The Paul O'Grady Story opens at the Williamson Art Gallery on 11 December and runs to 31 December 2027. Entry is free; timed tickets are on sale to 31 March.
You Gotta Get A Gimmick: The Paul O’Grady Story opens at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum on Slatey Road, Birkenhead, on Friday 11 December 2026. The gallery says it gives “a first glimpse” into the private archive of the broadcaster it calls “the blonde bombsite of Birkenhead”. Entry is free.
The quick answer
- Opens Friday 11 December 2026 and runs until Friday 31 December 2027, a full year.
- Free. Timed tickets are recommended but not required. They went on sale on 4 September and can be booked for dates up to 31 March 2027; later dates will be released.
- Open over Christmas except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, with late entry slots on Thursday and Friday evenings.
What the exhibition is
The gallery says the exhibition “will delve into the private archive of Paul O’Grady, revealing his life in front of and behind the cameras”. It presents him as an LGBTQIA+ icon, an award-winning broadcaster, a campaigner and “someone who gave a voice to the voiceless, particularly those with four paws”. The story runs, in the gallery’s words, “from Tranmere to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the ‘blonde bombsite of Birkenhead’ to Battersea Dog’s Home” (Floral Pavilion box office).
The gallery credits The National Lottery Heritage Fund with making the exhibition possible. Tickets are sold through the Floral Pavilion’s box office, which handles bookings for the Williamson.
Tickets and times
Tickets are free, with donations welcomed. The listing says you can turn up without booking, but that booking a timed ticket guarantees your entry time. A visit is expected to take about an hour.
The box office calendar for the first three and a half months shows:
| Days | Hourly entry slots |
|---|---|
| Most days | 10am to 4pm |
| Thursdays and Fridays | 10am to 8pm |
| Opening day, Friday 11 December | 10am to 8pm |
| No slots listed | Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Mondays 25 January, 22 February and 29 March |
The exhibition listing gives its hours as “9:00am to 5:00pm and open late Thursday and Friday (9:00pm)”, and the booking calendar has slots on Sundays too. That is wider than the Williamson’s standard hours on its own visit page, which are Monday to Thursday and Saturday 10am to 5pm, Friday 10am to 9pm, and closed on Sundays. If you plan to go on a Sunday or a Thursday evening, book a slot so you know the gallery is open.
There is also an invitation-only VIP launch on the evening of Thursday 10 December.
Over Christmas
The booking calendar has entry slots on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. Only 25 December and 1 January have none.
Also at the Williamson this winter
- Echoes of the Floating World runs until 6 February 2027 (Williamson Art Gallery).
- Leonard McComb: Nature and Humanity closes on 31 October 2026, so it will have ended before the O’Grady exhibition opens. Details are on our October half term page.
Getting there
The gallery is at Slatey Road, Birkenhead, CH43 4UE. It has a free car park reached from Mather Road, which the gallery warns gets very busy during events. The nearest station is Birkenhead Central; buses from Liverpool stop on Borough Road, and there are stops on Slatey Road and Balls Road. Inside, the galleries are on one floor, with a ramp at the entrance and a Changing Places toilet in the foyer.
Merseyrail’s Christmas timetable, and the early last trains on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, are on our Wirral Christmas trains and travel page. For car parks, see parking in Wirral.
Still to confirm
- Ticket release for dates after 31 March 2027.
- Any talks or events attached to the exhibition, which the gallery has not yet listed.
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