Paul O’Grady and Queen Camilla’s special Love of Dogs to be repeated as ITV pay tribute | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV
Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs – A Royal Special first aired in December 2022 and was shown in celebration of 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Homes. The one-off special, which will air tonight in tribute to Paul, featured Camilla, the Queen Consort – a long-time supporter of Battersea.
Paul has been remembered as a “huge, inimitable talent” in a statement from ITV, for whom he presented many programmes over his long career.
ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment Kevin Lygo said: “We are fortunate to have had a long association with Paul at ITV.
“He was a huge, inimitable talent, delighting our viewers through his comedy and entertainment with a warmth, humour and joy that audiences of all generations related to and connected with.
“He had a profound passion for animals too, which resonated with so many viewers, and For The Love Of Dogs remains one of our best-loved series and a really special programme for so many.
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“All those who worked with Paul are shocked and deeply saddened at his passing and the thoughts of everyone at ITV are with Paul’s loved ones.”
The Queen Consort had a special bond with Paul and worked closely with him in their support of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
She will be sharing her sympathies with Paul’s family privately in due course, the Palace said.
The Royal Family’s official Twitter account paid tribute to the Lily Savage star, posting an image of Camilla with the star.
It read: “Deeply saddened to hear of the death of Paul O’Grady, who worked closely with Her Majesty in support of Battersea-, providing lots of laughter and many waggy-tailed memories.”
As part of their tributes, ITV will be reshowing the episode of Paul’s hit show For the Love of Dogs, featuring the Queen Consort at 5pm.
The episode features a celebratory event hosted at Clarence House to celebrate the big anniversary, and The Queen Consort helps Paul care for some of the abandoned dogs at their Brands Hatch site in Kent.
While there, Paul and the Queen Consort assisted with their treatment and care, in the hope of finding them a happy-ever-after home of their own in time for Christmas.
Speaking about the special episode before it first aired: Paul said: “In the 11 years that I’ve been filming at Battersea, I’ve never known it so busy.
“What’s worrying is, there are a lot of dogs in here who would be classed as hard to home.
“Dogs with disabilities, blind dogs, you name it, we’ve got them in here at the moment.”
Tributes have poured in online following the announcement of Paul’s death.
The comedian died on Tuesday unexpectedly at the age of 67.
For the Love of Dogs, featuring the Queen Consort will air tonight at 5pm on ITVX.
