Paul O’Grady MBE
About
Paul O’Grady is a comedian and television presenter. He achieved fame as Lily Savage.
Lily Savage
Paul moved to London in the late 1970s, then working for Camden Council. Here he developed his drag act and based the character of Lily Savage upon traits found among female relatives.
When the BBC revived the quiz show Blankety Blank, they selected O’Grady to present the show in the role of Lily Savage.
After being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award, Paul attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Lily Savage, O’Grady presented morning chat show The Big Breakfast (1995–96), game show Blankety Blank (1997–02) and comedy series Lily Live! (2000–01).
TV Presenter
In 2004, he then began presenting chat show The Paul O’Grady Show. And the show proved a hit with audiences.
O’Grady also starred in the BBC One sitcom Eyes Down. And he presented two travel documentaries for ITV.
Other Projects
He has subsequently presented a late night ITV show, Paul O’Grady Live (2010–11) as well as Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs (2012–2015) and Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans (2014–).
Since 2008 Paul has published several books, including a four-volume memoir.
O’Grady was a guest on Kate Thornton’s Paper Cuts in 2015. In September 2017, O’Grady then presented a two-part documentary for BBC Radio 2 called The Story of the Light. The show saw O’Grady celebrate the 50th anniversary of Radio 2 by looking back at the BBC Light Programme that the channel replaced.
Awards
Paul O’Grady has won many awards, among them honorary degrees and an MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment.