The Graham Norton Show

Keira Knightley talks about being too pretty, Kenneth Branagh says receiving his knighthood was terrifying, Thierry Henry talks about managing Arsenal and Lee Mack reveals what he said to Prince William. Katy B performs live in the studio.

Kenneth Branagh, commenting on his knighthood says, "It was pretty amazing. We had an amazing day - going to Buckingham Palace is quite something - but I was terrified. Terrified of stepping on dogs, the corgis are everywhere, so I was quite nervous of kneeling on one!" Asked what The Queen said to him, he confesses, "I have no idea, I was so nervous. It was a kind of dream and I couldn't believe it was happening. I was just thrilled that I managed to stand up!"

On giving The Queen an award, he says, "I had the bizarre privilege of presenting her with an honorary BAFTA. It was at Windsor Castle with a lot of film types and I think people were tempted to ask if she would consider other roles or is she just a Bond girl. I think she was really tickled to get it."

Talking about performing the monologue at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, he says, "It was a brown-trouser moment! With three weeks to go Danny Boyle gave me a call. I was honoured but then found out there was no autocue and it would be live in front of 1.25 billion people! Man, I went away and learnt those lines. I'd wake up in the night saying them. Even the dog knew the lines! The thing that got me through was the feeling of camaraderie - you really felt like you were holding hands with everyone in the country. It was fantastic and one of the most incredible experiences," adding, "Just in case, I'd written the lines on the inside of the book I was carrying!"

On his new thriller, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit that he directs and stars in, Kenneth says, "It really roars along. I've probably seen it a thousand times and I still get a bit sweaty palmed watching it. I love thrillers and it's a good plot and the actors are fantastic."

Keira Knightley, asked if it was true she had to be convinced to co-star with him in the film, says, "I sort of asked, 'Is this the one?' and then Kenneth phoned me up and said, 'Go on,' and I went, 'Oh, alright then,' so there wasn't much convincing. I should have asked for diamonds!"

Talking about being the movie business for 22 years, Keira says, "It's frightening isn't it. I was in The Bill as a child and it was the most exciting character I have ever played. I was just in one episode but I loved it and I was so cool at school because I was in it." And on playing Natalie Portman's double in Star Wars at the age of 12, she says, "I didn't know what I was doing because it was so secret I didn't have a script. I saw the film when I was 13 and I still didn't know what was going on." On looking a lot like Natalie Portman, she says, "Our mums did actually confuse us on set."

Asked if Pirates of the Caribbean is fun to do, she says, "It's great! The best bit was having my breasts painted on - I've got very little up top so it took 45 minutes to hoist up what I have got and then paint in the rest. They looked amazing!"

Talking about being considered too attractive for certain roles, Keria says, "Joe Wright didn't want me for Pride and Prejudice because he thought I was too pretty, and then he met me and said, 'Oh no, you're fine!'" And on her famous pout she says, "I've got it out of my system. I didn't know I did it so much and Joe banned it from the film. Then when we did the Chanel adverts he said, 'You know that pout we banned? Can we have it back and as much as possible.'"

Lee Mack, talking about meeting Prince William, says, "That was a bit of highlight. We got to go to the Palace, which was very exciting and he came up to me and said, 'You need some new jokes.' I was a bit drunk and said, 'I don't tell you how to be a future king,' to which he said, 'I was joking, I really like your sitcom.' I felt a bit bad then!"

Thierry Henry joins Graham for a chat. Talking about living in New York, he says, "Nobody really knows who I am and you can be yourself there. I enjoy not being recognised."

Asked why he left Arsenal he says, "It was hard and I cried - it wasn't an easy thing to do but the team wasn't going the way I wanted it to. I don't regret leaving."

And on whether he would come back to the UK to manage Arsenal, feigning surprise, he says, "The thing is I have so much respect for Arsène [Wenger] and if it does happen eventually, one day, it is going to have to be after him. I don't actually want to talk about it right now because he is doing such a great job, but hopefully after him, yes."

Asked if playing in the US is part of his plan to wind down his career, he says, "I still have one year on my contract so I will see how it goes and see what the offers are after that."

Katy B performs Crying For No Reason before joining Graham for a chat. Asked if she would perform in the Eurovision Song Contest she says, "If people start voting again, it's a yes."