Graham Norton: I'll retire before I'm 60

The chat show king, 52, says he plans to get out of TV within eight years and still hasn't given up hope of finding someone to share the rest of his life.

Radio Times review

Graham Norton will have good reason to feel anxious before this show, with Mark Wahlberg as a returning guest. Last time the actor appeared on the red sofa he was rather, ahem, refreshed.

It was an excruciating hour as Wahlberg sat on Norton's knee and stroked his chest, to the host's obvious embarrassment ("OK, that's wrong, don't touch the man there") as he shooed the slurring star away.

So let's see if Wahlberg can steer clear of the red wine when he guests with Seth MacFarlane to talk about their new film, Ted 2, the follow-up to the foul-mouthed but curiously touching Ted. Music is from Cyndi Lauper, the girl who just wants to have fun.

Radio Times review

He's got a pretty good track record for attracting big Hollywood A-listers onto the show, but there's one person Graham Norton has always wanted to have as a guest. Tonight, his wish is granted - the gorgeous George Clooney is sitting on the sofa opposite him.

One of Hollywood's most prolific actors, Clooney, 54, is here to talk about his latest film, Tomorrowland (a futuristic story about a place caught between time and space where nothing is impossible), but the conversation is bound to turn to his political activism and humanitarian work. And Graham will probably throw in the odd question about his recent marriage to Amal Alamuddin, too.

Joining him on the show are Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson and Snoop Dogg.

Looking back at Green Wing

Back in 2004, Channel 4 found themselves without many of their Friday night audience magnets. Friends and Frasier both finished that year and Graham Norton had recently jumped ship to the States, taking his show format with him. Thankfully two years prior Channel 4 had commissioned a sitcom about the lives of hospital staff, and by 2004 a full series was ready to be unleashed on Friday night prime time.

Local Cork paper mixes Graham Norton up with murderer

The Southern Star in West Cork are rightly proud of local boy Graham Norton, who picked up the BAFTA for Best Comedy Entertainment Programme during the week. This news piece does manage to confuse him with a very, very, VERY different Graham though.

Why Graham Norton isn't heading for Hollywood

The chat show host might be up for a US Critics Choice Award, but he's not planning on leaving his adopted homeland any time soon...

What Graham Norton thinks about the year in TV

It's only the BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday, so what better way to prepare than by looking over the year in television? And who better to do that with than with BAFTA host Graham Norton himself?

Wimbledon 'too white'... in W1A world

Heard the latest? The BBC's Wimbledon coverage is 'too white' and the broadcaster's exclusive rights to the tournament are at risk. Luckily, the BBC has a rescue plan. It's fixed on French tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as its Wimbledon saviour and is considering pepping up programming with foam fingers in the stands, David Attenborough in the umpire's chair and Graham Norton in the players' box. But hold your fury, tennis fans; this is all happening in the parallel world of W1A - BBC Two's sitcom set in the Corporation's London headquarters that will begin its second series next week.

Radio Times review

Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross and Alan Carr are not going to lose any sleep if they listen to this. Jim Moir, better known as Vic Reeves, is not a natural interviewer. It's his guest, Olivia Colman, who holds the show together, using her ability to ad-lib with wit.

I love this series. I love Vic Reeves. I love Olivia Colman. It's why I chose this as my Pick of the Week. But were it not for Colman's thespian talents there are moments when tumbleweed would have blown through the studio (à la Shooting Stars). She picks up when Reeve's questions or direction of thought trails off, and yet, while he sounds delighted to have got to the end of the show intact, there are some parts where this interview is so funny it should come with its own health warning.

If Olivia Colman had to choose between a plastic hand and a hook, which would she favour? Is she any good with blood? As I said, Reeves is not your typical interviewer, but these surreal questions do encourage Colman to reveal more about herself than she would on a predictable chat show.

And so, I now know that she believes that the path to true love depends upon clutching a fallen eyelash with one's intended and making a wish. And that she can spend hours staring at pictures of men's swollen testicles (in medical books, not real life).

It's a peculiar half-hour, but one I wouldn't have missed for the world.

Alan Carr apologises for NTA acceptance speech

Alan Carr has apologised for his acceptance speech at last night's (January 21) National Television Awards. The Chatty Man star admitted that he was unprepared as he had been so sure that Graham Norton would take home the prize for Chat Show Host.