The Life and Death of Lily Savage pays tribute to the late Paul O'Grady, airing over the Easter period to mark a year since his passing.
Paul's famous creation, Lily Savage, an underground cabaret star who took mainstream TV by storm, was a role loved by many and this documentary gives fans a deeper look at his career.
It features personal accounts from Paul’s close friends and family, including his daughter, Sharyn Mousley, appearing for the first time to share stories about her father.
Speaking about the documentary, Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual at ITV said: "This blue chip feature-length documentary reveals the little known biography of Paul's alter ego Lily - from her birth in the docks of Liverpool to her mysterious 'death' on mainstream TV.
"Set against the background of social and political change and upheaval, it features Paul's own voice and those who were closest to him. This is a layered and richly entertaining tribute to the wonderful Paul O Grady."
Here's everything you need to know...
The Life and Death of Lily Savage air date
The Life and Death of Lily Savage aired on ITV1 and ITVX on Good Friday - Friday, 29 March at 9 pm. It is now available on demand.
The Life and Death of Lily Savage premise
According to ITV, The Life and Death of Lily Savage tells the story of decades of hard graft bringing Lily from the fringes of London’s gay counterculture into the heart of the nation’s living rooms and also discusses why Paul suddenly decided to kill Lily off.
It features interviews with Paul’s sister, Sheila Rudd, friends Sir Ian McKellen, Julian Clary, Jools Holland, Jo Brand, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, and his daughter Sharyn Mousley, who delve deeper into this huge part of Paul's career.
Paul was considered to be a leading voice in the battle for LGBTQ+ equality, enduring police raids, the death of friends, and heart-breaking visits to AIDS wards (in character as Lily) before moving into television.
There, he saw his big break with Lily on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, and went on to host Blankety Blank on Saturday nights on BBC One. But then, Lily disappeared from TV and Paul decided to retire the character in 2004.
This documentary explores more about that decision, as well as the impact Lily Savage had on people up and down the UK.
First look at The Life and Death of Lily Savage
ITV has released a first look clip from the documentary which sees people like Jo Brand, Graham Norton and Paul's daughter Sharyn Mousley talking about Paul's career and legacy.
Take a look below...
