The Paul O'Grady Show - Controversies

Controversies

• On 15 May, legal issues with the popular game in the show came to light, as the BBC did not have a valid license for live entertainment in the studios. As a result, no live music or singing could be exhibited on the show until the license was granted a few weeks later. However, as the majority of the music 'played' by O'Grady was pre-recorded this avoided the problem.
• In light of O'Grady's love of dogs, and the fact that O'Grady rescued Buster, the show runs a "Find a Dog a Home" slot where abandoned dogs from various charities are featured. Viewers can then call in to request they be placed on a list to give the dog a permanent home. A direct telephone number was given to connect viewers to the appropriate charity. On moving to Channel 4, the slot remained but now viewers had to initially call a 10p-per-call information service to get the direct number of the charity. Calls dropped dramatically, and charity groups including The Dog's Trust and Battersea Dogs' Home told producers that they would no longer be involved with the show. The premium rate line was quickly dropped from 29 May 2006, and the original format reintroduced with the full support of the charities.