The Graham Norton Show

Taylor Swift says she's not looking for 'the one', Kevin Pietersen apologises to Andrew Strauss, John Cleese credits Eric Idle with making the Python reunion a success and Neil Diamond performs live in the studio.

Taylor Swift, talking about her new album, and asked if her country music fans would feel alienated by it, says, "No, it was a creative decision and it was the direction I was naturally gravitating towards. I'd played around with pop sensibilities for years and this is first time I've truly admitted this is the direction I want to go for," adding, "The only time fans are disappointed is when music is bad."

Asked about the inspiration for the album, she says, "It's got emotional complexity but it's not about devastation or pining away or rocking back and forth sobbing. It's much more about the last two years of my life, which have been about moving to New York, surrounding myself with friends, figuring out who I am, independence, freedom, all those things."

Confirming she is currently single, she says, "I'm just not looking at guys right now. My life is really busy and complicated and it becomes too chaotic when I involve someone else in it. It's something I've observed over time that if you give people one thing to talk about they multiply it by 50 and make all these sensational stories about you. So if you give them zero they can't multiply it. I would so much rather people focus on what I've created", adding, "Honestly, it's not really a priority for me at the moment. I'm 24 and kind of too young to find 'the one' and I don't want to date for no reason so I just don't."

Talking about performing at Kensington Palace, she says, "I was nervous about the whole thing as it was my first royal encounter. I prepped with all these manners, do this, don't do that and this is how you say this and that, and then you get around Prince William and he is so disarming and so much fun that you forget all the things you're supposed to do. It was amazing."

John Cleese, talking about his new book, says, "I liked it, I really enjoyed writing it. It took me about two years on and off. People are terribly amused that I wrote in pencil in an exercise book - that's how old I am!"

Revealing some of the chapters went missing he says, "I cried when I discovered it two weeks before it was finished. It was the worst possible thing but when my wife eventually found them I told her, "I love you so much you can have a fourth cat."

Talking about his mother, who features in the book, he says, "She had the most extraordinary sense of humour. She was a depressed woman and I would ring her up and say, 'Hello Mum, how are you,' and she would say, with a little bit of surprise, 'I'm a little bit down this week.' I don't know why she was surprised because she'd been 'A little bit down' for 50 years!

"I did say to her when she was really depressed one day, 'If you're still feeling this way next week I know a little man in Fulham and if you would like I could give him a call and he could come down to Weston Super Mare and kill you.' There was a long silence and then she cackled with laughter. So from then on, whenever she said she was depressed I would say, 'So shall I call the man in Fulham?' and she would say, 'Oh no dear, I've got a sherry party on Thursday.'"

Talking about the Python reunion show, he says, "It worked so well because Eric Idle put it all together and took it over and did an absolutely marvellous job producing a show that was probably quite different to a show that any of the other Pythons would have made."

Asked if they might bring it back, he says, "That's it. We all felt it had been very satisfactory and great fun and now we move on. There was no sense of regret at all."

Kevin Pietersen, talking about his book and asked if he knew it would ruffle a few feathers, says, "Yes, but I didn't think it would ruffle this many feathers. I knew I was going tell my side of the story which felt very therapeutic, but my goodness it's gone mad."

Asked if he would play for England again, he says, "Potentially not, no. I've got to accept that. But what I've been lucky to achieve I've got to be grateful for and happy with. There's more to life now and I just get on and do what I need to do."

Talking about Andy Flower and asked if there has been any come back from him about the book, says, "Nothing yet. I'd love him to write a book, but it won't be funny!"

Asked about living through everything again while writing the book and whether there are things he would do differently, he says, "We all make mistakes and I certainly made them. One of the biggest mistakes I made was with Andrew Strauss just before he played his 100th test match. I was involved in the text messaging scandal and there was a bit of mix up that meant one of my best friends, who was a fantastic captain and great cricketer, had his whole week tarnished, a week that should have been one of the great moments of his career. I regret that and am so sorry for that."

Neil Diamond joins Graham for a chat before performing Something Blue from his 41st album, which he describes as, "One of the better ones." And much to the delight of the audience, he gives an impromptu performance of one of his greatest hits, Sweet Caroline.