TV star and comedian Paul O’Grady has died at the age of 67, his partner Andre Portasio has said.
In a statement, he said the star, known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening.
The Tranmere-born presenter hosted a number of game shows, including Blankety Blank in the late 90s under the guise of Savage.
His career spanned more than 30 years, during which he hosted The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date and For The Love Of Dogs.
He also featured on TV shows such as Dr Who and Holby City.
Mr Portasio, who married O’Grady in 2017, said: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.
“We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.
“He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.
“I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.”
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In 2012, O’Grady spoke about his health after having had two heart attacks.
He said following the publication of his third book: “The worst thing you can do is to sit and fret.
“I take tablets and have check-ups every eight months when they put me on the treadmill. I say to them, ‘Heart attack or not, I’m hopeless on treadmills!'”
Both his parents died young from heart problems – his father when O’Grady was in his late teens and his mother, whose maiden name was Savage, when he was 33.
The name is believed to have inspired his famous drag alter ego who helped propel him to mainstream success.
‘We have lost a unique talent’
Long-time friend and producer, Malcolm Prince, offered his tribute to O’Grady having visited him at his home only yesterday.
Mr Prince said: “I popped round to Paul’s for a good old catch-up. Surrounded by his beloved dogs, he was laughing smiling and full of life. He was looking forward to so many new projects.
“And now he’s gone I can’t believe it. We have lost a unique talent – and I’ve lost a dear friend. We were all lucky to have Paul in our lives.
“My heart goes out to Andre, Paul’s family, and friends. Oh how I’ll miss him.”
He began his career as Lily Savage in the 1970s and the act later gained traction at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern cabaret club, where he was a prominent advocate of LGBT issues.
The Savage persona propelled him to TV and radio whilst he remained in character, and he took over as The Big Breakfast presenter in 1995.
Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002, would showcase his dry humour.
Comedy chat shows would follow with The Paul O’Grady Show in 2004, and Paul O’Grady Live in 2010, which featured guests like Kylie Minogue, Tom Jones and Michael McIntyre.
The presenter was honoured with an MBE for services to entertainment in 2008, adding to a list of achievements including a TV Bafta, a British Comedy Award, and a National Television Award for The Paul O’Grady Show.
Last year O’Grady commemorated 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home with the Queen Consort in a special episode of For The Love Of Dogs.
Further tributes have poured in for the much-loved comedian.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “Paul wasn’t just a brilliant comedian and broadcast personality but a much-admired campaigner for LGBT+ equality and animal rights.”
ITV’s Lorraine Kelly described him as “a really special man” and “funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise”.
It doesn’t get much more hotly anticipated than the first Game Of Thrones spin-off, but House Of The Dragon gave us a brand new story in a familiar world and was largely seen to have lived up to expectations.
The first series, which launched in 2022, was critically acclaimed and won awards – and also gave HBO its largest single-day viewership for a series debut in the service’s history.
But if there was criticism, it was that it was a little slow, too much set-up and not enough action, with decades being covered throughout the season as characters grew up and sides were taken.
Has the pace ramped up for series two?
The second season kicks off where the first left off, with battle lines drawn, blood spilt and two former best friends fighting for the crown – and Sky News has spoken to the cast about what to expect.
Be warned – spoilers for series one ahead.
Team Green v Team Black
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“I feel like I was like trying to throw my body over the crack between the Targaryen family,” says Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower – a powerful member of the Greens and whose son Aegon was hastily crowned after she claims his father named him as his heir while on his deathbed.
This effectively usurped Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy) from the Blacks, who claimed she was the rightful Queen as the King’s first-born – and if that wasn’t enough to put them at odds, the series ended with Alicent’s other son killing Rhaenyra’s.
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“The chasm is well and truly opened,” says Cooke. “And it’s about management of that and trying to make sure that we don’t descend into bloody, horrible, civil war.
“And the men around us are just so hellbent on having their names in the annals of history, and trying to mitigate that is a nightmare.”
Returning to and expanding Westeros
With the second series commissioned after the first proved to be a hit, D’Arcy says there was a different feel on set when they returned.
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“The first time around, we were trepidatious for so many reasons, not least because Westeros is a much beloved site and you need a very good reason to return there. We thought we had one, but even so, a prequel is a big ask of a fandom – you’re asking those people to sort of take a bit of a gamble with you and we knew that there was different ways that that might go.
