The Graham Norton Show. Graham Norton. Credit: So Television, Christopher Baines
The Graham Norton Show

The Graham Norton Show

  • TV chat show
  • BBC One / BBC Two
  • 2007 - 2024
  • 494 episodes (31 series)

Comic chat show presented by Graham Norton. The biggest names in showbiz join the host on his sofa.

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Series 20 - Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris, Martin Freeman, Katie Melua

On a special festive show, Will Smith reveals how son Jayden suckered him, Helen Mirren jokes that playing Death offended her, Naomie Harris reveals that Will can be very annoying, Martin Freeman says the new series of Sherlock is extraordinary and Katie Melua performs live in the studio.

Preview clips

Further details

Will Smith, talking about how he will be spending Christmas, says, "It's very important to my wife - Christmas is mummy time. She takes it very seriously. In October she starts looking at where the maximum snow will be and books us in there, it's crazy. If there isn't snow for Christmas the year doesn't count! I pretty much just turn up!"

Talking about his son Jayden's recent 18th birthday, he says, "I told him it was a big birthday and asked him where he'd like to spend it and he said. 'I want to do it in London because it's one of my favourite cities. I was here promoting so thought that's fantastic so the family came and we celebrated his birthday. As we sat down at the table he ordered Tequila. I was horrified and was like, 'Hey, what's going on?' And he said, 'The drinking age is 18 in London!' He suckered me!"

Asked about the most unlikely place in the world where he has been recognised, Will says, "We were making Ali in Mozambique and filming in a village about 50 miles from anywhere and a woman washing clothes in the river looked up and shouted, 'Big Willie!' It was strange."

Helen Mirren, talking about her role of 'Death' in Collateral Beauty, jokes, "I was so insulted! Adding, "I read the script but wasn't quite sure who they were going to ask me to play and then when I was cast as 'Death' I thought, 'God damn it!' But, it's a comedy role the way I play it."

Talking about how Will charmed the fans that turned up in New York when they were filming, Helen says, "Filming with him is difficult but wonderful. Word goes out that he is filming on the street and hundreds of people turn up. After every scene he would hang out with the fans and then come back and play a serious scene - I was really impressed with that. He was amazing and our secret weapon because he was just so unbelievably gracious with people."

Naomie Harris interjects, "That was true every day on set... but, can I add, he can also very annoying like an older brother. Never show weakness to Will. I made the mistake of telling him that I turned up with my whole family to the premiere of my first ever movie - I was all dressed up and did the red carpet and everything - only to find out that it wasn't me on screen. I had been replaced by another actress!"
Laughing, Will says, "It was the funniest thing I had ever heard."

Helen, asked about her upcoming role in Fast and Furious - a part she wished for during a previous appearance on Graham's show - says, "It's fantastic." Asked if she gets to drive in the film, she says, "I'm not allowed to say. I can't say a word."

Asked about being spotted wherever she goes, she says, "Queues for the toilet are not an easy place to be recognised. You end up having a conversation with the whole queue as you move slowly towards the empty cubicle and then everyone listens!"

Naomie, talking about her recent award nominations for her upcoming movie Moonlight, says, "I feel like an idiot now but I nearly didn't do it. I didn't want to play a crack addict, I wanted to portray positive images of women in general, and black women in particular and I thought a crack addict wasn't part of that. I was stupidly about to say no when the director said he was basically asking me to play his mother and I've never had anyone ask me to play their mum before."

Asked how she will spend Christmas she says, "I live just eight doors down from my family so on Christmas day I walk up the hill in my pyjamas!" Adding, "My family is brutally honest and if they don't like a present they are given they say so! Growing up I thought it was perfectly normal until I took a boyfriend home and he said, 'That's just not normal, you just say, 'Thank you!'"

Revealing Will dined with her parents recently, Naomie says, "They were really casual and acted like a movie star comes over every day. They were cool but I did have to tell my little brother off for taking pictures of Will across the table. I said it was really rude to take pictures of people when they don't know you're doing it and he said, 'It's okay, mum's already posted it on Facebook!'"

Martin Freeman joins Graham for a chat. Asked about Sherlock and what we can expect from the new series, he says, "All I can tell you is that John and Mary have a baby now and as Sherlock isn't the world's most touchy feely person it's pretty baffling for him." Adding, "What I will say is that I think this is the best written of all the series - the three scripts are extraordinary, really exciting."

Talking about the success of the show, Martin says, "It's doing very well. It's had a real life of it's own almost from the first ever episode. The reaction to that show was extraordinary. I've never known anything like it. We were all worried when it went out in the summer that no one was going to watch it and that it would be disastrous, but it made no difference and people liked it."

Asked about being recognised wherever he goes, he says, "It's a big show that reaches parts other programmes can't reach! It's delightful."

Katie performs The Little Swallow with the Gori Women's Choir live in the studio before joining Graham for a chat about her new album.

Helen delivers her Christmas message to the nation before Graham pulls the lever on more foolhardy audience members brave enough to sit in the Red Chair.

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 23rd December 2016
Time
10:35pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
60 minutes

Cast & crew

Cast
Graham Norton Host / Presenter
Guest cast
Katie Melua Guest
Helen Mirren Guest
Martin Freeman Guest
Will Smith Guest
Naomie Harris Guest
Writing team
Rob Colley Writer
Christine Rose Writer
Production team
Steve Smith Director
Jon Magnusson Series Producer
Rina Dayalji Producer
Pete Snell Producer
Vicky Taylor Producer
Perry Widdowson Editor
Chris Webster Production Designer
Lesley Hamon Make-up Designer
Jonathan Whitehead (as Trellis) Composer

Videos

Dame Helen Mirren's Royal Christmas Message

Dame Helen Mirren delivers her Royal Christmas Message to the nation.

Featuring: Graham Norton, Helen Mirren, Will Smith & Naomie Harris.

Will Smith suffers from 'dog jaw'

Will Smith tells Graham that he suffers from 'dog jaw' and Naomie Harris describes how she only found out she had been cut from a previous film when she attended the premiere.

Featuring: Graham Norton, Helen Mirren, Will Smith & Naomie Harris.

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