly ten years on the factory floor and now I feel I deserve a shot in the office."
After
Paula Yates
Paula Elizabeth Yates (24 April 1959 – 17 September 2000) was a British television presenter and writer. Yates is best known for her work on two television programmes, '' The Tube'' and ''The Big Breakfast''. She was the girlfriend of musicia ...
resigned as presenter of the Channel 4 morning television program ''
The Big Breakfast
''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4. Originally presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, the show was latterly presented by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu.
The p ...
'', its production company
Planet 24 employed O'Grady to replace her. A four-week ''Lie-in with Lily'' was commissioned as a trial run. As Lily, O'Grady ignored the suggested questions of PR agents, instead asked personal questions of his guests; having attracted 2 million viewers, Planet 24 renewed his contract to keep him on as presenter. Through contacts made in showbusiness, he befriended many
A-list
An A-list actor is a major movie star, or one of the most bankable actors in a film industry.
The A-list is part of a larger guide called ''The Hot List'', which ranks the bankability of 1,400 movie actors worldwide, and has become an industry ...
celebrities, among them
Elton John and
Cher. O'Grady found the early morning starts difficult, particularly as he was also appearing as Lily in a
musical version of ''Prisoner Cell Block H'' at the
Queen's Theatre in
London's West End
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...
. When the musical then toured the UK, O'Grady took a break from ''The Big Breakfast'' to accompany it.
He took his new dog, a
shih tzu
The Shih Tzu (, ; literally " Hsi Shih dog") is a toy dog breed originating from Tibet and was bred from the Pekingese and the Lhasa Apso.
Shih Tzus are known for their short snouts and large round eyes, as well as their long coat, floppy ea ...
-
bichon frisé cross named Buster, with him on tour; O'Grady later commented that "He was never happier than in a TV studio or theatre... Buster knew all the theatre doormen and loved being fussed over. He was a smashing dog." At the time, O'Grady had been making greater attempts to get to know his teenage daughter; the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' tabloid treated her existence as a headline scandal in autumn 1994. Critical of the media, O'Grady condemned them for solely referring to him as a drag queen; he commented that
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film pr ...
, who played the character of
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, t ...
, was "never called a drag act because he's a heterosexual male. But I'm called one because I'm a gay man. It's homophobic and it's wrong as there is nothing remotely sexual about what I do. I dress up as a woman for financial purposes, nothing else."
In April 1996, O'Grady filmed a performance at the
LWT Tower as ''An Evening with Lily Savage'', broadcast on ITV in November. A hit, it was awarded Best Entertainment Program at the 1997 National Television Awards. He turned down ITV's subsequent offer of a weekly show because it would air before the
watershed and thus force him to drastically alter his act into a form of
light entertainment. With Murphy he then established a production company, Wildflower. Returning to theatre, he performed ''The Lily Savage Show'' for a 16-week sell-out run at Blackpool's
North Pier Theatre and then ''Lily's Christmas Cracker'' at the
Blackpool Opera House, the latter filmed for broadcast by the BBC. At this juncture, he agreed to appear as Lily in adverts for the
Ford Escort, subsequently appearing in ad campaigns for
Pretty Polly Pretty Polly may refer to:
* "Pretty Polly" (ballad)
* ''Pretty Polly'' (film)
* ''Pretty Polly'' (opera)
* Pretty Polly (horse)
Pretty Polly (March 1901 – 17 August 1931) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and bro ...
tights, the soft drink
Oasis, and a bingo company. Earnings from these performances allowed him to move out of his Vauxhall council flat and into a house near
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames clos ...
in South London. He also purchased a flat in
Saltaire.
Television
''Blankety Blank'', travel shows, and ''Eyes Down'': 1998–2003
In 1998, the BBC produced a six-week Sunday series titled ''The Lily Savage Show'', during which he interviewed guests like
Elton John,
Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob (born 11 March 1947) is a BBC presenter and retired British television executive. He stepped down as Creative Director in December 2015, and was chairman of the board of trustees of the charity Kids Company from 2003 until its colla ...
, and
Anthea Turner
Anthea Turner (born 25 May 1960) is an English former television presenter. She was a host of ''Blue Peter'' from 1992 until 1994, and of ''GMTV'' from 1994 until 1996.
Early life
Turner was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and educated ...
. O'Grady found the scripted, non-spontaneous nature of the series difficult, and it was not well received. As Lily, O'Grady was invited on to other television chat shows, such as ''
Richard and Judy
Richard and Judy is the name informally given to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, a British married couple who are both television presenters and columnists. They presented the daytime television programme '' This Morning'' from 1988 until 2 ...
