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 - 2024
  • 514 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 27, Episode 3 - Chris Hemsworth, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Richard E Grant, Joe Lycett, Jessie Ware

Chris Hemsworth admits his home-schooling skills are not up to scratch; Richard E Grant is amused by his Withnail and Isolation quotes; Phoebe Waller-Bridge says she was shocked when she revisited Fleabag's original stage script; Joe Lycett shows off his kitchen extension; and Jessie Ware performs live from her daughter's bedroom.

Preview clips

Further details

Chris Hemsworth joins Graham from Australia for a chat.

Talking about his new action movie Extraction he says "It is the first time with Netflix and for it to come out at this time is a great opportunity to give people a bit of escapism and some entertainment for a couple of hours."

Asked about the huge scale of the movie, he says, "It is a throwback to films of the 80s and 90s - the Jackie Chan films where there's just so much choreography and very limited special effects. You just can't hide behind the editing or doubles. It's you, right there in centre frame in amongst the chaos. It's the most exhausting thing I have ever shot."

Talking about home schooling during the lockdown, he jokes, "I barely passed school myself and now I am expected to teach my children! I have decided that my family will come out of this a bit dumber and a bit behind. If it was a movie, I could 'Good Will Hunting' through the process and it would be very impressive. It's not like real life unfortunately!"

Having been on Graham's show many times before and having said that his Thor hammer is at home in Australia, Chris proves his superpowers have not deserted him in isolation.

Richard E Grant joins Graham to chat about his new series Dispatches From Elsewhere.

Asked to explain the premise of the series and his character, he says, "It's a Wizard Of Oz type journey. Everyone is uber controlled by me, but I have no idea if I am a baddie or a goodie! Sally Field and I signed up for it having known what the first four episodes were going to be, but with no idea of how it ended."

Talking about his Withnail and Isolation tweets, he says, "It started with just one request for me to quote from the film and it just snowballed. People just keep asking - I feel like a human jukebox! It's the only script in 40 years of showbusiness that I can remember all the lines of dialogue - they amused me then and they amuse me now!"

Phoebe Waller-Bridge joins Graham for a chat from her home.

Talking about her online Fleabag charity fundraiser, she says, "Last year's stage show recording is the only bit of Fleabag that I haven't completely rinsed dry out in the world! So why not do it for a good cause."

Asked more about the stage version, Phoebe says, "I was in my mid 20s when I did it originally and everyone involved was full of attitude, and totally unapologetic about what we wanted to say and do with the work. When I re-mounted it in New York in my early 30s I remember in the first rehearsal opening the script - which is quite a lot edgier that the TV show - and genuinely being quite shocked and a bit embarrassed. I really didn't think I could say some of the lines. But once I got back into the character it was a lot easier."

Showing off the penis wall featured in Fleabag that's now propped in her hallway, Pheobe jokes, "Yes, they are all here keeping me company!" Adding, "We put it there temporarily because we didn't know what to do with it - putting it in the kitchen felt too intense and putting it in one of the bedrooms can never go down well!

"You know how things in your own house become invisible to you? I'd completely forgotten about the 12 massive penises by the front door and a while ago a delivery man came in and bashed against them... suddenly they became so visible to me and when I said sorry, he looked me in the eye and said, 'It's art, never apologise for art.'"

Joe Lycett joins Graham for a chat from his kitchen extension which he proudly shows off, having had it officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. He says, "She refused to do it at first because it was a private property, so I sold tickets and made it a public event!"

Talking about his TV show Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, he says, "It's like Watchdog with jokes."

Joe shows Graham his favourite victory of the series against one of the world biggest companies.

Jessie Ware performs Spotlight live from her daughter's disco light-filled bedroom.

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 24th April 2020
Time
9pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Cast & crew

Cast
Graham Norton Host / Presenter
Guest cast
Chris Hemsworth Guest
Jessie Ware Guest
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Guest
Joe Lycett Guest
Richard E. Grant Guest
Writing team
Rob Colley Writer
Dan Gaster 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

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's penis wall

Phoebe Waller-Bridge reveals the rude prop she's kept, which resulted in a mishap.

Featuring: Graham Norton & Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Richard E Grant does Withnail And Isolation

Richard E Grant talks about how he's handling the lockdown.

Featuring: Graham Norton & Richard E. Grant.

Chris Hemsworth's voice makes mothers swoon

Chris Hemsworth talks about the unintentional audience from his bed time story app.

Featuring: Graham Norton & Chris Hemsworth.

Press

How long can "live" shows, especially those allegedly based on wit, survive video-calling and self-isolation? Graham Norton seems to work, chiefly because he's good, and talking one to one, with decent guests, and pauses before question and answer. Plus, he gets to mull on the concept of his own show, the big red chair being designed to let "ordinary" people tell their own "stories": "That's the concept anyway. In practice, it's usually New Zealanders telling how they shat themselves."

Euan Ferguson, The Observer, 26th April 2020

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