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Paul O’Grady – Not The Same Without You: The Man. The Magic. The Friendship.
"Never-before-heard stories of the much-missed national treasure." Daily Express
He was a campaigner, a political advocate, and a trailblazer. But most of all, he was a friend. And I’d like to share that person with you.
It’s more than two years since the much-loved entertainer, broadcaster and national treasure Paul O’Grady died, and yet his voice still echoes — in laughter, in memory, in the unshakeable affection of millions.
In this deeply personal and revealing biography, Paul’s longtime collaborator Malcolm Prince draws on two decades of friendship — and hours of private recordings — to tell the story of the man behind the the sharp-witted, fiercely loyal, irrepressibly funny, and deeply private individual, known to his close friends as ‘Savage’ — and to the public, in various guises, as the prime time TV star, the nation’s dog-loving agony uncle, and a Sunday afternoon radio companion. Malcolm revisits the stages Paul made his own, from the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to the London Palladium; the moments that shaped him; and draws on brand-new interviews with the people who knew him best, including his daughter and grandchildren.
This is a portrait not just of a gifted entertainer, but of a complex, fiercely loyal, and endlessly curious man, reflecting on a friendship built on shared laughter, private rants, righteous fury, long phone calls, and a healthy dose of gossip — and on a professional legacy that still feels astonishing in its range and resonance.
Packed with warmth, humour and never-before-heard stories, NOT THE SAME WITHOUT YOU captures the full measure of a man who defied convention, challenged institutions, made mischief — and made us all feel like we were his best pal.
It’s more than two years since the much-loved entertainer, broadcaster and national treasure Paul O’Grady died, and yet his voice still echoes — in laughter, in memory, in the unshakeable affection of millions.
In this deeply personal and revealing biography, Paul’s longtime collaborator Malcolm Prince draws on two decades of friendship — and hours of private recordings — to tell the story of the man behind the the sharp-witted, fiercely loyal, irrepressibly funny, and deeply private individual, known to his close friends as ‘Savage’ — and to the public, in various guises, as the prime time TV star, the nation’s dog-loving agony uncle, and a Sunday afternoon radio companion. Malcolm revisits the stages Paul made his own, from the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to the London Palladium; the moments that shaped him; and draws on brand-new interviews with the people who knew him best, including his daughter and grandchildren.
This is a portrait not just of a gifted entertainer, but of a complex, fiercely loyal, and endlessly curious man, reflecting on a friendship built on shared laughter, private rants, righteous fury, long phone calls, and a healthy dose of gossip — and on a professional legacy that still feels astonishing in its range and resonance.
Packed with warmth, humour and never-before-heard stories, NOT THE SAME WITHOUT YOU captures the full measure of a man who defied convention, challenged institutions, made mischief — and made us all feel like we were his best pal.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2025
12 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 14, 2025
bittersweet book enjoyed charting his media career
November 9, 2025
Malcolm gives a good overall account of his friendship with Paul, featuring many insights provided by relatives and other showbiz friends of Paul. I learnt some new things and am even more disappointed in Radio 2s attitude and what happened. I really do miss his #TeamPOG show and the many documentaries he had on ITV.
Inevitably, there are some quite hilarious anecdotes, some touching stories and some sad and frustrating things mentioned. Its an easy read - I'd read it all in just over 3 days after I got it in the post. I'd forgotten I pre-ordered it earlier this year, so that was a nice surprise.
There's little about this book I can criticize, I imagine it must have been a tough book to write for Malcolm. The only thing I found slightly 'bothersome' I suppose? was the way chapters seem to go from one chronology to another. One chapter may continue the story about his radio program and the next would go back to a different year/decade, talking about him on TV or doing variety etc. which could get a little confusing but really, for big fans of Paul, this is a great read, one I'd certainly recommend overall. Thanks for writing this, Malcolm and I'm glad you took so many notes of the last conversation you had with him, insightful stuff indeed.
Inevitably, there are some quite hilarious anecdotes, some touching stories and some sad and frustrating things mentioned. Its an easy read - I'd read it all in just over 3 days after I got it in the post. I'd forgotten I pre-ordered it earlier this year, so that was a nice surprise.
There's little about this book I can criticize, I imagine it must have been a tough book to write for Malcolm. The only thing I found slightly 'bothersome' I suppose? was the way chapters seem to go from one chronology to another. One chapter may continue the story about his radio program and the next would go back to a different year/decade, talking about him on TV or doing variety etc. which could get a little confusing but really, for big fans of Paul, this is a great read, one I'd certainly recommend overall. Thanks for writing this, Malcolm and I'm glad you took so many notes of the last conversation you had with him, insightful stuff indeed.
October 22, 2025
Absolutely perfect. Paul was an icon I looked up to throughout most of my life, and he’s a well-missed face and voice in entertainment.
