Here’s when The Graham Norton Show (finally) returns to screens

Sep 12, 2019

The BBC has finally confirmed when The Graham Norton Show will be returning to our screens, and it's sooner than you might think.

We've been lost without our weekly dose of the Cork native's dry wit and white wine, as well as his illustrious guests and endless red chair banter.

The BAFTA and TV Choice Award-winning chat show will be back for a new series (number 26) on Friday, September 27 on BBC One at 10:35pm.

Joining Graham on the red couch will be Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren, who will promote her new TV drama Catherine the Great; comedian and actor Jack Whitehall; documentary maker Simon Reeve; and the legendary RuPaul.

The iconic drag queen will be bringing his hit show RuPaul's Drag Race UK to the BBC on October 3, which should prove an instant hit judging by how incredibly successful the US version has been.

The music of the evening will be provided by former Fifth Harmony bandmember NORMANI, who will perform her new single Motivation.

The Graham Norton Show has been on air for over 10 years, if you can believe how fast that time went.

Some of the most hilarious and memorable TV moments and interviews in chat show history have taken place on the host's fluffy red couch.

Irish comedian and Eurovision presenter Graham has been on his summer holidays, and deserves the break, but the show will run from September until February this year and then from April until June.

While we wait for September 27, let's enjoy some of last season's funniest moments and put our feet up;

Feature image: Instagram/@thegrahamnortonshow

The Graham Norton Show tonight is the best bits of the series

Jun 28, 2019

by Staff Writer

We made it!

The weekend is upon us and that means a glass of wine and putting our feet up in front of Friday night TV, right?

The Graham Norton Show might be done for the summer (Boo!) but fear not, a tonight we have the best bits from this series will be on in place of the usual show.

TONIGHT! Join @tomhanks, @GwynethPaltrow, @TomHolland1996, Jake Gyllenhaal, @Stormzy! 10:35pm on @BBCOne #TheGNShow pic.twitter.com/A2WpTU6kUR

— Graham Norton Show (@TheGNShow) June 21, 2019

So no new guests but a whole lot of laughs from famous faces – usually while they enjoy a civilised glass or two of alcohol.

What's not to love?

So, as always, Graham Norton has a gift for making A-List Oscar winners get tipsy and act like they're hanging out in a friends' living room as well as effortlessly being HILARIOUS and making any guest be it a Hollywood movie star or a little-known newcomer feel relaxed.

Tonight we will be treated to show highlights with guests like Will Smith, Madonna, Chris Hemsworth, Taylor Swift, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, Taron Egerton, and Sir Ian McKellen.

Get the snacks in and enjoy a feel-good show with Graham doing what he does best.

The Graham Norton Show is on BBC One tonight, June 28 at 10.35pm.

Tune in: The Late Late line up actually isn’t half-bad this week

May 9, 2019

by Staff Writer

Happy almost-weekend everyone!

We've made it through another week and what's waiting for us at the other end of it is deliciously relaxing.

Couch, a cup of tea/mug of hot chocolate/glass of wine and the Late Late Show on the TV – what more could you want?

So let's get stuck into the line-up and see what guests Tubs will be talking to this week.

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It was the longest-running murder trial in Irish criminal history which gripped the nation for 13 weeks, and on Friday night Bobby Ryan’s children Michelle and Robert will join host Ryan Tubridy to speak about their father and the sentencing of Patrick Quirke.

Then on a lighter note, chart-topping band Kodaline will be in for a chat ahead of their Dublin shows later this month – and you can catch them performing their latest single Brother.

Then Ireland's answer to Lena Dunham will be chatting all things to do with her new book, Can I Say No?

She will be telling Ryan about how we've lost the ability to say no and how, by reacquainting ourselves with this two letter word, we can go on to live happier, less stressful and more fulfilling lives.

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Then – a bit of nostalgia for those Leaving Cert days – remember them?

With just under a month to go until the LC begins, Ryan will catch up with 6 students from around the country who are currently preparing for the exams and will find out about the stresses, pressures, and ups and downs facing Irish teens.

We’ll also have the first Late Late Show birth as we meet the robot being used to teach medical students about the process of having a baby as well as tunes from SYML.

Don't miss it lads – tune into The Late Late Show, RTÉ One, Friday, May 10 at 9.35pm.

Late Late Show: Eurovision fans, you have to tune in with this line-up

Apr 26, 2019

by Staff Writer

Happy Friday everyone.

We've made it through another week and its time to put the feet up and relax in front of – what else? – the Late Late.

This weeks array of guests is a great mix and fans of the Eurovision are in for a treat.

First up, TV star Baz Ashmawy will join Tubs to talk all things about his new show where he helps participants to embark on a journey of discovery to achieve something they wouldn’t have thought was possible.

Baz will tell the unlikely story of dairy farmer Jimmy Byrne from Louth (among others), who wants to put on a play when nobody is taking him seriously.

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U's coming up to Eurovision time and we couldn't be more excited.

Its been a quarter of a century since Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids were victorious at the Point Theatre in Dublin, and to celebrate, we’ll have a special performance of the song by Paul Harrington, Niamh Farrell from Ham Sandwich, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Ryan O’Shaughnessy and the Line-Up Choir.

