Paul O'Grady was "so disappointed" when BBC Radio 2 axed his long-running programme.

Paul OGrady was saddened by BBC Radio 2 treatment

Paul OGrady was saddened by BBC Radio 2 treatment

The late TV legend - who passed away suddenly last Tuesday (28.03.23) at the age of 67 - had been hosting 'Paul O'Grady on the Wireless' for 14 years when it was axed by the radio station in August 2022 after he refused to share the slot with Rob Beckett and now his producer Malcolm Prince has revealed how the broadcaster let Paul go without any form of a parting gift.

He told Radio Times: "When Radio 2 told us the show was coming to an end, he was so disappointed with the way he was treated. There was no hamper or leaving party, or any of that. He told me recently that Radio 2 wasn’t what it was when he joined."

Just weeks before his tragic death, Paul - who shot to fame as drag queen Lily Savage in the 1980s and just days before his death had been playing Miss Hannigan in a touring production of the musical 'Annie' - explained that he was so "disappointed" in the way things had ended with the broadcaster.

He told Metro newspaper's Sixty Seconds Column: "I was [disappointed], because I’m a great believer in continuity. If you go off for 13 weeks and somebody else comes on, the listeners don’t know when you’re back on. Radio 2 has changed, it’s not what it was. They’re trying to aim for a much younger audience, which doesn’t make sense because you’ve got Radio 1. Radio 2 was always for an older audience."


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