Paul O'Grady

Paul James OGrady 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 OGrady Show Born to a workingclass Irish family in Birkenhead he attended Blessed Edward Campion Secondary Modern School in Claughton Village Birkenhead Cheshire now Merseyside OGrady moved to London in the late1970s 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 standup 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 citys 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 199596 game show Blankety Blank 19972002 and comedy series Lily Live 200001 earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure Seeking to diversify his career away from Savage OGrady starred in BBC sitcom Eyes Down 200304 and presented two travel documentaries for ITV In 2004 he began presenting ITVs daytime chat show The Paul OGrady Show which proved a hit with audiences After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to OGradys production company Olga TV in 2006 he defected to rival Channel 4 where the show was rebranded as The New Paul OGrady Show and ran until 2009 OGrady subsequently presented a late night ITV show Paul OGrady Live 201011 as well as Paul OGrady For the Love of Dogs which ran from 2012 until his death in 2023 and Paul OGradys Animal Orphans 20142016 while presenting BBC Radio 2s Paul OGrady on the Wireless and publishing a fourvolume autobiography OGrady 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