Paul O’Grady: ‘Tinder? It sounds terrifying!’
As he revives his late friend Cilla Black’s iconic TV show, Blind Date, Paul O’Grady, 61, reveals the emotional journey he’s on – and the handsome showbiz friend who gets his female pals in a flutter…
So Paul, Blind Date… this must be a project that’s close to your heart...
It is – Cilla and I were very close. When they first asked me to do this, I said, ‘NO WAY!’ But Cilla’s son, Rob, said, ‘Mum would love you to do it.’ Also, I don’t really do much in the studio any more, I’m either knee-deep in wee with the dogs in Battersea or with exotic animals in Africa or Borneo! It was a nice change to be sat down in a clean TV studio.
Was it strange at first, though, because of Cilla?
When they go, ‘Ladies and gentlemen’, I did expect them to say, ‘ Your host, Miss Cilla Black’ – and of course they didn’t. It’s my name, and I was like a rabbit in the headlights. I mention her constantly – it would be churlish not to. She’s sort of… there. I’m very much aware of her.
How much of the original format has changed?
I’ve put my own stamp on the
show, but it’s the same set – the three stools, the sliding wall – it’s all very nostalgic. It was weird for the first few shows. I enjoyed it, but I did get that feeling I was on somebody else’s turf. I kept thinking, ‘I’ll do a good job here, girl, don’t you worry!’
Do you still miss her a lot?
Oh, when I did the first show I wanted to ring and tell her about it! But I can’t. It’s like Jackie Collins – we were always on the phone to each other and she’s gone, too, same year. Don’t hang around me too much, ladies!
Blind Date harks back to an old-fashioned way of dating now, doesn’t it?
Yes, before all these dating apps. But it’s no longer boy meets girl, it’s boy meets boy, girl meets girl; it’s a time of diversity and we’re moving with the times. Of course, there are people who won’t like that, but they’re free to switch over.
Would you ever go on Tinder?
I’ve been with the same person for 15 years, so no. It must be terrifying, meeting a complete stranger. I wouldn’t know what to do. Do you go to bed; to the cinema? In my day, we used to go clubbing and pubbing to meet people – now it’s all online. Drives me mad! What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done? I’m not very romantic. I’m from Birkenhead – we don’t go in for that. I’m not your ideal Cupid! I did take Cilla on the Orient Express once, for her 60th birthday. The conductor said, ‘Shall I make both bunks up, or put two bunks together?’ I said, ‘I’m not getting in bed with HER,’ and she went, ‘I’m not getting in with HIM, either!’ That was a lovely trip, though.
How do you relax when you’re not filming?
I’m hopeless at relaxing. On the farm where I live in Kent there’s so much to do, with all the livestock, and my six dogs. I’ve started writing a book about life in the countryside after living in the city – and one of the dogs is for ever jumping on my knee and the other’s pawing at me! There’s always something to do – a sheep will go missing or one of the pigs will get out.
Will you ever step away from showbiz?
When I lost some dear friends last year, I thought, ‘Paul, it’s time to retire, enjoy life a bit.’ Then I thought, ‘No, work is living for me.’ I suppose I’ll retire when I’m really clapped out, you know, when I turn into one of those old gits with no teeth, no hair on my head, saying outrageous things!
‘In my day, we used to go pubbing and clubbing to meet people. Now it’s all online. Drives me mad!’