Linda Martin, Paul Harrington, Rory Cowan and Mary Coughlan will also join Ryan to discuss this year’s contest, and Sarah McTernan will perform Ireland’s 2019 entry, 22.

Ahead of the Irish Open in July, Paul McGinley will be on to discuss how preparations are coming along, and why he wants this tournament to be the biggest one yet.

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As well as that, the Benhaffaf twins, Hassan and Hussein, made international headlines this week after Hollywood actor Tom Hanks sent them a personalised Toy Story video.

They will be on the show to talk about how they felt when they saw the message, and we’re also joined by Míceál O'Hurley who reached out to Tom Hanks to organise the surprise.

We will also hear the story of Colette Ryan, who was just two years old when she disappeared while on holiday with her family 44 years ago, from the then Mosney holiday camp in Co Meath.

World Autism Day is this month and to celebrate, we’ll also be meeting Nicholas Ryan Purcell who is a budding filmmaker with Asperger syndrome, and Ryan will be joined by three mothers and their three children to discuss the realities of living with autism.

It's a jam-packed line-up and we can't wait to sit back and relax tonight in front of it.

It's all on The Late Late Show, RTÉ One, Friday, April 26 at 9.35pm.

THIS fab Late Late line-up means you’ll be staying in tonight

Apr 19, 2019

by Staff Writer

What's Friday night without the Late Late?

The line-ups have been great this year and with Tubs at the helm, we've really been enjoying it.

So who will be getting grilled tonight?

Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar will natter to Ryan about his role as Superintendent Ted Hastings in one of the most applauded TV shows of the last decade, his illustrious career and reflect on what it was like growing up in Northern Ireland.

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Then we have former Kerry footballer Pat Spillane who, in 2017 when an action plan to positively develop rural Ireland was launched, was appointed to work with local communities and relay concerns back to the government.

Two years on, Pat joins Ryan to talk about if enough is being done to save rural Ireland.

For a bit of glam, we have Editor-in-chief of US Glamour magazine Samantha Barry and TV presenter Laura Whitmore on their work in the media industry.

The pair will join Ryan to talk about everything from their beginnings in Ballincollig and Bray to why it’s so important to them that women support each other.

After that, Portarlington native Fr Sean Hyland will open up about how he had a successful career as an electrical engineer, but after the deaths of his two children Seana and Ciaran, and then the death of his wife Liz, he decided to become a priest in his 60s.

Similarly, Niall McDonagh’s journey to find faith came about following a string of family tragedies, when the death of his brother, father and cousin left him bereft.

Both men join Ryan to chat about grief and why they turned to religion to cope.

Another guest is Dessie Fitzgerald who was a talented hurler living an ordinary, happy life when a spate of life changing events in one year led him to hit rock bottom.

Then we have World Naked Bike Ride is an annual, worldwide event that highlights the vulnerability of cyclists on the roads, with full or partial nudity encouraged and participants urged to “bare as you dare".

To celebrate the event in Cork on the June 8, we’ll have 16 cyclists in their birthday suits riding through The Late Late Show studio.

Music will be from Gavin James and Cork band True Tides.

Tune in to The Late Late Show, RTÉ One, Friday, April 19 at 9.35pm

Ellen DeGeneres is considering LEAVING her daytime talk show

Dec 12, 2018

by Amber Saunders

The reigning queen of daytime talk TV, Ellen DeGeneres, has spoken about the future of her hugely popular show while out promoting her upcoming Netflix stand-up special, Relatable.

In an interview with The New York Times, the comedy star speaks about her desire to return to acting one day, and maybe even play an 'unappealing' role for once. SOB.

The infamous host evidently wants to explore more of her own personality, as opposed to continuing with her sixteen-year long programme, The Ellen Show.

One of the reasons why Ellen may need a bit of a breather from her show is most likely because of her ultra-nice reputation, which might refrain her from showing other parts of her emotional range;

“The talk show is me, but I’m also playing a character of a talk-show host. There’s a tiny, tiny bit of difference," she says.

She comments on how she can't do anything even slightly rude, no matter the circumstances, as everyone expects her to show her sunny side constantly, or else to break into dance…

She can't even beep a pedestrian who walks out in front of her car, even if it's just the Biebs prancing around in the snow:

Her show rarely has anything negative or serious, unless she's mentioning tragedies or natural disasters taking place in America or around the world for humanitarian efforts.

In fact, she almost didn't extend her contract until 2020- imagine, a world without her show? We just can't.

She discusses the different stances which her brother and wife Portia De Rossi take on the future of her talk show.

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Vance believes that his sister needs to remain the beacon of light and hope until at least the current US President resigns (they need her, so badly), whereas Portia thinks her wife should explore other creative outlets;

“I just think she’s such a brilliant actress and standup that it doesn’t have to be this talk show for her creativity. There are other things she could tackle.”

There must be a ridiculous amount of pressure on Ellen's shoulders, the world would potentially shut down if she even uttered a curse word.

We hope she doesn't leave our screens too soon, but Ellen would undoubtedly go on to even greater projects- she's clearly got talent in any role she takes on.

Her anticipated stand-up show Relatable which streams on Netflix on December 18.