The Life Of Lily Savage

Biographical drag comedy Savage arrives in 2027, charting the life, times and legacy of Paul O’Grady and his “Blonde Bombsite”, Lily Savage! Savage, developed with the personal blessing of the late O’Grady himself before his passing, stars RuPaul’s Drag Race UK champion Danny Beard and features a script by multi-award winner Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing), directed by Nikolai Foster. Paul O’Grady’s life was a story as inspiring as writer could write, with working class roots, self-reinvention and the power of 20th-century queer counterculture in Britain all central to his journey. The production is set to tour the UK in February before a West End transfer.

What Is It About?

A queer working-class boy from Birkenhead migrates to London in the late 1970s, in search of work and a better life. While working as a barman in the city's underground scene, he begins to channel the traits of his quick-witted female relatives into a bleach-blonde, foul-mouthed and hugely lovable alter ego: Lily Savage. Drawing heavily from his own memoirs, Savage is the true story of Paul O’Grady’s life, capturing how an outsider used quick-witted comedy to dismantle social prejudices, uplift queer culture, and become a true British national treasure and drag icon.