Graham Norton Previews “Extraordinary” New Season

When Graham Norton pulls the dust sheets from his sofa and uncorks a bottle of white wine, it can only mean one thing – The Graham Norton Show is back!

The much-loved chat show returns for another round of scintillating banter and amusing tales from the most famous faces in showbiz, with the shiniest of stars gracing Graham’s sofa to engage in entertaining repartee.

At the heart of it is Graham, a raconteur par excellence who keeps the conversation flowing as he inserts his own wry wit into the chat.

Graham about the show and about his jam-packed year of big changes – Graham travelled Down Under with a stand-up show to promote his fifth novel, “Frankie,” put two of his beloved houses up for sale, and had major surgery. The ever-chatty Graham was more than willing to dish on all the details.

It’s been seven months since you’ve hosted The Graham Norton Show. What will it be like to get back in the studio?

I'm looking forward to it. It's that crazy thing. I've been doing chat shows since 1998 and I can't believe that I still enjoy it as much as I do and that I'm genuinely looking forward to getting back into the studio. There's always a lovely moment on that first afternoon back in the studio and you're on that familiar set. The audience aren't there yet and there's something very cosy and comfortable about it, but equally something exciting and daunting about it, because you haven't interviewed those people before, or certainly not in that combination.

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What can you tell us about this year’s guests?

I have to say, in our first month back, they are four of the starriest shows we've ever done. It's extraordinary. But not everyone is confirmed yet, so I’m not allowed to name names – sorry! But I’m very excited.

Generally, your chat show is light-hearted fun, but last season you had a few unusually heart-tugging moments, such as when Miranda Hart told Selena Gomez that her 2022 documentary, My Mind and Me, had inspired Miranda to open up about her own health battle in a book.

We don't often have emotional moments on the show. And that moment, when Miranda was talking about her recovery and crediting Selena Gomez's documentary, was so sweet, because you saw Selena well up. I would never have asked Selena about that documentary, because she's young and you feel she's quite vulnerable because of it. So, it was kind of a very nice way to acknowledge what she's been through without the nosy old host going, ‘So what's wrong with you?’ It was a perfect little moment.

You once said you do get dazzled by the beauty of some stars.

That remains the same. I mean, JLo is extraordinary. She looks like she's walking around with a filter. It is mad how good she looks. And Pamela Anderson! For someone who was once so invested in a particular sort of beauty, you always thought she would be the first person at the doctor's door going, ‘Please fix this. Please augment this. Please lift this.’ And as it happens, that's not who she is at all. She looks fabulous now. And unlike some stars, she looks like a person.

Do you ever get a bit nervous having the big stars on the show?

I suppose it's a bit of both. You're nervous because they're a big star, but also, you're more relaxed because they're a big star. Just their star wattage, their star voltage, does so much of the work. The audience is so excited to see them because they're a big star. Whereas a lesser star, they've got to deliver. If Bruce Springsteen tells a boring story, nobody cares because it’s Bruce Springsteen, whereas if it’s someone in their first film, even if it's a big film, if they tell a dull story, yeah, that's dull. No one wants to hear that!

Is there anyone you're still longing to get on your show?

We still haven't had Brad Pitt. I know he's still on our list. Even in America he doesn't do talk shows, so I think we're in good company. And, we would always have the royals. But I notice Meghan hasn't really done any press. Netflix must be going, ‘Please, Meghan, please. We did give you a lot of cash. Could you please do some publicity?’ So maybe we’ll try to get her for season three, should that occur. I’ve seen clips of her show, and it looks like a sort of fantasy lifestyle show ala, Nigella or Martha Stewart. You know, ‘Watch while I dry these flowers, or while I line these drawers. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, who has the time?!’ Meghan has the time.

You’re now 62 and could afford to retire, but you've chosen to keep working. What’s behind your thinking?

It’s important to feel validated. But a few years ago, I felt I was working too much and particularly after getting married [in 2022 to Jono McLeod a Scottish filmmaker], I wanted to improve that work-life balance. You're not just making decisions for yourself anymore; you're making decisions as a couple. The huge change was stopping the radio last year [after 13 years at BBC Radio 2 and Virgin Radio]. Having my weekends back suddenly makes me feel like I don't work at all! It’s freed up a lot of creative energy.

Fans were alarmed to see that you’ve sold your New York City house and you’re selling your beloved London house. Can you tell us what’s going on?

We just weren't getting to New York enough. I had imagined years ago that there would come a time when I'm older and New York would be a great place to be as an older person. But I'm loving living and working in London so that’s not going to happen.

What about your London house?

It’s quite good as you get older to make big, bold decisions. Last year we came back from summer in Ireland, and I thought, ‘You know what, I've looked at the same view for 20-something years. Let's look at something else!’  So, yeah, so I just ripped off the Band-Aid. We're not leaving London at all. In fact, I’m loving London more and we’re booking to see more shows and exhibitions and eating out more. We’re thinking of moving more centrally.

Recently, we saw you with your arm in a sling. What happened?

My left shoulder has always been a bit odd, ever since I was a kid and fell off a bike and broke my collarbone. And then it was getting a bit painful, and finally it got so painful. I was really struggling to sleep. So I went to the doctor, and they told me it needed replacing. So, when I got back from Australia and New Zealand I had it done, and it's been great. The pain’s all gone. I'm still having a bit of physio, but I’m really pleased with it.

You’ve been a showbiz success for a long time. Do you still experience ‘pinch me’ moments?

All the time! I have these extraordinary opportunities come my way. I mean, the entire Australia and New Zealand thing was a pinch-me moment, because they all knew me and wanted to see me in venues that held like four and a half thousand people. I was thinking, ‘Wow! How has this happened?!’ It’s even more pinch-me because doing stand-up is not really my job. Over the past 25 years, I've sat in a television studio in London, and then suddenly there’s this opportunity.

I’ve had pinch-me moments with stars, too. I can remember Dustin Hoffman coming on, and so many of his movies are amongst my favourites. And I sort of thought he was going to be really serious and dour, and he wasn’t at all. Meryl Streep's another one.  She has said some very nice things about me, and I just think that's insane, because she is the G.O.A.T!

Season 33 of The Graham Norton Show premieres Friday, September 26 at 10:40 p.m. on BBC One in the U.K. and Saturday, October 4 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on BBC First in Canada.