Paul O'Grady
Paul James O'Grady, MBE DL (14 June 1955 - 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio disc jockey. He achieved fame using his comedic drag queen character, "Lily Savage", and later became well known for presenting TV programmes as himself, such as The Paul O'Grady Show. Born to a working-class Irish family in Birkenhead, he attended Blessed Edward Campion Secondary Modern School, in Claughton Village, Birkenhead, Cheshire (now Merseyside). O'Grady moved to London in the late-1970s, there working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council. It was here in 1978 that he developed his drag act, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found amongst female relatives. Touring northern England as part of drag mime duo, the Playgirls, he eventually went solo as a stand-up comedian. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), he gained a popular following among the city's gay community and used his character to speak out for LGBT rights. After being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award, he attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Savage, he presented morning chat show The Big Breakfast (1995–96), game show Blankety Blank (1997–2002) and comedy series Lily Live! (2000–01), earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure. Seeking to diversify his career away from Savage, O'Grady starred in BBC sitcom Eyes Down (2003–04) and presented two travel documentaries for ITV. In 2004, he began presenting ITV's daytime chat show The Paul O'Grady Show, which proved a hit with audiences. After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to O'Grady's production company, Olga TV, in 2006 he defected to rival Channel 4, where the show was rebranded as The New Paul O'Grady Show and ran until 2009. O'Grady subsequently presented a late night ITV show, Paul O'Grady Live (2010–11) as well as Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs (which ran from 2012 until his death in 2023) and Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans (2014–2016), while presenting BBC Radio 2's Paul O'Grady on the Wireless and publishing a four-volume autobiography. O'Grady received a variety of awards, among them honorary degrees and an MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment. He died on 28th March 2023 aged 67.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved as
- 2024 · Paul O'Grady's Great Elephant Adventure as Self
- 2024 · The Life and Death of Lily Savage as Self (archive footage)
- 2023 · For the Love of Paul O'Grady as Self (archive footage)
- 2022 · Maisie as Self
- 2021 · The Madame Blanc Mysteries as David
- 2021 · Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up as Self - Presenter
- 2021 · Our Cilla: The One and Only as Self
- 2020 · Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape as Self - Presenter
- 2020 · The National Television Awards Celebrate 25 Years as Self
- 2018 · The London Studios: Home of the Stars as Self
- 2018 · Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs - India as Self - Host
- 2017 · The Paul O'Grady Story as Self - Lily Savage (archive footage)
- 2016 · Paul O'Grady's Favourite Fairy Tales as Self - Presenter
- 2015 · Our Cilla as Self
- 2014 · Good Morning Britain as Self
- 2014 · Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans as Self
- 2012 · For the Love of Dogs as Self - Host
- 2012 · Playhouse Presents as
- 2011 · Perspectives as
- 2010 · Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Moments as
- 2009 · Death In Venice as
- 2009 · Kate Garraway's Life Stories as Self
- 2009 · Let's Dance for Comic Relief as Self
- 2008 · Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong as Self
- 2007 · The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle as
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2005 · Doctor Who as Paul O'Grady
- 2005 · Comic Aid as
- 2004 · The Paul O'Grady Show as Self - Host
- 2004 · Parkinson as
- 2003 · Celebrity Mastermind as
- 2003 · Eyes Down as Ray Temple
- 2003 · Celebrity Driving School as
- 2002 · Outtake TV as
- 2002 · Harry Hill's TV Burp as Self - Special Guest
- 2002 · Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway as Self
- 2001 · Friday Night with Jonathan Ross as Self
- 2000 · Lily Live! as Lily Savage
- 2000 · County Kilburn as Paul O'Grady
- 1998 · Parkinson as Lily Savage
- 1998 · Parkinson as Self
- 1998 · Lily Savage: The Live Show as Lily Savage
- 1997 · The Lily Savage Show as Lily Savage
- 1996 · An Evening with Lily Savage as Self
- 1995 · Lily Savage: Live And Outrageous as Lily Savage
- 1995 · The Ant & Dec Show as
- 1994 · Fairest of Them All as Lily Savage (voice)
- 1994 · Filth! as Lily Savage
- 1993 · In the Name of the Father as Prisoner
- 1993 · Lily Savage Live: Paying the Rent as Lily Savage/Kitty Kelly
- 1992 · The Big Breakfast as Lilly Savage (On the Bed Interviewer)
- 1991 · Lily Savage Live from the Hackney Empire as Lily Savage
- 1991 · Chimera as Donaldson
- 1988 · This Morning as Self
- 1988 · Smash Hits Poll Winners Party as Self
- 1987 · The New Statesman as Marlene Dietrich
- 1984 · The Bill as
- 1979 · Blankety Blank as Lily Savage - Presenter
- 1978 · An Audience with... as Self
- 1964 · Top of the Pops as Lilly Savage (Host)
- Future · The Untransmittable Lily Savage Show as Lily Savage