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Paul O’Grady reveals why he’ll never bring back his chat show

Wins an award and breaks our hearts!

Paul O’Grady has struck a blow to fans, confirming that his chat show is gone for good.

Sadly for anyone hoping to see The Paul O’Grady Show back on screen in the future, he confirmed at Tuesday night’s National Television Awards that the programme is never coming back.

Nooo!

Launched in 2004, the chat show pulled in millions of viewers over its 11 year run and featured celeb interviews, laughter and, of course, beloved dogs Buster and Olga.

Its final episode aired in 2015, after the show skipped from ITV to Channel 4 and back again.

Read more: Holly Willoughby shocks fans after giving update on her NTAs hangover

Speaking to the Radio Times at the NTAs, Paul addressed the question of whether the show would ever return – confirming that it was something he’d left behind.

“No, I wouldn’t go back to do the talk show, no,” he said. “I did ten years of that and that was quite enough.”

Paul, who picked up the Special Recognition Award at the NTAs, said one reason he had retired the programme was because he felt like a “market trader” by the end, constantly asking guests to tell him about their films, books or plays.

“There were very few raconteurs who came on and would say, ‘Oh yeah I’ve written a book but let me tell you about this’.”

He did confess his fond memories of the people he met, including Sir Roger Moore and Lauren Bacall, and his gratitude at having met them

The show featured guest hosts including Jackie Collins, Ross Kemp, and Cilla Black, with an annual Christmas pantomime, narrated by stars such as Dawn French, Sandi Toksvig and Stephen Fry.

Read more: Stacey Solomon reveals NTAs secret that will divide the nation!

Although the beloved chat show won’t be coming back, Paul will still be on our screens, with a third season of Blind Date set to be filmed next month, and on our radios on Paul O’Grady on the Wireless.

And, of course, we have Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs!

Paul was awarded the Special Recognition honour at the NTAs for helping raise awareness for the plight of street dogs and highlighting the importance of rescue dogs.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor