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Paul O’Grady is among a host of famous faces appearing in a special short film to mark the opening of the Eurovision Song Contest and welcome the world to Liverpool.
O’Grady died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ on March 28 at the age of 67, and his funeral was held in April.
It was later confirmed that his cause of death was sudden cardiac arrhythmia syndrome (SADS).
According to his death certificate obtained by the Daily Express, the syndrome was linked to the Blankey Blank host’s ischemic heart disease.
Now, the late comedian and TV stalwart, originally from Birkenhead, Merseyside, appears in a film to show his pride in his home region – which is taking on Eurovision hosting duties in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine.
Filming the project was one of the last things O’Grady did before his death, and his posthumous appearance has been approved by his family and friends.
The new BBC promotional film is a real tear-jerker (Picture: BBC)
Liverpool is hosting Eurovision on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine (Picture: BBC)
O’Grady appears in the film, titled Welcome To Liverpool, and is seen preparing his home in anticipation of Eurovision’s arrival, mopping the floor while holding one of his beloved dogs.
Wearing a red polka dot apron with his sleeves rolled up, the Blind Date star looks in his element.
At the end of his small segment, he flashes a smile to the camera.
Other famous faces include Wirral-born TV baker Paul Hollywood, actor Ricky Tomlinson, Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin, and Drag Race UK contestant Sister Sister, among others.
Paul O’Grady makes a posthumous appearance (Picture: BBC)
The beloved star is seen mopping the floor while cradling one of his dogs (Picture: BBC)
However, it’s said the comic wasn’t a big fan of the singing competition (Picture: BBC)
The film will open the first Eurovision semi-final and the 2023 contest when it airs tomorrow at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
It begins with the moment a young Liverpudlian boy discovers that his home city is set to host the 2023 contest.
He travels across the city telling his family, friends, neighbours that the world-famous competition is arriving.
Despite his jolly appearance in the promotional clip, though, O’Grady wasn’t a massive Eurovision fan, would you believe.
Ricky Tomlinson reprises his Brookside character for the occasion (Picture: BBC)
…while Paul Hollywood bakes the goods (Picture: BBC)
O’Grady’s producer Malcolm Prince, wrote last week in a since-deleted tweet: ‘From Joan (Paul’s manager): “There will be a brief clip of Paul in the opening titles of the Eurovision programme at 8pm on Tues 9th May on BBC One…
“Paul wasn’t a fan of Eurovision as I’m sure you all know, but it turned out to be the last bit of filming he did.”‘
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Replying to comments from fans, Prince added: ‘He was never a fan of it, bless him.’
He elsewhere confirmed that O’Grady will feature on another animal-related programme set in Thailand that will air ‘soon’ on ITV, having ‘completed’ the series in December.
The first Eurovision semi-final will take place on Tuesday May 9.
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It was one of the last things he filmed before his death.
