Free tickets are now available for a major exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of Birkenhead-born entertainer Paul O’Grady.
You Gotta Get a Gimmick: The Paul O’Grady Story will open at Williamson Art Gallery & Museum on 11 December 2026, offering visitors a never-before-seen glimpse into Paul’s personal archive and belongings.
The major retrospective exhibition will run until late 2027 and is free to visit thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Due to expected demand, visitors are being encouraged to reserve a timed entry slot in advance.
Commissioned by Switchflicker, Wirral Council and DuoVision, the exhibition has Paul’s widower Andre Portasio as Creative Director and his former agent Joan Marshrons as Creative Consultant.
It will explore Paul’s remarkable life and career as an LGBTQIA+ icon, award-winning broadcaster, performer, author and campaigner, as well as his passionate advocacy for both people and animals.
From championing LGBTQIA+ visibility and equality to encouraging children to read, supporting charitable causes and helping transform attitudes towards rescue dogs, Paul became one of Britain’s most loved cultural figures.
The exhibition will trace his story from Tranmere to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, and from the “blonde bombsite of Birkenhead” to his celebrated work with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
Andre Portasio says:
“I’m incredibly excited for people to see what we have created for this exhibition. We wanted to bring Paul’s story home to Birkenhead and celebrate not only his extraordinary career, but the person behind it — his passions, his influences, his humour and the things that mattered most to him.
The exhibition brings together costumes, personal objects and memories from throughout his life, many of which have never been seen publicly before. I’m especially delighted that it will be free, so that everyone who loved Paul, from Birkenhead and across the UK and beyond, can come and share in his story.
More than anything, I hope people leave feeling that they have spent a little time with Paul again — remembering his warmth, his wicked sense of humour and the enormous joy he brought to so many people.”
The curatorial team can give the first taste of what visitors can expect at the show, as James Lawler, co-Director of DuoVision, explains:
“The exhibition will take several rooms at Williamson Art Gallery. We’ve been busy over the summer cataloguing and going through the archive of items sent up from Kent. We have over thirty costumes from Paul’s career alongside pieces he has collected over the years. The exhibition will take you through four key stages of Paul and Lily Savage, starting at his childhood in Birkenhead, through to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and Lily, the TV shows and finally his commitment to the animal world. It’s such a rich archive of personal and professional belongings that deserve to have a place in Birkenhead and to show his hometown his roots and legacy”.
Joan Marshrons, Paul’s Agent, says:
“The story of Paul starts in Birkenhead, and it is fitting that his hometown should be the place that gets this first look at his personal archive. I was Paul’s friend from the mid 1980s and worked as his PA and agent for the last twenty five years of his life. During that time, he gathered an extraordinary collection of costumes, memorabilia and personal items, most of which we have been fortunate enough to preserve. It is wonderful to bring these objects together so that Paul’s many fans can see, share and enjoy them. The collection captures so many stories and memories, offering an insight into who Paul was as a person and the significance of his cultural contribution revealing how the ‘blonde bombsite from Birkenhead’ crossed over from the clubs and pubs into the mainstream”.
The exhibition has been made possible through funding by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“We’re thrilled to be supporting the exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of Paul O’Grady in his hometown of Birkenhead, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. The exhibition and wider project from Switchflicker will shine a light on LGBTQ+ heritage and Paul O’Gradys’ remarkable role in bringing that to the fore during his varied career.”
Alongside items from Paul’s personal collection and archive, the exhibition will include an oral history collection exploring LGBTQIA+ stories and experiences.
A wider programme will also include a Reading Club in Wirral libraries celebrating Paul’s children’s books and passion for literacy, projects exploring his lifelong commitment to animal welfare, and a heritage trail taking in Birkenhead Park, Oxton and the riverfront.
Four artists whose work will feature in the exhibition following an open call are also set to be announced later this autumn.
Free timed tickets for You Gotta Get a Gimmick: The Paul O’Grady Story can be reserved through the Williamson Art Gallery website.
READ MORE: John Lennon statue on Penny Lane could fetch £100,000 at auction
