The Graham Norton Show

Has Graham Norton won chat show war over Alan Carr?

Chatty Man has been moved to a different night in a bid to boost Thursday night ratings.

Radio Times review

With Zoolander 2 stars Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Penélope Cruz in the house, it's safe to say the Graham Norton sofa is really, really, ridiculously good-looking. The chat-show host will be catching up with the trio and also entertaining Jack Black, who's stopping by to talk about his new big-screen adaptation of RL Stine's classic Goosebumps books. And as if that wasn't enough, Sir Elton John is on hand to provide a tune, chatting and performing Blue Wonderful from his new album. Friday night's all right for dancing too, y'know. Go on, have a shimmy on the sofa.

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, stars of Ride Along 2 (sadly, the original action comedy didn't immediately evaporate on contact with auditoriums), join the cheeky pixie from Clondalkin to flog their product. Elsewhere, well, you know the drill: an audience member will be invited to the red chair to tell a true-life tale that will shock and amaze anybody who's never thrown up or passed wind, before being flipped into chatshow purgatory. Can't we just have Miriam Margolyes back again?

Radio Times review

If there's one man who knows how to put on a show on Graham Norton's red sofa it's Will Smith. The Fresh Prince traditionally offers up a special surprise of a Friday night with Norton: a dance party reunion featuring Smith's former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro and our Graham doing "The Carlton" gained millions of views on YouTube.

He's in to talk about American football drama Concussion this time around, but with Ryan Reynolds discussing devious superhero flick Deadpool and Dad's Army reboot stars Catherine Zeta Jones and Toby Jones completing the line up, there's bound to be seriously explosive fun.

Radio Times review

Our Graham's known for putting together quite the celebrity sofa to ring in the New Year and with 2016 imminent, he doesn't disappoint. Local lad done good Eddie Redmayne (who joined Norton on the sofa this time last year too) is back for another night of New Year magic alongside Hollywood's Queen of 2015, Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are making up the numbers as they drop by to talk about their latest film comedy, Daddy's Home, and music makers Years & Years join the merry bunch in the studio to sing out 2015 with their hit song, Shine.

Radio Times review

The Force Awakens is here! Surely you've seen it already? If not, build the excitement still further with a sofa full of Star Wars stars. Carrie Fisher, the original Princess Leia - back for the new movie, albeit no longer as merely a princess, but as General Leia - is on the show, which is good news given her fondness for talking bluntly and frankly.

Her younger co-stars John Boyega and Daisy Ridley might be more circumspect, although Boyega has shown great wit and equanimity in the face of a few crackpots who think a story about spaceships and aliens shouldn't feature black actors.

Also chatting, and singing: Kylie Minogue.

Tonight's guests include Quentin Tarantino and Kurt Russell, touting their ensemble western The Hateful Eight. Tina Fey joins Amy Poehler to promote their new flick, Sisters, which they didn't write but, judging by the trailer, they should have done. Music comes from Sia, who will perform her new single from behind the now customary face curtain.

Ever adept at attracting top-line talent, Graham welcomes Thor star Chris Hemsworth and director Ron Howard (Apollo 13) to his sofa. The duo plug cinematic epic In the Heart of the Sea, based on Nathaniel Philbrick's account of the real-life whaling expedition that inspired Moby-Dick. Lily Tomlin, tipped for an Oscar for her role in Grandma, also guests, as does comedian Kevin Bridges. Blake and Dame Shirley Bassey, who have collaborated on a new Christmas single, provide the musical entertainment.

7 times Benedict Cumberbatch was the best guest

7 times Benedict Cumberbatch proved he's the best Graham Norton guest.

Radio Times review

Maggie Smith doesn't need to do chat shows, so she usually doesn't. The latest coup for Graham Norton is that he's persuaded Smith to grace a TV sofa for the first time in 42 years, to discuss her new film, Alan Bennett's The Lady in the Van - and to discuss the end of Downton Abbey, no doubt.

Alongside the Dame are her co-star Alex Jennings; Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, the two leads in new chef drama Burnt; and the ever-regal Cindy Crawford, who's 50 next year and has a coffee-table photo-memoir out. Justin Bieber more or less provides music.