What Malcom has crafted here, brilliantly serves as the unwritten 5th book of Paul’s well-loved memoir series and kept me engaged from start to finish.
I absolutely loved how Malcolm balanced other people’s memories and recollections of their time with Paul, alongside his own interesting adventures with Paul - and there’s plenty of them! This balance made it made it so diverse, multidimensional, and gives the reader brilliant depth into Paul’s story.
Malcolm & Paul knew each other for over 20 years and worked together during a large chunk of that time as both colleagues and friends. It makes him the perfect teller of Paul’s story and the man who was so well-loved.
It’s PACKED with humour - recollections of Paul’s infamous wit and one-liners had me laughing often. Theres memories from his daughter Sharon, fellow entertainers like Julian Clary and industry professionals who knew him well.
I also really respected detailing some of the times that Paul could be sometimes angry, sometimes bored, sometimes unpredictable - because those very things made him human. All too often with a memoir, it’s like the sun shines out of someone’s backside - but Paul’s flaws with a thing that made him human and so relatable.
This book is real, authentic and a brilliant tribute to Paul. Malcolm - thank you for writing this and sharing Paul’s story with us.
What Malcom has crafted here, brilliantly serves as the unwritten 5th book of Paul’s well-loved memoir series and kept me engaged from start to finish.
I absolutely loved how Malcolm balanced other people’s memories and recollections of their time with Paul, alongside his own interesting adventures with Paul - and there’s plenty of them! This balance made it made it so diverse, multidimensional, and gives the reader brilliant depth into Paul’s story.
Malcolm & Paul knew each other for over 20 years and worked together during a large chunk of that time as both colleagues and friends. It makes him the perfect teller of Paul’s story and the man who was so well-loved.
It’s PACKED with humour - recollections of Paul’s infamous wit and one-liners had me laughing often. Theres memories from his daughter Sharon, fellow entertainers like Julian Clary and industry professionals who knew him well.
I also really respected detailing some of the times that Paul could be sometimes angry, sometimes bored, sometimes unpredictable - because those very things made him human. All too often with a memoir, it’s like the sun shines out of someone’s backside - but Paul’s flaws with a thing that made him human and so relatable.
This book is real, authentic and a brilliant tribute to Paul. Malcolm - thank you for writing this and sharing Paul’s story with us.
December 9, 2025
Such a lovely book on Paul’s later years, written by his radio show producer Malcolm. I had the pleasure of hearing Malcolm talk about the book and Paul O’Grady in person, and Malcolm’s deep connection with both is evident. The book made me realise how much of an impact Paul had on my childhood in the early 2000s, as a visible gay man on the telly.
December 15, 2025
A beautiful round up of a fabulous human. Be ready to smile and cry but most importantly laugh
December 8, 2025
A lot of biographies - even authorised ones - are written by people who didn’t know the person at all or only met them to discuss the book.
This is therefore different from the outset - it’s written by someone who knew Paul very well - in fact - one of his closest friends - and you can tell when reading it the affection Malcolm has for Paul - and vice versa
Yes it’s very sad especially near the end when Malcolm describes his last meeting with him on the day Paul died - have to brace yourself for emotions and I was a blubbering wreck - but it’s also very funny in parts as well - you can tell it’s written from the heart
Paul’s comments / sayings etc are in inverted commas - and I was reading them hearing Paul speak.
I’ve read a lot of books this year - over 70 - and this is the best by far - as it lived up to expectation/ exceeded them - and at not one point did I think why’s he saying that / what’s the relevance .
You can tell he is still missed by Malcolm and his friends - and I think Paul would be proud of it.
Thank you Malcolm for telling your story about Paul.
This is therefore different from the outset - it’s written by someone who knew Paul very well - in fact - one of his closest friends - and you can tell when reading it the affection Malcolm has for Paul - and vice versa
Yes it’s very sad especially near the end when Malcolm describes his last meeting with him on the day Paul died - have to brace yourself for emotions and I was a blubbering wreck - but it’s also very funny in parts as well - you can tell it’s written from the heart
Paul’s comments / sayings etc are in inverted commas - and I was reading them hearing Paul speak.
I’ve read a lot of books this year - over 70 - and this is the best by far - as it lived up to expectation/ exceeded them - and at not one point did I think why’s he saying that / what’s the relevance .
You can tell he is still missed by Malcolm and his friends - and I think Paul would be proud of it.
Thank you Malcolm for telling your story about Paul.
November 14, 2025
A fitting tribute to the amazing and much missed Paul O'Grady x ❤️
November 27, 2025
Very enjoyable tribute to Paul written and narrated by Malcolm Prince who was Paul's radio producer and close friend for over 20 years
December 3, 2025
Lovingly written by his producer and friend. A sweet biography
December 27, 2025
4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews