Graham Norton Page 5

I was reading in The Sunday Times the other day about authors' reactions to bad reviews. The guy writing the piece mentioned his own experience, where he had written a scathing review of Graham Norton's autobiography. He received a card from Graham, not containing a diatribe of complaints; just a note saying "Cheer up, mate" and a CHEQUE FOR £500!

That's a pretty good way to deal with a bad review (if you can afford it). Mr Norton went up massively in my estimation. (Whatever one thinks of the decroded crap he fronts thesedays, time was when he was a pretty darn good stand-up. And his guest appearances in Father Ted were very funny.)

Quote: Jackson Neil @ July 6 2009, 4:58 PM BST

I watched a minimal amount of his show, but he annoyed the f**k out of me by doing that cliched "eerrrrmmm" thing after every gag. I remember a Lee and Herring sketch where they exposed the "errrrmmm" for the cheap tool it is. It's like, every single stand up guy or gal does that, and once you're aware of it it's really f**king irritating.

Do explain.

Quote: Maurice Minor @ July 6 2009, 10:51 PM BST

Surely all that prime-time weekend junk is toss? I don't know why they find it so difficult. Just stick on a quiz and a bit of variety, then a sitcom and a film. Simples...

I want Noel's House Party, The Generation Game and Big Break back.

I would imagine GN himself has had something to do with the demise of this junk.

I watched the first one out of curiosity and could not believe just how shockingly awful it was.

Banal and woeful cannot adequately describe, what seemed to me, a take a bit of Noel Tidybeard, add the Geordie lads in that one where they've ripped-off Noel Tidybeard, sprinkle some load of old shite over it all, get GN to front it up brief, and hey presto, a show fit for berks is born, no doubt green-lighted courtesy of the focus groups that seem to haunt TV these days.

I caught about five minutes of it again last week and Norton looked mighty uncomfortable going through the motions with a rather glazed expression.

It was the most embarrassing TV that I have ever clocked eyes on. So I expect GN or his people told him to get eff outta there before he killed his career stone-dead.

I like Graham a lot, but in case you're in doubt on this one dear reader...it was shocking!!!

:O :O :O :O

Quote: Tim Walker @ July 7 2009, 7:56 AM BST

(Whatever one thinks of the decroded crap he fronts thesedays...)

Why don't you go eat a decroded piece of crap?

;)

You're pretty much the worst poster ever.

Quote: Aaron @ July 7 2009, 2:12 PM BST

I want Noel's House Party, The Generation Game and Big Break back.

God Saturday nights when Noel's House Party was on, were what summed up the 1990s to me, loved it.

:)

Oh and I assume you don't want The Generation Game and Big Break both hosted by Jim Davidson lol.

Sure, why not? :)

Because I thought everybody on this forum (except me) hated his guts :)

Nah, I rather like him.

You can relate to him, can't you Aaron?

I saw Jim Davidson get arrested for drink-driving once. It had me in stitches! Give us Jim back, BBC! And let him bring Chalky with him... "Voodoo!"... ha, ha, ha! Laughing out loud

Big Break was okay, but his Generation Game was awful.

As Aaron noted in the Not Going Out thread, Lee Mack was on the Graham Norton Show last week. As a big Mack fan, I reluctantly felt obliged to catch up on iPlayer.

I was horrified to discover that Norton has all his guests on simultaneously, so you have to put up with Norton for the full 45 minutes, rather than dipping in just for the guest you're interested in.

Is this a deliberate ploy to mind-f**k us, do you think?