''; he appeared in a Christmas special of cookery show ''
Ready, Steady, Cook''. He went on an eight-week tour as Lily, before starring as Mrs. Hannigan in a West End performance of the musical ''
Annie''. He subsequently accompanied the show's tour of the UK, before appearing in a Birmingham
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
.
The BBC decided to revive the quiz show ''
Blankety Blank
''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps.
The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'', previously hosted by
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...
and
Les Dawson
Leslie Dawson Jr. (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.
Early life
Les Dawson w ...
. They selected O'Grady to present the show as Lily, allowing him to ad lib rather than follow a script. Screened on primetime Saturday night, ''Blankety Blank'' proved a ratings winner, attracting an audience of 9 million. ITV then purchased it, offering O'Grady a two-year deal for £1 million. ITV let him be more risque in his use of humour on ''Blankety Blank'', and also commissioned a new comedy series, ''
Lily Live!''. This show also proved a success, earning O'Grady nominations for both the Best Comedy Entertainment Personality and Programme at the 2000
British Comedy Awards
The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.
The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
. With increased earnings—his assets were estimated to total £4 million—in 1999 O'Grady purchased a house in
Aldington, Kent
Aldington is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is eight miles (12 km) south-east of the town of Ashford. As with the village centre, set on a steep escarpment above agricultural Romney Ma ...
from comedian Vic Reeves, decorating it in an
art nouveau style and establishing a
smallholding
A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...
.
Tired of appearing as Lily, O'Grady decided to try to make a career for himself out of drag. He appeared as himself in an advert campaign for Double Two shirt-makers, before pitching a six-part
travelogue
Travelogue may refer to:
Genres
* Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling
* Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...
series to ITV, who agreed to part-fund it. The project resulted in ''Paul O'Grady's Orient'', for which he travelled throughout East and Southeast Asia. Although poorly received by the tabloid press, it achieved good ratings, and ITV commissioned a second series, ''Paul O'Grady's America'', in which he visited various U.S. cities. Again it received poor tabloid reviews. O'Grady suffered a bout of clinical depression, but recovered in time to perform alongside
Cilla Black and
Barbara Windsor
Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''. in a
burlesque rendition of "
You Gotta Have a Gimmick" at the 2001
Royal Variety Performance; the televised event attracted 11.5 million viewers. In April 2002, he had a heart attack, which doctors attributed to a combination of a congenital family heart problems with stress, heavy smoking, and caffeine. His recovery meant missing the Heritage Foundation Awards ceremony, where he was awarded television personality of the year award. Returning to work, he appeared as the
Child Catcher
The Child Catcher is a fictional character in the 1968 film ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' and in the later stage musical adaptation. The Child Catcher is employed by Baron Bomburst and Baroness Bomburst to snatch and imprison children on the street ...
in a twelve-week run of the musical ''
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' at the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...
, receiving good reviews. He followed this with a pantomime performance as the Wicked Queen in ''Snow White'' at
Manchester Opera House
The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England, is a 1,920-seater commercial touring theatre that plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is a Grade II listed building. The Opera House is one of the mai ...
.
In 2003, O'Grady appeared in ''
Celebrity Driving School'', a BBC
Comic Relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
show in which he learned to drive, alongside
Nadia Sawalha and
Jade Goody
Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
. One of his tantrums on the shows was nominated for a Best Television Moment of the Year Award. Although turning down most offers to appear in a
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
, he agreed to play the manager of a Merseyside bingo hall in the BBC series ''
Eyes Down'', commenting: "He's an evil, twisted man who hates everything that moves. Not exactly a challenge for me". Screened in the prime Friday night slot, the shows was popular with viewers, if not reviewers, and was renewed for a second series. The BBC were also planning on reviving ''
The Generation Game
''The Generation Game'' is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two people from the same family, but different generations, compete to win prizes.
The game
There are eight competitors, hence the catchphrase "Let's m ...
''; O'Grady presented two pilot episodes in 2003 but left the project, unhappy with the result. O'Grady ended 2003 with a pantomime performance at the
Bristol Hippodrome
The Bristol Hippodrome () is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, United Kingdom with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features shows from London's West End when they tour the UK, as well as re ...
.
''The Paul O'Grady Show'' and ''Paul O'Grady Live'': 2004–2011
O'Grady temporarily stood in for
Des O'Connor
Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter.
