It’s always a treat when Paul O’Grady pops up on a chat show. The raconteur has an ear for a hilarious story and always livens up proceedings.
So we weren’t exactly sure what to expect when he rocked up towards the end of This Morning, perched on a hay bale.
It turns out he was there to promote his new book, Paul O’Grady’s Country Life, which details his new passion – the countryside.
Paul packed up his city life and left for the country a couple of years ago, explaining to Ruth and Eamonn: “I spent a lot of my childhood in a really rural farm in Ireland – it had no toilet, as a child I loved it.
“You’re allowed to run wild, no shoes, jump on the back of a donkey and off you go. It was a proper summer holiday, loads of cousins, it was fabulous.”
He continued: “I always fancied a bit of land and a bit of livestock, but it’s a lifestyle change. I have friends who come round and say “Wow, when did you last have a wash?!”
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But it was Paul’s reminisces of his animals that had the hosts, audience, crew, and viewers at home in gales of laughter.
Talking about how much he loves the creatures he shares his home with, he brought up a story involving his cow, Dot.
Paul said: “I was in the downstairs loo having a nice read, a bit of peace – I could sit there for hours. The dogs were going crazy, so I thought ‘what’s going on here,’ stood up with my pants round my ankles and walked out.
“And there’s Dot the cow in the middle of the kitchen. I opened the fridge to try and get a lettuce to lure her outside, and she sticks her head straight in.
“Next thing, she lifts her leg and wees all over the kitchen. It was like a fire hose!
“I was chasing her around and I thought, ‘I hope nobody sees me like this – I’ve got a cow in my kitchen and my pants down!'”
Paul’s visit took a more serious turn when he began discussing how his country life allowed him to care for animals.
He even brought two dogs out onto the set, which he’d borrowed from Battersea Dog’s Home.
Paul said: “I have terrible trouble not adopting every dog that comes my way. I never get used to the way people treat their animals, I’d like to run amok with a baseball bat to tell you the truth.”
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Unfortunately, his story was cut short by one of the dogs, a terrier, having a wee on a hay bale – and then it looked as if Ruth could have sat in it!
Viewers immediately flocked to Twitter to talk about it, and how much love they had for Paul.
We have to agree, Paul is a TV icon – he should be on every channel, every day!