Archers fan Camilla welcomes cast and crew to Clarence House

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Mr O’Grady returns to screens tonight for ‘Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs’ at 8pm on ITV. The long running animal show sees the beloved presenter follow the highs and lows of life at Battersea Dogs and Cats home. For nine seasons, Mr O’Grady has visited the staff at the renowned animal shelter to meet dogs needing treatment, plenty of training, and a new home.

Tonight’s episode sees the comedian attempt to train an overly eager German Shepherd puppy, and work to gain the trust of a terrified West Highland Terrier, too scared to even set foot outside.

With help from the Battersea staff, Mr O’Grady encourages the petrified dog to come out of its shell. 

Mr O’Grady was best known for his role as the drag queen Lily Savage in the Eighties, before reinventing himself as a comedian and television presenter the following decade.

The comic went on to host shows such as Blind Date and Top of the Pops, and was ultimately awarded an MBE in 2008.

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Yet, receiving the honour was not Mr O’Grady’s first interaction with the Royal Family.

Since he shot to prominence he has met a number of royals and, in particular, bestowed praise onto Camilla, who he recalled being “very fond” of from the “first time” he met her.

Mr O’Grady crossed paths with Camilla when he was playing the Child Catcher in a theatre production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Yet the night the Duchess attended, a technical difficulty caused the show to be abruptly halted.

In a 2017 interview with the Daily Mirror, Mr O’Grady explained: “I’m very fond of her.

“The first time I met her I was the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the car broke down so they had to stop the show. 

“Producer Michael Rose said ‘quick, get up to the green room and say hello’. 

“And I’m dressed as the child catcher with the nose and ears and the chin. 

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“She’s so easy to talk to and she’s passionate about animals, which is something else I really respect.”

Mr O’Grady was speaking after attending an event at Clarence House to acknowledge the people the Duchess works with.

The star-studded array of guests included Joanna Lumley, Dame Maggie Smith and Camilla’s former husband Andrew Parker Bowles.

Camilla married Prince Charles in 2005, but received a frosty reception from certain sections of the public with many viewing her as the reason for Charles and Princess Diana’s split in the Nineties.

However, she has since become a valuable member of the Royal Family, while she is a patron or president of over 90 charities.

When asked about Camilla becoming a member of The Firm later in life, Mr O’Grady said: “It’s taken a lot of guts, you know, it really has.”

He added, laughing: “She could have just sat there watching daytime telly.

“But she’s embraced it, that’s it.

“She’s really embraced it and gone for it and all her charity work.”

Watch ‘Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs’ on ITV at 8pm.

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