British Comedy Guide
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 - 2025
  • 515 episodes (32 series)

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

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Series 22, Episode 3 - Jane Fonda, Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, Matt Lucas, Niall Horan

Jane Fonda believes Nixon was responsible for her arrest in 1970, Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell talk about their "very dark" new movie, Bryan Cranston reveals how he gets even with rude audience members, Matt Lucas talks about his new book, and Niall Horan performs live in the studio.

Preview clips

Further details

Nicole Kidman, congratulated on her Best Actress Emmy for Big Little Lies, she says, "Reese [Witherspoon] and I won that together. We produced it and worked our butts off to get it made so it really is our award."

Talking about her new film, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, in which she stars with Colin Farrell, says, "The director [Yorgos Lanthimos] is a very particular film maker. It is very dark but I found it fascinating to morph into what he wanted." Colin interjects, "I think Yorgos thought he had made an outright comedy. But I found it pretty dark and I was depressed by it."

Colin, talking more about the film, and asked about the preparation he did for his character - a cardiologist - he says, "I attended a real heart bypass surgery - it was disturbing and fascinating. I turned green and had to step out of the room. Even though the patient was alive and survived, it screamed 'cadaver.'"

Revealing he is sometimes mistaken for Colin Firth, Colin says, "Even though he beats me by an Oscar, about ten inches and a lot more decorum. I tried to sign up for gym once and the woman got on the phone to sort out the membership and she said in a rather loud whisper, 'Colin Firth is here.'"

Bryan Cranston, talking about preparing for his role in Breaking Bad, says "The drug enforcement chemist showed us how to make crystal meth. It's very interesting, intricate and dangerous."

Talking about his upcoming role in Network at the National Theatre, and asked how he might deal with any rude members of the audiences, he recalls, "There has been some poor behaviour in the theatre. I was working on Broadway and I noticed a kid in the front row who was clearly using his mobile phone and it drew my attention. I got quite angry and I changed my blocking on the stage. When I had a big speech that was full of bluster and I knew there would be a certain amount of expectorant I lined myself up so he was the target. I was spewing and he was dodging!"

Matt Lucas, talking about preparing for roles says: "I was in a film in LA where I had to do an American accent. I didn't stay in character but I decided to stay in the dialect throughout filming. I texted my mum ahead of a call to warn her I would be using an American accent and it might be a bit weird. Then when I called and said, 'Hi mom,' she replied, 'G'day mate!'

Asked about his new book Little Me: My Life from A-Z he says, "It's basically a love letter to chocolate." Adding, "The one thing most people ask me is what's it like to be famous so I've written a whole chapter on what it like to be a B-lister!" On some of his more famous catchphrases he says, "People come up to me a lot and say, 'Are you bovvered?' I say 'I'm absolutely fine dear because you are mistaking me for Catherine Tate!'"

Jane Fonda joins Graham and his other guests for a chat. Talking about her upcoming 80th birthday, she says, "I never thought I would live this long, much less be working at my age. It's amazing."

Asked if she enjoyed making Barbarella, she jokes, "I've burned all the films my husband [Roger Vadim] made! He was directing the movie, our marriage was falling apart and it was not an easy movie to make. Years later when I had a sense of humour again, which took a while, I kind of enjoyed it. It was quite campy and fun."

Talking about reuniting with Robert Redford 50 years after they starred in Barefoot in the Park, for their new film Our Souls at Night, Jane says, "It is like bookends to our careers." Asked if she is retiring as Robert Redford says he is, she says, "I'm not stopping." Adding jokingly, "He says he is and he should because he is too old!"

Asked about working with her father [Henry Fonda] and Katherine Hepburn in On Golden Pond, she says, "Katherine was very prickly and told me outright that she didn't like me much. I did the film for him because he was dying but she taught me the most and I gained her respect for doing my own stunt. But then when I rang to congratulate her on receiving an Oscar for the film she said, 'You'll never catch me now.' She had won three Oscars and I had won two - she was so competitive."

Revealing her belief that it was the US government behind her arrest in 1970, she says, "Nixon had it in for me." Explaining why she was arrested she said, "In those days I took a lot of vitamin pills and I had them in little plastic envelopes marked 'B.L.D.' - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - and they said I was smuggling drugs. The arresting officer told me the order came from the White House."

Niall Horan performs Too Much to Ask live in the studio before joining Graham for a chat.

Broadcast details

Date
Friday 13th October 2017
Time
10:35pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
45 minutes
Recorded
  • Thursday 12th October 2017, 18:15 at The London Studios

Cast & crew

Cast
Graham Norton Host / Presenter
Guest cast
Colin Farrell Guest
Matt Lucas Guest
Nicole Kidman Guest
Niall Horan Guest
Bryan Cranston Guest
Jane Fonda Guest
Writing team
Rob Colley Writer
Christine Rose Writer
Production team
Steve Smith Director
Jon Magnusson Series Producer
Pete Snell Producer
Vicky Taylor Producer
Kate Radcliffe Producer
Graham Stuart Executive Producer
Catherine Strauss Line Producer
Perry Widdowson Editor
Chris Webster Production Designer
Lindsey McLean Costume Designer
Mandy Furlonger Make-up Designer
Chris Rigby Lighting Designer
Jonathan Whitehead (as Trellis) Composer
Kerry Hussain Graphics

Videos

Colin Farrell or Colin Firth

Colin Farrell keeps getting mistaken for Colin Firth and Matt Lucas is getting used to being 'B-List' famous.

Featuring: Graham Norton, Colin Farrell, Matt Lucas, Nicole Kidman & Bryan Cranston.

Jane Fonda talks about turning 80

The actress discusses how she started and ended her career sleeping with Robert Redford!

Featuring: Graham Norton, Colin Farrell, Matt Lucas, Nicole Kidman, Bryan Cranston & Jane Fonda.

Bryan Cranston - Tunnel sex

Bryan Cranston talks about having got caught having sex in a tunnel in the Alps.

Featuring: Graham Norton, Colin Farrell, Matt Lucas, Nicole Kidman & Bryan Cranston.

Nicole Kidman's 50th

It sounds like Nicole Kidman had a good 50th birthday!

Featuring: Graham Norton, Colin Farrell, Matt Lucas, Nicole Kidman & Bryan Cranston.

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