The Chase replaced by Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs royal special
ITV1 will also air a special tribute next month with For the Love of Paul O'Grady.
ITV has announced that following the passing of presenter and comedian Paul O'Grady, it will be showing a repeat of the Royal Special of his show Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs.
This will air in place of The Chase at 5pm, with the quiz show being dropped from ITV1's schedule for today (Wednesday 29th March).
The special originally aired in December 2022 and was a celebration of 160 years of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, for which O'Grady was an ambassador and Camilla, the Queen Consort, was a long-time supporter.
According to a Palace source, Camilla, who appeared in the episode, said upon hearing the news of O'Grady's passing that his "warm heart and infectious humour lit up the lives of so many".
Meanwhile, a tribute post on the Royal Family's Twitter page said: "Deeply saddened to hear of the death of Paul O’Grady, who worked closely with Her Majesty in support of Battersea, providing lots of laughter and many waggy-tailed memories."
ITV1 has also announced that it will air a special tribute show to the beloved entertainer next month.
For the Love of Paul O'Grady will air on Sunday 9th April at 8pm, and the new season of For the Love Dogs will begin on Thursday 13th April at 8:30pm as planned.
O'Grady hosted For the Love of Dogs from 2012, with the show following the staff at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
Since O'Grady's death was announced earlier today, tributes have flooded in from the world of TV, entertainment and showbiz, with Russell T Davies, Rob Brydon, Les Dennis, Martin Lewis and Carol Vorderman amongst those posting their thoughts, memories and messages.
Managing director of media and entertainment at ITV, Kevin Lygo said in a statement: "We are fortunate to have had a long association with Paul at ITV. He was a huge, inimitable talent, delighting our viewers through his comedy and entertainment with a warmth, humour and joy that audiences of all generations related to and connected with.
"He had a profound passion for animals too, which resonated with so many viewers, and For the Love of Dogs remains one of our best-loved series and a really special programme for so many. All those who worked with Paul are shocked and deeply saddened at his passing and the thoughts of everyone at ITV are with Paul's loved ones."
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs - A Royal Special will air at 5pm on Wednesday 29th March 2023 on ITV1.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
