A Savage end
Lily's become a real drag...
Paul O'Grady is to ditch his Lily Savage alter ego because he is fed up of being dismissed as a drag queen.
He says that his panto appearance in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre this Christmas will mark the end of the character that made his name.
O'Grady, who is set to host a new chat show on ITV1, tolds Teletext: "I'm
fed up with Lily. I'm bored of being described as a cross-dresser.
"I'm not interested in being a transvestite, nor being an exhibitionist drag queen.
" Playing her is just time-consuming and uncomfortable and I've had enough
"People would ask if I could come to a party as Lily and I'd say, 'Only for £10,000'. I've been doing this for 20 years now.
"When I started in the gay pubs, it was just a bit of fun. Now it's undignified and it's time to stop."
O'Grady’s chat show, The Five O’Clock Show, starts on October 10, and he’s already started criticising his late-night rivals.
“I'm not a massive fan of Graham Norton or Jonathan Ross,” he said. “Although I do love Parky."Published: 15 Sep 2004
