Graham Norton discusses his popular talk show, the return of the red sofa and his marriage to his longtime partner, filmmaker Jono McCleod.
Graham, how do you feel about starting the show’s 30th series?
It’s extraordinary. It’s this weird thing of realizing how lucky I am to have a show and also a career that has had this longevity. And those are the good things. The downside is realizing that if I had a show that long, I must be pretty old. That’s the only negative I can see. Television is a very transitory thing. There are very few shows that last as long as mine, other than soap operas, but for a personality-driven thing, it’s very unusual that it lasted that long. So I’m fully aware that I got a bigger slice of the pie than I ever should have expected.
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How exciting is it that the Red Couch is finally back after the Covid-era shows?
I know, it’s great. It was fun doing the chairs for a while, back when it was just fun to have something like our show on the air. But it works better on the couch. It’s easier to have a flowing conversation when guests are seated next to each other. We hope we won’t need to do Zoom interviews either. Then we have the red chair and a full audience and we’re back to normal.
How nervous were you before Barack Obama appeared on Zoom with Bruce Springsteen?
I was nervous. It was a “pinch me” moment. It’s like, ‘Oh, he’s the current former US president who takes the trouble to answer my stupid questions, crack jokes, and be nice. These things happen sometimes in a production meeting, where someone will say, “There’s a chance we have the old president.” And you think, ‘That will never happen’. And then it did.
Are the stars following your lead and still having a drink on the show? Or do they opt for water these days?
I would say it’s the same. Often at the top of the show we’ll have to take a little break because the guests will sit down with a glass of water and then see everyone drinking and saying, “Oh, I didn’t think anyone else would drink, but actually a glass of wine would be nice.” They felt foolish for pushing the drinks cart aside.
You’ve hosted almost every A-lister. If you could arrange it, who would sit on your dream couch?
Brad Pitt, for starters. He’s never been on the show and he’s been in a lot of great movies. He looks really adorable and he’s a big star. At the end of the day, while you can have fun with someone a little obscure, what drives our show’s engine are the big stars and he’s one of the biggest. We would also have a bit of Miriam Margolyes. We use it sparingly, but it never disappoints. And I really like Chris Pratt. It is really adorable and fun to wear. Also, Jennifer Lawrence. She’s very reckless and doesn’t question herself, which is a nice thing in a guest.
What made you think about getting married at 59?
I never wanted to before, so I guess it was about those relationships. This relationship seemed stable and happy enough that I could imagine getting married. And, also, as you hit 60, I feel like wishes are getting easier – “till death do us part” suddenly seems achievable.
The Graham Norton Show, Three, Thursdays, starting October 13.