He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with '' The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He ...
on ITV's lunchtime chat show ''
Today with Des and Mel
''Today with Des and Mel'' was a British television chat show hosted by Des O'Connor ('' Des O'Connor Tonight'') and Melanie Sykes. The show featured celebrity guests, phone-in competitions and chat between the hosts. It was produced by Car ...
'', enjoying the feeling of presenting live. ITV executives then offered him his own daytime chat show: ''The Paul O'Grady Show''. There was initial press concern that O'Grady's style of adult humour would not be appropriate for a daytime slot, but ITV's controller of entertainment, Mark Wells, declared that "Paul is one of the funniest people on television – he deserves to be on it far more than he is."
The show first aired in October 2004 from 5-6pm and saw O'Grady interviewing celebrity guests; it represented "a glorious mix of seemingly unscripted banter, chat and slapstick humour". In producing the show, O'Grady worked with many old friends, including warm-up man
Andy Collins. The series was a hit, attaining between 2.5 and 2.7 million viewers daily. According to O'Grady biographer Neil Simpson, the series was "a riotous, endearingly kitsch romp with no pretensions to be anything other than pure entertainment. In some ways it was pure vaudeville
..There were novelty acts, talking dogs, whistling goldfish, extraordinary stories. His audience laughed like drains at his anecdotes and were brought right into the heart of the show." The inclusion of his dog, Buster, on the show proved particularly popular with audiences. The show gained a devoted following, with many fans attending the screenings; often, as many as a hundred had to be turned away. Describing those attending the screenings, Simpson noted that "Groups of middle aged women dominate—but they are joined by beautiful twenty-something women with flawless make-up, flash City boys with
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather ...
briefcases, hip-looking students out for a good time and pensioners just wanting a laugh in the afternoon."
The show's viewing figures exceeded those of Channel 4's daytime chat show, ''Richard & Judy''. Tabloids stoked the rivalry between the shows, calling it the "Chat Wars". O'Grady claimed that tabloids had been publishing false quotations attributed to him, describing Richard and Judy as "a lovely couple and we certainly haven't fallen out." In winter 2004, O'Grady performed in a pantomime, ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'', at the West End's
Victoria Palace
The Victoria Palace () is a government building on the large Victory Square () in Bucharest, housing the Prime Minister of Romania and his cabinet.
The Victory Palace was designed in 1937 to house the Foreign Ministry, and nearly complete in 19 ...
. After the second series of ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' was commissioned, in March 2005 it was awarded Best Daytime Programme by the
Royal Television Society, and O'Grady was subsequently awarded Best Entertainment Performance at the
BAFTAs. In August controversy arose after it was revealed that the staff member responsible for interviewing the show's prospective child reporters had written derogatory notes about them; O'Grady fired the staff member responsible and issued a public apology.
In June 2005, Murphy died of
brain cancer. Prior to Murphy's death, O'Grady had promised him that his production company—now named
Olga TV
Olga TV is a British independent television production company set up by the entertainer and talk show host, Paul O'Grady in 2005.
Named after O'Grady's pet dog, Olga the company is best known for producing shows such as '' The Paul O'Grady Sho ...
after one of O'Grady's dogs—would take creative control over ''The Paul O'Grady Show''. ITV refused to allow this, and so O'Grady moved the show to Channel 4, where it was renamed ''The New Paul O'Grady Show''. Press accused O'Grady of moving in pursuit of a higher salary; Channel 4 offered him a contract for £2 million a year, making him one of Britain's highest-paid television stars.
In June 2006, O'Grady suffered a second massive heart attack, undergoing an
angioplasty
Angioplasty, is also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructed arteries or veins, typically to treat arterial atheroscle ...
; he received around 7000 get-well-soon cards and letters from fans. He returned to work for the second series of ''The New Paul O'Grady Show'' in September, during which the show's viewing figures hit a new peak. To deal with his health issues, he began taking a week off mid-series, where he was replaced by guest presenters. O'Grady subsequently won the Ten Years at the Top award at the TV Quick and TV Choice awards.
The tabloids tried to re-ignite the "chat wars" by claiming a rivalry between O'Grady and other daytime television shows such as ''
The Sharon Osbourne Show
''The Sharon Osbourne Show'' is an American talk show that ran for one season ( 2003– 2004) on various US channels.
Cancellation
The show was eventually canceled due to poor ratings and scathing attacks by critics as being too focused on ...
'' and ''
The Brian Conley Show
''The Brian Conley Show'' was a comedy variety show, and later a comedy chat show, fronted by comedian Brian Conley. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV between 1992 and 1995, and then 2000 and 2002.
Synopsis
The show was commission ...
