Paul O’Grady on playing Miss Hannigan in Annie and leaving Radio 2 (original) (raw)
Paul O’Grady is set to play Miss Hannigan in Annie (Picture: Rex/Metro)
TV host Paul O’Grady, 67, on cooking a naughty breakfast in hotels, saying goodbye to Radio 2 and the joy of seeing rescue dogs rehomed.
You’re sharing the role of Miss Hannigan with Craig Revel Horwood in the touring stage show of Annie. Who’s the most glamorous?
Craig, definitely. I do her far more downtrodden. In my version she’s a bit raggy. I’m going to do her a lot older, where she’s got no tolerance at all for kids – all she wants to do is listen to her radio and get drunk. Don’t we all!
How did you end up accepting the role?
I was in panto and I went for a drink afterwards with the producer. He said he was doing a national tour of Annie. Four more whiskies later and I’m saying, ‘Do you know, I wouldn’t mind doing a few weeks of Annie.’ So, I’m doing seven weeks. That’s enough because I’ve got other commitments with animals. I’m really looking forward to it, because I haven’t done theatre for a while. I’ve played Miss Hannigan before, in 1998 in London, and then we toured with it.
Do you take any home comforts with you when you’re away working?
Paul is set to take over from Craig Revel Horwood (pictured) for a seven-week run of the production (Picture: Shutterstock)
I’m travelling light this time but when I used to go on the road, I’d take my Baby Belling oven and my electric frying pan. When I was in a hotel room, I’d put a shower cap over the fire alarm and make myself breakfast. Of course, they’d smell it down the corridor and the manager would be up saying, ‘Are you cooking in the room?’
A perk of being on tour in Annie must be staying in nice hotels…
I’m not good in hotels. I go in a hotel room and I look at the bed and I think, ‘Hmm, how many people have slept in this before me?’ Even in a posh hotel I think that. And I always have a look for bed bugs! I’ll probably get a flat, because then you can cater for yourself.
After 14 years, you left your Radio 2 show last year, handing in your notice after being asked to share the slot with Rob Beckett. Were you disappointed?
I was, 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.
You’ve just done another series of For The Love Of Dogs – will there be more after that?
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Paul says For The Love of Dogs is a ‘feel-good’ show (Picture: Shutterstock)
They’ve already asked me! I always say, ‘You don’t want this again, do you, aren’t you sick of me?’ I think it’s popular because it’s a feel-good programme. You’ll get a dog coming in that’s in a terrible state and terrified of its own shadow. The staff in Battersea Dogs And Cats Home are so good that you’ll see it blossom and go off to a really nice home. They always show the dog playing with the kids, catching a ball and sitting on the sofa and the new owner saying they wouldn’t be without them. It’s a Cinderella story.
Have you adopted any more dogs from Battersea recently?
A Romanian sausage dog, called Sausage, or Sos – I couldn’t think of a name for her. She was a little raggy thing when I got her but she’s cock of the walk now. Her and one of my other dogs, Nancy, have a bit of rivalry – they’ll fight over balls and growl at each other, but next thing they’re sleeping together. She’s lovely, the friendliest dog on the planet. But Eddie, one of my other dogs, hates them all – he’s not interested in friends!
They say never work with kids or animals – and you do both…
I know you’re not supposed to but I like working with kids. When we were in the West End with Annie, Starlight Express was on around the corner. On a Saturday, between the matinee and the evening show, they’d come over to us, or we’d go over to them. I was a familiar sight at Victoria, dressed as Miss Hannigan with 12 orphans behind me, staggering across the street!
What did you do during the lockdowns?
I was so fed-up and bored. I live on a farm in Kent and I ended up talking to my pigs! I learnt two songs on the ukulele, I made loads of chutney and jam and I wrote a kids’ book.
Are you planning to write any more children’s books?
They wanted three and to tell you the truth I don’t have an idea in my head for the third one!
Do you have any other shows coming up?
I’ve just filmed a series about elephants in Thailand. At first, I thought, ‘I don’t want to go to Thailand.’ I went a bit sulky! Then somebody said, ‘You get on with elephants, what’s up with you?’ And it’s true. I like it when I get there, it’s the travelling I don’t enjoy.
What’s left on your bucket list?
I haven’t got one. I wish I had some goals, but I’ve never been ambitious.
Annie is nationwide tour now. For tickets see here.
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