Career Timeline of Paul O'Grady: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Paul O'Grady made an impact.
Paul O'Grady was a multifaceted English entertainer known for his work as a comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He initially gained fame in the 1980s London gay scene as his drag persona, Lily Savage, achieving mainstream popularity in the 1990s. Later, he transitioned from the Lily Savage character to become a successful television and radio presenter, most notably with 'The Paul O'Grady Show.' His career spanned various entertainment mediums, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in British pop culture.
October 1978: Lily Savage Debut
On the afternoon of October 7, 1978, Paul O'Grady debuted as Lily Savage at The Black Cap gay pub in Camden.
1978: Development of Lily Savage Character
In 1978, Paul O'Grady developed his drag act and created the character of Lily Savage, basing her traits on his female relatives.
March 1983: Joins Equity Union
In March 1983, Paul O'Grady joined the Equity union, which allowed him to take a role in the theatrical adaptation of If They'd Asked for a Lion Tamer at the Donmar Warehouse.
1984: Ladies Night Compere
In 1984, Paul O'Grady started working as a barman at the Elephant and Castle gay pub in Vauxhall and as Lily, he compered "Ladies Night" each Tuesday.
April 1988: March Against Section 28
In April 1988, Paul O'Grady participated in a march against Section 28, speaking out on issues affecting the gay community.
1988: The Bill appearance
In 1988, Paul O'Grady played Roxanne, a transvestite prostitute informant, in The Bill.
1989: Performs Annually as Lily at the Edinburgh Fringe
From 1989, Paul O'Grady performed annually as Lily Savage at the Edinburgh Fringe, gaining increasing recognition.
1990: Mother's Death and Role in Chimera
In 1990, just before filming an episode of The Bill, Paul O'Grady's mother died. He also appeared in the ITV miniseries Chimera as a social worker in 1990.
1991: Perrier Award Nomination
In 1991, Paul O'Grady was nominated for the Perrier Award alongside Jack Dee, Eddie Izzard, and Frank Skinner.
1992: Australian Tour and Los Angeles riots
In 1992, Paul O'Grady embarked on an Australian tour and proceeded to Los Angeles, where he witnessed the 1992 riots.
1992: Perrier Comedy Award Nomination
In 1992, Paul O'Grady was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award as Lily Savage, which brought him mainstream attention.
1993: Role in "In the Name of the Father"
In 1993, Paul O'Grady appeared in the film "In the Name of the Father," credited as "Paul Savage."
October 1994: Appearance on The Steve Wright People Show
In October 1994, Paul O'Grady appeared as Lily Savage on an episode of BBC series The Steve Wright People Show.
1994: Stonewall Equality Show and Comedy Award Nominations
In 1994, Paul O'Grady headlined Stonewall's Equality Show, played Nancy in Oliver! and was nominated for two British Comedy Awards.
1995: Hosting The Big Breakfast
In 1995, Paul O'Grady, as Lily Savage, started presenting the television show The Big Breakfast.
April 1996: Filmed An Evening with Lily Savage
In April 1996, O'Grady filmed a performance at the LWT Tower as An Evening with Lily Savage, broadcast on ITV in November.
1996: Continued Hosting The Big Breakfast
In 1996, Paul O'Grady continued presenting the television show The Big Breakfast as Lily Savage.
1997: Hosting Blankety Blank
In 1997, Paul O'Grady, as Lily Savage, began hosting the television show Blankety Blank.
1998: The Lily Savage Show
In 1998, the BBC produced a six-week Sunday series titled The Lily Savage Show, during which he interviewed guests like Elton John, Alan Yentob, and Anthea Turner.
2000: Hosting Lily Live!
In 2000, Paul O'Grady, as Lily Savage, started presenting the television show Lily Live!
2001: Royal Variety Performance
In 2001, O'Grady performed alongside Cilla Black and Barbara Windsor in a burlesque rendition of "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" at the Royal Variety Performance.
2001: Continued Hosting Lily Live!
In 2001, Paul O'Grady, as Lily Savage, continued hosting the television show Lily Live!
2002: Continued Hosting Blankety Blank
In 2002, Paul O'Grady, as Lily Savage, continued hosting the television show Blankety Blank.
2003: Celebrity Driving School and Eyes Down
In 2003, O'Grady appeared in Celebrity Driving School and agreed to play the manager of a bingo hall in the BBC series Eyes Down.
2003: Starring in Eyes Down
In 2003, Paul O'Grady starred in the BBC One sitcom Eyes Down.
October 2004: The Paul O'Grady Show Aired
In October 2004, The Paul O'Grady Show first aired, featuring celebrity interviews and unscripted banter, quickly becoming a hit with viewers.
2004: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
At Christmas 2004, O'Grady starred in a pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End.
2004: Start of The Paul O'Grady Show on ITV
In 2004, Paul O'Grady began presenting his daytime chat show, The Paul O'Grady Show, on ITV.
2004: Renewed for Second Series of Eyes Down
In 2004, the BBC series Eyes Down, in which O'Grady played a role, was renewed for a second series, showing its popularity with viewers.
2006: Move to Channel 4
In 2006, Paul O'Grady moved his show to Channel 4, where it was rebranded as The New Paul O'Grady Show.
2008: Ambassador for Save the Children
From 2008 onwards, Paul O'Grady was an ambassador for Save the Children.
2008: Doctor Who Cameo and Ghost Hunting
In 2008, O'Grady had a cameo in Doctor Who and appeared in Ghosthunting with Paul O'Grady and Friends.
2008: Sitting in for Elaine Paige on BBC Radio 2
In 2008, Paul O'Grady occasionally sat in for Elaine Paige on her BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday.
April 2009: Debut of Paul O'Grady on the Wireless
From April 2009, Paul O'Grady presented his own two-hour long programme on BBC Radio 2 called Paul O'Grady on the Wireless, broadcast on Sundays.
October 2009: Deal with ITV
In October 2009, O'Grady agreed to an £8 million deal with ITV to host Paul O'Grady Live, a prime-time chat show.
2009: End of The New Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4
In 2009, The New Paul O'Grady Show concluded its run on Channel 4 and Paul O'Grady presented BBC Radio 2's Paul O'Grady on the Wireless.
2010: Paul O'Grady Live
In 2010, Paul O'Grady started presenting the late-night ITV show Paul O'Grady Live.
2010: Second Volume of Memoirs Published
In 2010, the second volume of O'Grady's memoirs, The Devil Rides Out: The Second Coming, was published.
July 2011: Paul O'Grady Live ended
In July 2011, the second series of Paul O'Grady Live ended. O'Grady stated that ITV had asked him to return for a third series, but that he had refused.
2011: Continued Paul O'Grady Live
In 2011, Paul O'Grady continued presenting the late-night ITV show Paul O'Grady Live.
April 2012: Appearance on The One and Only Des O'Connor
In April 2012, O'Grady appeared on The One and Only Des O'Connor, a one-off special for ITV which looked back on the life of Des O'Connor.
October 2012: Memoir Released
In October 2012, the third volume of his memoirs, Still Standing: The Savage Years, was released.
2012: Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Launched
In 2012, ITV documentary series Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs, covering life at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in south London was launched.
2012: Ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
In 2012, Paul O'Grady became an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home following his series For the Love of Dogs.
2012: For the Love of Dogs
In 2012, Paul O'Grady began presenting Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs.
April 2013: Hosted British Animal Honours
In April 2013, O'Grady presented a documentary about burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee and presented ITV's British Animal Honours award ceremony.
July 2013: Narrated Me and My Guide Dog
In July 2013, O'Grady narrated the ITV documentary Me and My Guide Dog following the work of Guide Dogs.
October 2013: Guest star in Holby City and pilot recording for Led Astray
In October 2013, Paul O'Grady guest-starred in three episodes of Holby City as a cancer patient and recorded a pilot for a BBC One sitcom called Led Astray with Cilla Black.
2013: The Paul O'Grady Show Revived and Heart Surgery
In 2013, ITV revived The Paul O'Grady Show and in November, O'Grady suffered an angina attack and underwent further heart surgery.
2013: Participation in Pedigree Feeding Brighter Futures campaign
In 2013, Paul O'Grady participated in the Pedigree Feeding Brighter Futures campaign with Amanda Holden.
January 2014: Nomination for National Television Award
In January 2014, Paul O'Grady's Working Britain, a two-part BBC documentary series, was nominated for a National Television Award.
December 2014: Appearance in Rita & Me documentary
In December 2014, Paul O'Grady appeared in ITV's documentary Rita & Me, celebrating Barbara Knox's fifty years as Rita Tanner in Coronation Street.
2014: Animal Orphans
In 2014, Paul O'Grady began presenting Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans.
2014: Co-starring in Dementia Friends TV advertisement campaign
In 2014, Paul O'Grady co-starred in a Dementia Friends TV advertisement campaign to raise awareness about the disease.
August 2015: Tribute to Cilla Black
In August 2015, following Cilla Black's death, Paul O'Grady presented a short tribute to her to introduce a repeat of The One and Only Cilla Black show.
September 2015: Release of Open the Cage, Murphy!: Further Savage Adventures
In September 2015, Paul O'Grady's fourth book, Open the Cage, Murphy!: Further Savage Adventures, was released.
October 2015: Patron of Orangutan Appeal UK
In October 2015, Paul O'Grady became a patron of Orangutan Appeal UK.
December 2015: Appearance in Our Cilla
In December 2015, Paul O'Grady appeared in Our Cilla, a one-off program about the life of Cilla Black.
2015: Guest on Kate Thornton's Paper Cuts
In 2015, Paul O'Grady was a guest on Kate Thornton's Paper Cuts.
2015: Second Series of Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans
In 2015, the second series of Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans was screened, averaging 2.75 million viewers.
2016: Animal Orphans
In 2016, Paul O'Grady continued presenting Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans.
2016: Presentation of documentary series and specials
In 2016, Paul O'Grady presented Paul O'Grady: The Sally Army & Me, Paul O'Grady's 100 Years of Movie Musicals, Paul O'Grady's Favourite Fairy Tales and appeared in Hilda Ogden's Last Ta-ra.
2016: Third series of Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans
In 2016, the third series of Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans was screened.
September 2017: Presentation of The Story of the Light
In September 2017, Paul O'Grady presented a two-part documentary for BBC Radio 2 called The Story of the Light, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Radio 2.
December 2017: Christmas episode of Blind Date
A Christmas episode of Blind Date, presented by Paul O'Grady, aired on 23 December 2017, before the second series aired from 30 December 2017.
February 2018: Filming of Blind Date series three
In February 2018, Paul O'Grady filmed the third series of Blind Date.
2020: Great British Escape
In 2020, Paul O'Grady presented Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape.
2020: Presentation of Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape
In 2020, Paul O'Grady presented the six-part ITV series Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape.
September 2021: Hosting Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line-Up
In September 2021, Paul O'Grady began hosting Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line-Up.
August 2022: Resignation from BBC Radio 2
In August 2022, Paul O'Grady resigned from BBC Radio 2 due to unhappiness with having to share his slot. His final show aired that month.
November 2022: Joining Boom Radio
On 21 November 2022, Paul O'Grady announced he would join Boom Radio to present a show on Christmas Day.
2022: Deputy Lieutenant of Kent
In 2022, Paul O'Grady accepted the unpaid position of Deputy Lieutenant of Kent.
2022: Paul O'Grady on the Wireless
In 2022, Paul O'Grady continued presenting BBC Radio 2's Paul O'Grady on the Wireless.
2022: Filming of For The Love of Dogs and Great Elephant Adventure
In 2022, Paul O'Grady filmed the final series of For The Love of Dogs and the documentary Paul O'Grady's Great Elephant Adventure.
May 2023: Appearance at Eurovision Song Contest 2023
In May 2023, Paul O'Grady appeared in a pre-recorded segment for the opening of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool.
May 2023: Planned permanent show on Boom Radio
Prior to his death, Paul O'Grady was scheduled to start a permanent show on Boom Radio in May 2023.
September 2023: Airing of final series of For The Love of Dogs
From April to September 2023, Paul O'Grady's final series of For The Love of Dogs, recorded in summer 2022, aired on ITV.
2023: For the Love of Dogs
In 2023, Paul O'Grady continued presenting Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs.
April 2024: Airing of Paul O'Grady's Great Elephant Adventure
On 31 March and 7 April 2024, Paul O'Grady's Great Elephant Adventure, a two-part documentary series filmed in 2022, aired on ITV.
