At the dawn of the 21st century, the comedian Paul O’Grady was in an unusual but not unenviable position. On the one hand, he had been behind one of the biggest comedy success stories of the 1990s. The enormous popularity of his onstage persona Lily Savage had expanded way beyond the confines of the 1980s London gay scene into the very heart of Britain’s mainstream. Once seen as a somewhat taboo act suitable only for an adult audience, by the 1990s Savage was appearing regularly on family-friendly light-entertainment shows such as The Big Breakfast and Blankety Blank.
But, through it all, Paul O’Grady himself remained quietly unknown to most people, almost as if Lily Savage was a comic book superhero and Paul was her secret identity.
A thoroughly ordinary-looking tall, thin, grey-haired, bespectacled man in his mid-40s, O’Grady could easily walk around London unrecognised. Only his distinctive voice – which O’Grady had never made any attempt to disguise – gave him away.
However, all this was about to change. O’Grady was growing weary of Lily Savage. “I come back to my flat some nights and there’s an old leopard-skin handbag on the floor and a pair of her shoes and some old coat,” he complained. “It’s like living with some boozy old barmaid who’s trashed the place.”
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2023-Ausgabe von Best of British.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2023-Ausgabe von Best of British.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Animal Magic
Hilary Middleton recalls a children's author whose tales are still enjoyed today
BACK IN TIME WITH COLIN BAKER
BoB's very own Time Lord prepares for an alternative to panto, recalls his early reading choices and having his scenes cut from two cutting edge comedies
Marvels in Miniature
Claire Saul learns about the exquisite works on display at a new exhibition being held at a historic Georgian mansion
The Last Post
Michael Foley witnessed the end of an era
The Box of Delights
Chris Hallam remembers how his Christmas 40 years ago was lit up by a magical television drama
The Queen of Stage and Screen
Chris Hallam pays tribute to actress Dame Maggie Smith
Other 07
Jonathan Sothcott looks at the seven Sir Roger Moore films that you should have in your collection
In the Best Possible Taste
Derek Lamb remembers the wireless wizardry of Kenny Everett
POSTCARD FROM BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Bob Barton remembers a ghostly train journey, enjoys some wassailing and fulfils a long-held ambition of attending a lawnmower festival
MERCY MISSION
John Greeves recounts the remarkable exploits of Sunderland flying boat T9114