Graham Norton reveals names of chat show’s most difficult guests
Graham Norton has been reflecting on the most difficult guests from his long-running chat show!
The Irish presenter recently returned to BBC One for a new series of his beloved chat show, The Graham Norton Show. Graham has been hosting the series for almost two decades, as it initially began in 2007.
Now, as the show continues with its 32nd series, Graham has been opening up about some of its biggest disasters from over the years.
In an interview with news.com.au, the 61-year-old admitted that nervousness can often affect whether a celebrity will be an excellent guest.
“Nerves are an odd thing. I remember we had Daryl Hannah on once [in 2002]. And Daryl – I don’t understand this – but weirdly, she can do a play, but she’s terrified of a studio audience. I guess being herself in front of a studio audience makes her terrified. I think they tried to make her do David Letterman once, and she walked out and fainted,” he recalled.
“She did our show, and bless her, she wasn’t a great guest. But what I loved was, because she got through it, afterwards she was high as a kite. She really felt like she’d done an amazing thing. And I was thrilled for her that she had gotten through it. It was still a very poor show,” he teased.
Graham also dispelled the rumour that producers on the show “try to get our guests drunk”, as he explained: “If you want to be drunk – and clearly some people do – you’ve got to arrive pre-liquored.”
Recalling one guest, he detailed: “I remember Mickey Rourke. I just happened to be standing there when he got out of the car, and he was holding a bottle of Jack Daniels, which is already worrying. But then we noticed the bottle of Jack Daniels was half-empty. It soon became very clear where that Jack Daniels had gone.”
Graham added: “Those nights are quite hard work where you’re just trying to keep it together and get to the finishing line.”
The Graham Norton Show continues this Friday (October 11) on BBC One at 10:40pm.