“I think what was lovely, certainly I felt, it’s very helpful to watch the show and to have a much clearer sense of the job description, the job at hand, the context, the sorts of identity, the aesthetic of the show. But also, I felt certainly that I sort of finally got my Westerosi passport, that I was, you know, no longer a foreigner.”
Fans of the world of Westeros will see more of it this season, says Matt Smith who plays Rhaenyra’s husband – and uncle – Daemon Targaryen.
“The show is evolving and getting bigger and exploring different parts of Westeros, which I think is quite exciting as well. “Hopefully it ticks the boxes it’s meant to.”
Dragon-riding
While both sides of the Targaryen family have access to the ultimate weapon – dragons – wiser members are not in a hurry to use them, knowing the massive amounts of death and destruction that could be unleashed.
But it wouldn’t be much of a series of House Of The Dragon without us seeing plenty of the creatures, and we know that five new ones are being introduced.
For Ewan Mitchell, who plays Prince Aemond Targaryen – the rider of the largest dragon – it’s an opportunity like no other.
“A hundred per cent it’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to dragon riding in real life,” he says. “You are ultimately suspended, 15, 20 foot up in the air, you have a wind machine, you have a rain machine, we use something called the volume, which utilises this game engine which projects the environment around you.
“So it really gives you something to react off, you’re not just playing make-believe, and for an actor, that’s just super liberating – it’s escapism taken to another level.”
One of the show’s most out-and-out villainous characters returning with Team Green is the duplicitous Lord Larys Strong, played by Matthew Needham.
He admits drawing inspiration for the role from a surprising source – the reality show Couples Therapy.
“You know, the doctor – Dr Orna Guralnik, I think is her name,” he says.
“Her quality of listening… I know, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to insult her, but her quality of listening – she’s very focused and attentive, so it takes everything in – was something I thought a lot about. But, I feel like I’m really disparaging her.”
Facts and figures
The first series was made during the pandemic, so an already challenging production was made even more so.
This time around there were fewer restrictions in terms of tests and masks, but the filming was no still no mean feat – with the show made across England, Wales and Spain at its peak, some 1,250 crew were working at one time, and 2,430 were involved in total during the almost six-month-long shoot.
Four hundred costumes were made for key characters, while another 5,000 were created for the supporting cast.
And we know there will be at least one epic battle scene – as it needed 250 extras for weeks at a time.
House Of The Dragon returns to Sky Atlantic on 17 June
Gordon Ramsay has said he is “lucky to be alive” after a “really bad accident” riding his bike in the US.
The TV chef, 57, warned his 7.6 million followers on X and 17 million on Instagram to “wear a helmet” after the incident in Connecticut this week.
He thanked the “incredible trauma surgeons, doctors, and nurses” at the state’s private Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, but said he is “most thankful for my helmet that saved my life”.
In a graphic video, he revealed a huge bruise covering much of his torso and said: “I’m lucky to be standing here.
“I am in pain, it’s been a brutal week, but I am sort of getting through it.”
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The couple, who have been married for almost 30 years, are also parents to Megan, Matilda, twins Jack and Holly, and Oscar.
Ramsay is a keen cyclist and has completed several endurance challenges, including triathlons and Iron Mans.
He came under fire during the coronavirus lockdown for travelling to his second home in Cornwall, where he would often film himself cycling long distances.
The time on your ticket is 7pm, but you already know it’s not going to start then.
So, what time do you get to the cinema?
If you’re arriving at 7.10pm, you’re almost certainly safe, but any later and you may cut it fine.
Here, we’ve gathered information from the UK’s major cinema chains and spoken to experts about how long you can expect adverts and trailers to run until the main event actually begins.
Cineworld
According to the Cineworld website, ads and trailers “normally last between 30-45 minutes before the actual film begins”.
The cinema also asks customers to collect tickets at least 20 minutes before the listed time “to make the most of their visit”.
Odeon
There appears to be a shorter wait at Odeon, which claims advert and trailer length is “typically 15-25 minutes” – but this varies with each performance and can be “considerably less”.
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“We always recommend to avoid disappointment you arrive with enough time to enter the screen at the scheduled performance start time,” the website says.
