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.

  • JustWatch Streaming rank this week: 832

Episode menu

Series 23, Episode 2 - Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Martin Freeman, Roger Daltrey

Dwayne Johnson talks about fatherhood, Naomie Harris reveals she's cleared her diary for Bond, Martin Freeman says he loved being scared and Roger Daltrey talks about life, death and his wild days.

Preview clips

Further details

Dwayne Johnson, talking about his impending fatherhood with the imminent arrival of his third daughter (he keeps his phone on during the recording of the show in case he has to dash), says, "It's a girl. I can't make boys, but I keep trying to - that's the fun part!"

Asked about his role in Disney's Moana and whether he is a hit with kids, he says, "I am asked all the time to sing Maui's songs. It's constant. It is etched into my brain forever." Feigning reluctance, he is coaxed by Naomie Harris into reprising a rap song from the movie.

Talking about his new monster movie Rampage and preparing for his role, he says, "I spent time at the Atlanta zoo, which has a lot of primates so we were able to spend some time with gorillas. It was an amazing experience. Under strict supervision I was allowed to get very close to them. One particular alpha male Silverback approached me and I was told to keep calm and that he may get aggressive because I am a big man. He gets closer and closer and I'm still being told to keep calm. He finally gets close to me and just sits down to be fed! I like to think it's because I was the alpha male!"

Talking about the success of Jumanji, Dwayne says, "It is record breaking, which is really amazing and cool. We are working on the sequel now."

Naomie, asked if she will be appearing in the new Bond film, says, "I know nothing. I don't know if I am in it, but I do know they start shooting at the end of the year. I have cleared my diary in anticipation but I don't know."

Asked why Rampage (in which she stars with Dwayne) was her next choice of role after being Oscar nominated for Moonlight, she says, "It is a massive leap, but after Moonlight I got lots of offers that were really just the same role with different names. Rampage is a 100-million-miles from that character. It is a brilliant script and fantastic film."

Talking about the bungled Oscar results last year for Best Film, she says, "I eventually went up on stage but I was glued to my seat to begin with - I couldn't believe what was happening. I guess a moment like that will never happen again so it was kind of cool."

Dwayne interjects, "I was about to jump up on the stage and kick some ass. I really thought something was going down like a hijack or something."

Martin Freeman, asked about the box office success of Black Panther, says, "It's done amazingly well. We are all very proud of it and it feels like a moment - a bit more than just a film."

Talking about his new film, Ghost Stories, and his love of the horror genre, he says, "I grew up watching classic films from the 1950s and 60s and this film has borrowed from them. When I was seven my mother let me watch Psycho and it was so scary. For a longtime afterwards I was paralysed with fear going upstairs or having a shower. This film is enjoyably scary and there's nothing like the communal thing of going to the cinema, sitting in the dark and being scared witless. I like it. It's a smart film."

Asked by Dwayne if he believes in ghosts, Martin says, "I'm open to it until there is definitive proof."

Talking about their fears, Naomie says, "I never watch horror films. I watched Jaws once and that was the last one!" Dwayne reveals a fear of being strapped into a rollercoaster, "They freak me out because I feel trapped." And Martin says, "I have a fear of choking. It's a completely rational fear - it's happened a couple of times when I've eaten crisps too quickly and its very scary. I will confess that whenever I have an avocado I imagine the stone lodged in my windpipe. I don't have that much avocado!"

Graham talks to audience members about their phobias and fears with some rather strange admissions.

Roger Daltrey joins Graham for a chat.

Talking about his new album - As Long As I Have You - he says, "Performing solo has always been a hobby, but this one I have taken seriously. Part way through creating it I became disillusioned. I was very ill with meningitis and when I recovered and went back to recording I thought it was rubbish and tried to buy it back from the record company to shelve it. Pete [Townsend] took a look, and what he did with the songs blew me away."

Asked more about being ill, he says, "It was weird. I didn't think I would make it. It was life changing. I thought about my life and my family and what I had done and thought, 'How lucky did it get.' I survived and was given a second chance. I have the album, I'm touring and I have book out later in the year."

Talking about his upcoming memoir - Thanks a lot Mr. Kibblewhite - Roger says, "I wanted to write a book about what it was like being in the middle of that world. We were in an industry that we were making up as we went along."

Revealing just a taster of what's included, he says, "I was surrounded by addicts. I was the straight one - someone had to be tough and it fell to me."

Asked about The Who's famed wild and destructive days, he says, "That was mostly Keith Moon and Peter Townsend. We thought it was a great jest at the time but looking back, it's not very funny."

Roger performs his new single As Long As I Have You live in the studio.

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 13th April 2018
Time
10:35pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
45 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Monday 16th April 2018 11:30pm BBC1
Tuesday 17th April 2018 12:00am BBC1 Scot

Cast & crew

Cast
Graham Norton Host / Presenter
Guest cast
Martin Freeman Guest
Dwayne Johnson Guest
Naomie Harris Guest
Roger Daltrey 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
Graham Stuart Executive Producer
Perry Widdowson Editor
Chris Webster Production Designer
Mandy Furlonger Make-up Designer
Chris Rigby Lighting Designer
Jonathan Whitehead (as Trellis) Composer

Press

This week, our genial host chats with the stars of new movie Rampage, Dwayne Johnson and Naomie Harris. Martin Freeman discusses his role in the upcoming Brit horror anthology Ghost Stories, while Who vocalist and Brexit enthusiast Roger Daltrey performs his new single.

David Stubbs, The Guardian, 13th April 2018

Share this page