Paul O’Grady became a household name in the early noughties, known for his wit and love of animals. The comedian and TV personality first rose to prominence as his drag queen persona Lily Savage in the 1980s and 1990s before going on to host a string of television programmes.
His most notable appearance came on his daytime chat show The Paul O’Grady Show which began airing in 2004, followed by the New Paul O’Grady Show. O’Grady took over the reins from Blind Date’s long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, to host the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017.
He also fronted Blankety Blank, as well as ITV’s multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs. Following the success of the latter, which was filmed at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, he became an ambassador for the organisation.
