Lily’s legacy
WHEN he died a year ago, Paul O’Grady was best known as a TV presenter, animal lover and national treasure.
But for more than 20 years, he was a razor-tongued drag queen.
This is the story of Paul through the prism of his famous creation, Lily Savage, an underground cabaret star who took mainstream telly by storm, against all the odds.
Set against the backdrop of Thatcher’s Britain, Clause 28 and the Aids crisis, it’s the unlikely tale of how a working class, gay man from Birkenhead created the unforgettable character of a Scouse sex worker and honed her persona on the stages of London’s underground gay venues in the 1970s and 80s.
A leading voice in the battle for LGBTQ+ equality, Paul endured police raids, the death of a generation of friends, and heart-breaking visits to Aids wards (in character) before moving into television.
But then at the height of Lily’s fame, Paul decided to hang up her wig for good in 2004.
Featuring personal accounts from Paul’s close friends and family, including, for the first time, his daughter, Sharyn Mousley, this documentary tells the story of decades of hard graft bringing Lily from the fringes of London’s gay counterculture into the heart of the nation’s living rooms, exploring why Paul suddenly decided to kill Lily off.
Featuring interviews with Paul’s sister, Sheila Rudd, friends Sir Ian McKellen, Julian Clary, Jools Holland, Jo Brand, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, together they unpick this forgotten chapter of Paul’s extraordinary story.
ITV1, 9pm