''. Amid the later
News International phone hacking scandal
The News International phone hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct ''News of the World'' and other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police b ...
, police from
Operation Weeting
Operation Weeting was a British police investigation that commenced on 26 January 2011, under the Specialist Crime Directorate of the Metropolitan Police Service into allegations of phone hacking in the ''News of the World'' phone hacking affa ...
informed him that ''
News of the World'' reporter
Glenn Mulcaire
Glenn Michael Mulcaire (born 8 September 1970) is an English private investigator and former non-league footballer. He was closely involved in the News International phone hacking scandal, and was imprisoned for six months in 2007 for his role i ...
had hacked his mobile phone. He decided not to sue. 2006 also saw the start of his relationship with future-husband André Portasio, a ballet dancer.
In 2008, O'Grady had a cameo as himself in the ''
Doctor Who'' episode "
The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One ...
", and appeared in ''
Ghosthunting with Paul O'Grady and Friends'', filmed in
Palermo,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
. 2008 also saw publication of the first volume of O'Grady's memories, ''At My Mother's Knee ... And Other Low Joints'', published by
Bantam. The second volume, ''The Devil Rides Out: The Second Coming'', followed in 2010.
After budget talks broke down with Channel 4, O'Grady ended ''The New Paul O'Grady Show''. In October 2009, O'Grady agreed to an £8 million deal with ITV to host a Friday prime-time chat-show, ''
Paul O'Grady Live''.
The first series aired from September to November 2010. In October, O'Grady attracted media attention after calling the
Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government "bastards" on his show for mass cuts to social services. He also voiced his support for student protesters who
had occupied and vandalised the Conservative Party headquarters.
Ofcom received several complaints over the incident. ''Paul O'Grady Live'' was picked up for a second series from April to July 2011, and included a special devoted to American pop star
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
. In October, ITV axed ''Paul O'Grady Live''. O'Grady stated that ITV had asked him to return for a third series, but that he had refused, claiming that he had had enough of the chat show format,
[ Hardy 2012.] and that he was fed up with the "interference" from the show's producers.
That month, he also performed in ''
Drama at Inish'' at the
Finborough in
Earl's Court
Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...
.
Animal shows and ''Blind Date'': 2012–present
2012 saw the launch of ITV documentary series ''
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs'', covering life at
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home (now known as Battersea) is an animal rescue centre for dogs and cats. Battersea rescues dogs and cats until an owner or a new one can be found. It is one of the UK's oldest and best known animal rescue centres. It w ...
in south London. O'Grady commented that he had wanted to do such a show for years and that he took to it with an "enthusiasm that surprised everyone except me". Although scheduled to initially film at the centre for six days, he stayed as a volunteer for six months. At the end of the first series, O'Grady was invited to become an ambassador for the Home, and a bronze statue of his late dog, Buster, was erected on a plinth at the centre. He also adopted a dog from the home; a
Jack Russell-
Chihuahua cross named Eddy. Through the series he developed a friendship with actor
Tom Hardy, who appeared in one episode.
In April 2012, O'Grady presented ''
The One and Only Des O'Connor'', a one-off special for
ITV which looked back on the life of
Des O'Connor
Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter.
He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with '' The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He ...
. In October 2012, the third volume of his memoires, ''Still Standing: The Savage Years'', was released.
In 2012, O'Grady also revived his Lily Savage character for a cameo in ''Paul O'Grady's Little Cracker'', a Christmas short story.
He later expressed criticism of the show ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...
'' and the contemporary drag performers on it, stating: "It's all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels
..This new brigade who just parade around going, sashay, shantay – that's not drag to me", lacking the comedic element common to drag queens of his generation.
In July 2013, O'Grady narrated the ITV documentary ''Me and My Guide Dog'' following the work of Guide Dogs. In April 2013, O'Grady presented a documentary about
burlesque performer
Gypsy Rose Lee as part of ITV's ''
Perspectives'' series. That month, he also presented ITV's ''
British Animal Honours'' award ceremony.
In 2013, ITV revived ''The Paul O'Grady Show''. In November, O'Grady suffered an angina attack and underwent further heart surgery.
In 2013, O'Grady guest starred as cancer patient Tim Connor in three episodes of ''
Holby City''. On 31 October 2013, O'Grady recorded a non-broadcast pilot for a
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
sitcom called ''Led Astray'', starring alongside
Cilla Black. The show was not commissioned for a full series due to the pair's busy schedules.
In 2013, O'Grady presented two-part
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
documentary series ''Paul O'Grady's Working Britain'', which was nominated for a