ITV to celebrate life of Paul O’Grady with documentary
For The Love Of Paul O’Grady will air on Easter Sunday
Following his unexpected passing earlier this week, ITV has confirmed they will pay tribute to the iconic and much-loved entertainer Paul O’Grady.
ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo:
“We are fortunate to have had a long association with Paul, at ITV. He was a huge, inimitable talent, delighting our viewers through his comedy and entertainment with a warmth, humour and joy that audiences of all generations related to and connected with.”
In the special celebratory film, ITV has put together a collection of highlights from his incredible career and interviews with those who knew him best. After years on stage as drag star Lily Savage the character transferred to television with a collection of appearances on Channel 4 in shows such as Viva Cabaret and The Big Breakfast. Heading into primetime Lily became the star of her own BBC One series The Lily Savage Show and became the host of Blankety Blank. A switch to ITV saw Lily Live hit the air and then a host of documentaries with Paul casting off the frocks to front them as himself.
A long-running chat show was launched in 2004 with The Paul O’Grady Show which aired daily on ITV, and later Channel 4. A primetime version later aired on ITV. It was however his award-winning For the Love of Dogs that has been one of Paul’s most popular series over the past eleven years. For nearly fourteen years Paul had a weekend series on BBC Radio 2 and had recently switched to Boom Radio where he had a popular following of loyal listeners ‘TeamPOG’.
ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo:
“He had a profound passion for animals too, which resonated with so many viewers, and For The Love of Dogs remains one of our best-loved series and a really special programme for so many. All those who worked with Paul are shocked and deeply saddened at his passing and the thoughts of everyone at ITV are with Paul’s loved ones.”
For The Love Of Paul O’Grady, ITV/STV, Sunday 9th April at 8pm
