Following Paul O’Grady’s shock death last week aged 67, his good friend and radio producer Malcolm Prince opened up about how the beloved star felt when he exited his BBC Radio 2 show.
Paul presented the Sunday afternoon slot for more than 13 years but left in August 2022 when a schedule shake-up would have meant he shared his slot with Rob Beckett.
Malcolm had worked with Paul for the entirety of his time at the station.
With Paul hosting and Malcolm as his producer, the pair made 546 episodes together.
“But by the end of it, when Radio 2 told us the show was coming to an end, he was so disappointed with the way he was treated.
“He fulfilled his contract, did as he was asked and then, in August last year, he politely left.
“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.”
Following his exit, Paul was candid about his disappointment and shared with Metro.co.uk that the station was “trying to aim for a much younger audience”, which “doesn’t make sense”.
Paul was due to start a new show on Boom Radio on Easter Sunday, April 9, with Malcolm returning as his producer.
He had also been starring as Miss Hannigan in the touring production of Annie, alongside Craig Revel Horwood.
Malcolm explained that he had visited the Lily Savage star just hours before his tragic death to plan their new show.
Recalling their bittersweet last moments together, Malcolm tweeted: “I’m devastated. Yesterday afternoon 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 so proud of Annie, so happy to be back on Boom Radio, and 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…Oh how I’ll miss him.”
Read the full interview in this week’s issue of Radio Times, out now.
