Acting
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.
Filmography
Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
Film · 2025
The Life and Death of Lily Savage
Film · 2024
The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
Film · 2024
Paul O'Grady's Great Elephant Adventure
Series · 2024
For the Love of Paul O'Grady
Film · 2023
Maisie
Film · 2022
Our Cilla: The One and Only
Film · 2021
Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up
Series · 2021
The Madame Blanc Mysteries
Series · 2021
The National Television Awards Celebrate 25 Years
Film · 2020
Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape
Series · 2020
The London Studios: Home of the Stars
Film · 2018
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs - India
Series · 2018
The Paul O'Grady Story
Film · 2017
Paul O'Grady's Favourite Fairy Tales
Film · 2016
Our Cilla
Film · 2015
Bob Monkhouse: Million Joke Man
Series · 2015
Good Morning Britain
Series · 2014
Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans
Series · 2014
Paul O Grady's Working Britain
Series · 2013
For the Love of Dogs
Series · 2012
Playhouse Presents
Series · 2012
Perspectives
Series · 2011
Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Moments
Series · 2010
Little Crackers
Series · 2010
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
Series · 2009
Kate Garraway's Life Stories
Series · 2009
Death In Venice
Series · 2009
Stanley Baxter: Now and Then
Film · 2008
Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong
Series · 2008
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle
Series · 2007
The Graham Norton Show
Series · 2007
Comic Aid
Film · 2005
Doctor Who
Series · 2005
The Paul O'Grady Show
Series · 2004
Parkinson
Series · 2004
Parkinson
Series · 2004
Parkinson
Series · 2004
Eyes Down
Series · 2003
Celebrity Mastermind
Series · 2003
Celebrity Driving School
Series · 2003
Harry Hill's TV Burp
Series · 2002
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Series · 2002
Outtake TV
Series · 2002
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Series · 2001
County Kilburn
Film · 2000
Lily Live!
Series · 2000
The British Soap Awards
Series · 1999
Lily Savage: The Live Show
Film · 1998
Parkinson
Series · 1998
Parkinson
Series · 1998
The Untransmittable Lily Savage Show
Film · 1997
The Lily Savage Show
Series · 1997
An Evening with Lily Savage
Film · 1996
TFI Friday
Series · 1996
Lily Savage: Live And Outrageous
Film · 1995
The Ant & Dec Show
Series · 1995
Filth!
Film · 1994
Fairest of Them All
Film · 1994
Lily Savage Live: Paying the Rent
Film · 1993
In the Name of the Father
Film · 1993
Viva Cabaret
Series · 1993
Eurotrash
Series · 1993
The Big Breakfast
Series · 1992
Lily Savage Live from the Hackney Empire
Film · 1991
Chimera
Series · 1991
This Morning
Series · 1988
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
Series · 1988
Comic Relief
Series · 1988
The New Statesman
Series · 1987
The Bill
Series · 1984
Blankety Blank
Series · 1979
An Audience with...
Series · 1978
Top of the Pops
Series · 1964