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.

Episode menu

Series 27, Episode 1 - Michael Bublé, Michael Sheen, Martin Freeman, Daisy Haggard, Celeste

Preview clips

Further details

The 30-minute show looks a little different, but what hasn't changed is Graham's signature style, his mix of guest stars, comedy, and stories, including the famous Red Chair.

Graham, said of the show, "We can't wait to be back on Friday nights bringing a little bit of lightness during this strange time."

Michael Bublé joins Graham from the basement of his home in Vancouver. Asked about how he is coping with home schooling, he says, "We are doing it, but I am not great at it. We are adapting and I'm learning new things; I felt guilty about the kids being on their iPads or watching TV until I muted the screen and turned the subtitles on and now, they are kind of reading - I killed two birds..."

Talking about being in the middle of a tour when the lockdown happened, he says, "It's not much different to when we went through our own family health scare and very quickly the work loses its meaning. For me, doing the right thing was the only option. I think I was one of the first artists to pull the plug and felt horrible about it, but I know I will make up the shows. The day they say, 'We are all good' I'll be back on stage."

Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard join Graham from their respective homes to talk about their new Sky comedy series Breeders. Martin says: "It's not cuddly. We thought that there was room in the world for a comedy that was still a comedy but is quite dark and unflinching about the harder parts of being a parent in a family situation."

And asked about the strong language in the series, he adds jokingly, "Apparently you are not supposed to swear in front of kids!" Adding, "Actually, there were two versions of the script - a mild one for in front of the kids and then another sweary version that they had to wear headphones for."

Daisy adds, "They turned the mild script into something so surreal that I got all completely giggly and could barely do it."

Martin interjects, "Daisy and I are quite sweary so sometimes a grown-up word would slip in and the kids would delight in it. Luckily their mums were very forgiving."

Michael Sheen joins Graham from Wales to talk about his role as Chris Tarrant in new ITV series Quiz, which tells the story of the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? coughing major.

Asked about playing a real person, he says, "Usually the real people I have played are the lead character but in this one Chris is supporting so there is just the same amount of work to get it right without much (material) to play with."

Michael, in Chris Tarrant mode and providing effects with a torch and questions on cardboard, puts Graham to the test with a Millionaire question. Unsure of the answer, Graham phones a rather famous friend.

Celeste transforms her bedroom into a glamorous venue to perform her new single Strange.

And finally, Graham listens, sometimes rather briefly, to more foolhardy audience members brave enough to tell a 'Big Red Chair' story from their own homes.

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 10th April 2020
Time
9pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Monday 13th April 2020 11:45pm BBC1

Cast & crew

Cast
Graham Norton Host / Presenter
Guest cast
Michael Bublé Guest
Michael Sheen Guest
Martin Freeman Guest
Daisy Haggard Guest
Celeste Waite (as Celeste) Guest
Judi Dench Self (Voice)
Writing team
Rob Colley Writer
Dan Gaster Writer
Christine Rose Writer
Production team
Steve Smith Director
Jon Magnusson Series Producer
Pete Snell Producer
Graham Stuart Executive Producer
Catherine Strauss Line Producer
Perry Widdowson Editor
Jonathan Whitehead (as Trellis) Composer

Videos

Michael Bublé gives lockdown advice

Michael Bublé shares how he and his wife are handling the current lockdown.

Featuring: Graham Norton & Michael Bublé.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

Michael Sheen plays Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with Graham Norton.

Featuring: Graham Norton, Michael Sheen & Judi Dench (Self).

Nurse's Red Chair story

Catherine, a nurse, tells a story about a wedding.

Featuring: Graham Norton.

Press

Can a chat show work without an audience?

The Graham Norton Show returned on Friday night, but this was the Coronavirus version. The guests were onscreen at home and there was no studio audience. No studio in fact. Norton conjured one up through the magic of television. But apart from that there wasn't much magic on display.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 11th April 2020

It is comforting to see that it's business as usual for Norton's chat juggernaut as he welcomes virtual guests to his sofa for the 27th series. The lovable presenter is filming at home and in this even more relaxed format, the stars will keep the stories coming over a few glasses of wine.

Hannah Verdier, The Guardian, 10th April 2020

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