The Graham Norton Show

Tom Hanks talks about being in his first Western; Jessica Chastain says she is still looking for a man for her grandma; Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan talk about their new movie; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall reveals he's not allowed in the kitchen at Christmas; Nish Kumar takes a satirical look back at 2020, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor performs live in the studio.

Tom Hanks joins Graham from Australia for a chat about his new film News Of The World.

Asked about being in a proper western for the first time, he says, "I'm not doing the whole rootin'-tootin' gun kind of thing, but I ride a horse and I drive a wagon. I'm not a rider per se, but I did learn and got to know a fabulous horse called Wimpy. I realise horses would much rather live in a world without humans, they sort of look at you and then decide if they are going to put up with you."

Talking about one particular shoot, he says, "We had to do a scene where we cross a river - we did it over and over again and when they said, 'Let's do it one more time,' the wrangler said, 'Stop, stop, we have to give the horses a break.' We were soaking wet, freezing, exhausted, and were told to do it again, but the horses got a break! We were being treated like cattle while riding the horses that got better treatment!"

Asked whether Helena Zengal, his 12-year old co-star, was aware she was in a 'Tom Hanks' movie, he says "I don't think so. I think she is too young to have seen any of my films. I would test her every now and again and she would shake her head and say, 'That means nothing to me.' I'd say, 'When I worked with Clint Eastwood...' and she'd say, 'Who is Clint Eastwood?'"

Talking about his much publicised gift of a Corona typewriter to a little boy of the same name during the early days of the pandemic, he says, "On one hand he was seeing his name in the paper every day but, on the other hand, it wasn't in the best of circumstances. I travel with a typewriter always and it just happened to be an old Corona machine, so I sent it off to him. What eight-year-old boy suffering from ostracism doesn't appreciate getting a writing apparatus from the 1920s? I am sure he was just thrilled!"

Jessica Chastain joins Graham from New York for a chat about her new spy thriller The 355. Asked about the postponement of the film's release, she says, "At the end of the day it wasn't a very difficult decision to make because I value everyone's safety so much. I was conflicted about asking people to get into large groups and go to the theatre when there is a pandemic, so I am very happy to be patient and to wait until it is safe to be around each other."

Talking about spending time with her beloved grandmother, nicknamed Motorcycle Mama, during the lockdown, she says, "She's an amazing person, but I still haven't found her a man. She's a total catch and I've been posting pictures of her exercising with me - she is very fit!"

Asked about her lockdown series Cooking With Grandma she says, "We were bored out of our minds, so we started cooking together, which was really fun. Because she makes me laugh so much, I just started filming her."

Emily Blunt, talking about Wild Mountain Thyme in which she stars with Jamie, says, "When we read the script, we thought it was so bewitching and completely unique. It is odd, lyrical and romantic so we are just excited for people to see it because it is so uplifting, and it certainly sweeps you away to a magical world. It is just a joy."

Jamie Dornan adds: "John Patrick Shanley [the writer] has a kookiness to his work. His are not normal linear movies, they are all a bit heightened and a bit odd, but the words are beautiful."

Talking about the criticism the film's trailer received because of the challenging Irish accents, Jamie says, "I thought the reaction was funny. I'm from Ireland and our currency is taking the piss, so it's rare to put something out there and not have the piss taken. I'm all for it!"

Asked about the lockdown success of husband John Krasinski's Some Good News, Emily says, "It was completely his invention, his doing. He's wanted to do something like it for the last five years and during the pandemic it seemed like the right time. I think he thought it was going to be this silly sweet thing that nobody would see, and it turned into this massive deal. It became a wild horse in our house that took over. It was so wonderful because it turned the quarantine into something so productive and exciting. I truly was only making banana bread in the background while he did all of it. I think he would like it to continue. It was overwhelming at the time, but he really loved it."

Jamie, talking about lockdown with his family, says, "If you have kids it can make it a lot harder in many respects but also save you in many ways. They take your mind off the daily trauma while living through a pandemic. They would dress me up and I am all for that - particularly, putting on a dress!"

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, asked how many he cooked for on Christmas day, says, "Actually I had a day off from cooking. Last year there was a bit of an intervention and the whole family said I wasn't allowed to get involved. All the big stuff is done by the kids these days. I'm not allowed to cook because I micromanage, and I am a total pain in the kitchen and my whole family hate it and have had enough. It was a success though and I hardly lifted a finger. I loved it!"

Talking about his new book Eat Better Forever, he says: "The idea is to try and cut through this single fixed diet obsession and encourage people to eat more healthily. It's partly an ageing thing, but I have become more and more interested in foods that keep us well."

Nish Kumar, joking about filming The Mash Report during lockdown, says: "I filmed it in my house - it wasn't very glamorous. It was me in my study with disinfected camera equipment feeling like I was making pornography!"

Revealing his mother gave him some advice before coming on the show, he says, "She said, 'You are not famous enough to wear a t-shirt on Graham Norton. Do not stand in front of him in one of your horrible Bob Dylan t-shirts.'"

Nish takes a satirical review of 2020 with his own take on some of the big topics of the year, including Covid-19, Brexit, Donald Trump, and Boris Johnson.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor performs Crying At The Discotheque live in the studio before joining Graham for a chat.

Talking about her husband inspiring her new album, she says, "During the lockdown we felt completely discombobulated stuck at home with our five kids, the stress and tension of our family life, and the heaviness of the news. We felt totally useless. So Richard suggested we do a gig on a Friday as a family to cope. If felt insane doing it live and actually broadcasting it but something about it appealed to me. We started it at the beginning of lockdown and I really thought people were going to laugh at me, but we felt really good afterwards and our brains were tricked into thinking we had just done a gig. We got such a warm response."

And finally, Graham pulls the lever on Nish who volunteers to sit in the Big Red Chair on behalf of audience members from around the world telling their funniest stories.