Everyman
There’s a wider range at Everyman, which says it plays 25 minutes’ worth of adverts and trailers.
But beware – “the length of ads and trailers varies for special events and it can be between 15 and 40 minutes, subject to type of event”.
Showcase
There isn’t any specific information on the website and we got no response when we reached out to them, but Showcase did respond to a customer on social media on this very question.
In a May 2022 tweet, the cinema said: “The advertised time is when the adverts/ trailers start and are approximately 20-25 minutes long before each show.”
Vue
Vue offers a more precise window: “Please be aware that most films have around 20 to 25 minutes of ads and trailers before the feature starts.”
Its only recommendation is to be in your seat at the time stated so you “don’t take any chances in missing the start of your film”.
‘In general, it’s 24 minutes’
Karen Stacey, the chief executive of Digital Cinema Media, which supplies advertisement for the likes of Odeon, Vue and Cineworld, told Sky News the wait is typically 24 minutes – 12 minutes for ads, and 12 for trailers.
his remains true whatever the film and whatever the time of day, with about 95% of DCM’s schedules “exactly the same”.
“It’s very formulaic, that’s what consumers are used to,” she said. “By making it consistent in length, people are always happy to come and join in.”
She said 24 minutes gives schedulers enough time to prepare the film and allow a more staggered entry for the audience – while also bringing in revenue.
Any longer than half an hour, though, is “rare”.
“Cinemas want to have as many films in as possible and they want to be mindful they don’t finish too late in the evening,” Ms Stacey said.
“My experience working with them is they are quite strict.”
Are there rules over the length?
As the above suggests, there aren’t any set rules or procedures governing cinema advertising length.
Kathryn Jacob, chief executive of cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean, said the length was determined by the cinema.
“Some cinemas take only one ad, like the BFI IMAX, and the maximum length is determined by the cinemas themselves,” she told Sky News.
“Factors determining the length depend on demand from advertisers and the films that a cinema might want to showcase to the audience that’s at the screening via trailers.”
Cinema policy is the key decider and she said research has shown audiences find advertising in cinema “part of the entertainment”.
Do viewers like the adverts and trailers?
Ms Jacob may have a point.
According to research published by DCM, advertising in cinemas is more effective than in any other media.
For a 60-second advert in the cinema, viewers will watch 48 seconds, which is a far higher proportion than TV or social media.
It is also highly trusted, with DCM citing a survey by IPA Touchpoints claiming nearly 100% of respondents say they trust what they see in the cinema – for comparison, 75% trust TV adverts.
Avid cinema-goer Bill Boswell, who pays £18 a month for an unlimited pass at Cineworld on the Isle of Wight, said he was happy to wait.
“I know that these adverts help pay for the cinema to run,” he told Sky News. “The cinema is my place to escape, so it’s good for my mental health and I would not want to lose it.
“If I watch at home, I can sometimes reach for my mobile phone, but a film on the big screen would get my 100% attention, so I just accept the pre-show adverts.”
The main thing Mr Boswell considers is his car, as his nearest Cineworld offers three hours of free parking.
“I would sometimes plan on 30 minutes of trailers and work back so I can fit the free parking in, as the cinema costs enough already,” he said.
“If the film is more than two and a half hours, I park outside town and walk to the cinema.”
Consumer expert Martin Lewis raised parking tickets as one of the issues in a 2019 tweet, in which he said he waited 33 minutes for a film to start.
Responding to one user, he said greater clarity would help customers to save on parking tickets and babysitting, while giving “legitimate expectation”.
“And there’s no rigorous research that prices [cinema tickets] would go up – they’re often set by market demand,” he added.
Are there alternatives?
If you want to avoid the pre-show altogether, your best bet might be independent or community cinemas.
Draycott Community Cinema, for example, is the only cinema in the Somerset village and is run by volunteers.
Committee member Chloe Haywood told Sky News they are always debating how long to make their pre-show.
They try to keep it to two short trailers, often without any adverts – though they are planning to find a sponsor later this year.
“We do find that it sets the audience up for the screening,” she said, referring to their brief pre-show.
“We don’t have trailers for long. They’re to advertise the next two films, any local news that might be of interest, and then standard ‘switch off your phones’ type info.”