Sharon O vs. Paul O’G – let battle commence
She secured her place in the hearts of many a gay man through her camp performances on X Factor.
His drag performances made him an icon back in the bad old days of the 1980s.
Sharon Osbourne and Paul O’Grady are the latest tools in the deadly battle between the UK’s two major commercial broadcasters for the lucrative teatime audience.
The stakes were raised higher this week when O’Grady lambasted his former home, ITV1, saying the beleagured channel is sinking faster than the Titanic.
Sinking or not, Ozzy’s missus has proved to be a surprisingly effective flotation device. Since her 5pm chatshow started on ITV1 a few weeks ago, she has consistently trounced Channel 4 in the ratings.
When Richard Judy decamped to Channel4, many commentators were sceptical that daytime fixtures like Madeley and Finnigan could cope in a late afternoon slot. They were soon proved wrong – the show was a massive hit.
ITV retaliated with The Paul O’Grady Show , and beat Britain’s most famous married couple in the ratings.
Then Channel4 struck back, pinching O’Grady and putting him on at 5pm, sharing the timeslot with Richard Judy.
Now ITV have revamped their teatime schedule with their new chatshow format presented by X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne.
O’Grady, who suffered a heart attack earlier this year, will be returning to Channel4 on the 25th September.
Channel bosses are hoping the camp Liverpudlian will win back viewers who have defected to Sharon’s show.
Both shows have spoken to PinkNews.co.uk and invited our readers to come along to a recording of the programme to judge for themselves who is best.
The Sharon Osbourne Show is recorded at the London Studios on the South Bank and tickets are available from www.applausestore.com or by calling 08700 24 1000 during office hours.
The Paul O’Grady Show is recorded at BBC TV Centre, Wood Green, London and tickets are available from www.lostintv.com or by calling 020 8530 8100.
