O'Grady complains about Richard & Judy

Paul O'Grady's teatime chat show returns to ITV1 tomorrow, and already the rivalry between himself and Richard & Judy is beginning to show.

O'Grady went head-to-head with Channel 4's established Richard and Judy show late last year, regularly emerging victorious in the ratings.

The Paul O'Grady Show has now returned for a second run, and O'Grady has spoken out against his rivals for attacking his programme.

"I dunno whether all this bitching about me comes from them or not, but I was incensed when they reportedly said that intelligent people watch their show, implying that my viewers are all caravan-dwelling white trash," he told the Sunday Mirror. "Unbelievable! I just hope that my show continues to beat theirs.

"Anyway, it's much more fun to work on my show 'cos everyone's a team. Kids who've worked for them tell me they weren't allowed to hang their coats on the back of their chairs, they had to drink tea from Richard and Judy mugs and were told off if they wrote in anything other than black biro.

"Oh, and toilet rolls have to be stored in the shape of a pyramid. What the hell is all that about?

"As Lily, I appeared on their show millions of times and I really liked Judy. I haven't seen them since my show took off. I just hear showbiz Chinese whispers."

O'Grady's show kicks off tomorrow with an interview with Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall.