When it comes to talk show hosts, Irishman Graham Norton is of the ilk of Oprah Winfrey, Jon Stewart and John Oliver. Aside from bagging the most newsworthy A-listers as guests, his playful irreverence and flamboyant style continue to bowl over legions of admirers. Debashine Thangevelo found out about his journey to date at the start of BBC Entertainment’s 16th season of The Graham Norton Show.
SOMETIMES Graham Norton’s (real name Graham William Walker) outfits are louder than his panel of celebrity guests.
But that distraction is quickly remedied by his incorrigibly disarming personality, which reels viewers into the unfolding banter that is punctuated by witty anecdotes, an entertaining dose of self-deprecation and abandoned laughter.
To date he has bagged 16 seasons of The Graham Norton Show. But, as a host, he has had vast experience in a plethora of other shows, mostly on UK television.
As for returning on set, he notes: “It is one of those weird things. I take such a long break for the summer; I really don’t do anything. I sit at my house in Ireland (at Bantry Bay in West Cork) and do a couple of charity events, so after a while I do get geeked about coming back to my life. It’s genuinely exciting to get the call sheets about guests who are coming up.”
Once again, there is a spectacular celebrity panel on the bill in the new instalment. In the season premiere this week, he got to shoot the breeze with Denzel Washington, Peter Capaldi, Gemma Arterton and George Ezra. Next week, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Luke Evans and Lenny Kravitz are on the bill.
On his popularity as a host, Norton says: “I’ve no idea. I suppose I don’t take anything very seriously, I don’t take myself very seriously and I enjoy the company of other people, so hopefully those things combine to make you a good talk show host. It’s hard for me to judge myself. You hope you’re doing a good job, but I’m sure there are people throwing things at the television because they think I’m bad.”
But even a seasoned host like Norton has weathered his fair share of blunders. He laughs: “The one that stands out is a Downton (Abbey) thing. When I had Elizabeth McGovern on the show, I called her Elizabeth Montgomery, who starred in Bewitched back in the 1960s. Bless her, Elizabeth never corrected me, although she did look puzzled.”
While it is quite tough picking out a favourite moment on the show, there was one that left an indelible impression on him.
“One of my favourite shows ever was in the last series, when we had The Monuments Men stars Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Hugh Bonneville, and Paloma Faith singing. It was one of those perfect shows where the three guys obviously adored each other and got on and were in a great mood. Yet it almost didn’t happen – Jean Dujardin dropped out at the last minute and we were left without a third guest, and at the 11th hour Bill Murray said: ‘I’ll do it’, which was very exciting for us. And he was in a good mood, because I’ve seen him not be in a good mood on a show. I went in not knowing what to expect, but it ended up going so well. I love those evenings when I don’t have to work and can just let it happen.”
Recalling other highlights, he says: “One of the highlights of my career was having Will Smith, Bradley Cooper and Michael Douglas last year – it was one of the starriest shows we’ve ever done and it brought the house down when Will did The Fresh Prince rap.
“Last series we had (Spider-Man star) Emma Stone on – I’d really wanted her and I loved her like I thought I would.”
She reacted so well to that prank about The Spice Girls (Norton convinced Stone, a Spice Girls fan, that he had invited some Spices on to meet her. But after building up her hopes, he said: “Not really.”) It was just a stupid little throwaway joke and it went viral.
Although Norton trusts the show’s long-running booker for the spectacular personalities who have graced his couch, he is hands-on when it comes to content (such as questions). He explains: “I’m in the office all the time and nobody gets booked without my say-so. We (he and the producers and researchers) do all the questions in a group. Because of the format, most of the work goes into finding a common area between guests, so it could be they all have dogs, they’ve all met the royal family or had interesting early jobs. You find interesting pockets that open up the couch and avoid us only talking about the book or the film.”
And in case you are wondering, he has never called in favours from showbiz friends.
Norton maintains that he doesn’t like mixing worlds.
He elaborates: “Sometimes famous people will get my personal details and contact me directly about coming on the show. It always ends horribly, so I never get personally involved. Only last year there was somebody who wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. It wasn’t that we didn’t want him on the show; it was that it was a packed show. It became ridiculous, to the point where I thought he might just show up on the night.”
Of course, as a talk show host, there is no guarantee that the guests will be mind-blowing – sometimes nerves or inexperience prove to be a fatal Achilles’ heel. And that’s where “matching” proves a crucial cog for the show.
As for his dream guest (dead or alive) list, he notes: “There are a few I wish I had met, particularly Bette Davis and Lucille Ball and the great raconteurs like David Niven and Peter Ustinov. As for living people, there are so few we haven’t had, but I’d like Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, George Clooney or Brangelina. But Clooney apparently has a thing against doing British chat shows, so if we get him it’s either a big coup or his career is over and he needs the publicity.”
Expanding on his most interesting interview as well as most attractive guest, Norton recalls: “It (most interesting interview) was with Larry Flynt, the Hustler guy. I really liked him – such a bright, intelligent, insightful man. Obviously, it’s hard to square that with his empire, which is based on exploiting people, but he is a fascinating guy.
“On the second, it is Jamie Dornan (star of Fifty Shades of Grey). And such a sweet, sweet man as well. He was a great guest, very self-deprecating, and he seemed easy in his skin. He told a really funny story about the director of Fifty Shades making fun of his walk. I really warmed to him.”
On the prolonged existence of The Graham Norton Show, he says it is because of constant efforts to keep it fresh with “subtle changes”.
In the meantime, grab that popcorn and sit back for more uproarious banter!
• The Graham Norton Shows airs on BBC Entertainment (DStv channel 120) at 9.40pm on Tuesdays.