5 MINUTES WITH...
The wonderful Paul O’Grady, 65, back at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home for a new special – filmed during one of the most dramatic periods in the centre’s history…
Tell us about the programme?
I promise you, it’s not lockdown doom and gloom – this show never is! It’s still a Cinderella story. The dog comes in usually from a sad situation, and Battersea is like the Fairy Godmother – getting them sorted and off to a lovely new home with a happy ending. It’s very heart-warming – it will cheer you up and make you cry at the same time.
Battersea was forced to shut down because of coronavirus?
It was all so sudden. The world turned upside down and it was very odd. I said, ‘What are we going to do?’ This programme shows another side to the virus’ impact, in terms of the animal shelters and zoos. You can’t just walk away, lock the doors and say bye. You’ve got to find homes for them.
What happened?
The main thing was getting animals fostered for while it was closed. And so, of course, they said the fatal words, ‘Would anyone like to foster a dog?’ – which, for me, is the equivalent of saying to an alcoholic in a brewery, ‘Would anyone like a drink?’ I was like a kid in a candy shop! Everyone runs away from me now in case I tell them there’s a lovely dog down at Battersea that would suit them. Poor old Julian Clary – I told him, ‘Here’s a gorgeous little Jack Russell’, which turned out to be a Staffie. And he adores him – I knew they were suited!
We heard you were rather taken with a litter of Jack Russell pups and a Bichon Frise…?
I’d been sat on the floor with this lovely litter of puppies, and one of them crawled inside my coat, right under my armpit. And that was it. I was not up for a puppy because they are hard work, but she was a little angel… Bobby, the Bichon Frise, was a lovely dog, too, and I was determined to find him a home. I kept saying, ‘He’s just a bit wriggly’, which is a euphemism for saying, ‘He’s a nightmare.’ But it worked!