After nearly 20 years on air, Graham Norton has met some pretty big names over the years.
From A-list actors to pop sensations (Did anyone else catch Taylor Swift on the sofa last Friday? Cillian Murphy, Jodie Turner-Smith and Lewis Capaldi? What a line-up)and viral stars, everyone wants to sit on Graham’s sofa.
However, a producer who works on The Graham Norton Show has revealed the craziest demand the BBC show has ever received from a celebrity.
The comedy talk show first hit screens in 2007, and although originally only set to run for 13 episodes, it proved such a hit that it kept being extended.
Working on the show since the very start has been Graham Stuart, who founded production company So Television with the comedian and talk show host in 1998.
Over the years, their company has produced Norton’s chat shows, including So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton for Channel 4 and The Graham Norton Show for BBC One and BBC Two
There have been plenty of memorable moments on the red couch, but there’s also been some interesting backstage anecdotes that the audience hasn’t had a chance to see.
Although working with famous faces could have seen those manning the production behind the scenes faced with crazy antics, Stuart said it was ‘kind of disappointing’ that he didn’t have many wild stories to draw on.
However, one that he did recall was back when a ‘major star’ put in an incredibly strange request.
‘I can’t give names, but we once had a major artist insist on a second dressing room,’ he told Metro.
‘Which, you know, that’s fair enough.
‘But…it was for their phone.’
Stuart did say they also once cleared another room solely for the purpose of storing Dolly Parton’s wig.
However, he said that if they ever received a demand that was too extreme, it was unlikely they’d bend over backwards to make it happen.
‘This is a really important show for the entertainment business. You’re not going to mess around,’ he said.
‘You can ask for insane things. But why would we, why would we give them?
‘There’s no sorting colours of M and M’s, that sort of thing, although [we do obviously] want to look after people and make them feel comfortable.’
One of the most jaw-dropping moments on the show over the years was in 2013 when Mark Wahlberg’s drunken antics saw him sitting on Norton’s lap and pinching his nipples, repeatedly cutting off fellow guest Sarah Silverman and challenging Michael Fassbender to a ‘big d*** contest’ and even appearing to fall asleep on the couch.
Reflecting on what happened after the cameras stopped rolling, Stuart revealed the actor became ‘more in touch with reality and planet Earth’.
Despite the craziness of what unfolded, Stuart said the actor knew that ‘whatever happened we would make sure what went out was good and fair and honest’ and ‘that’s exactly what went out’.
He added: ‘We love Mark Wahlberg because he’s such a big star. He then came back again and again and again and again. And I say that is a tribute to him and to us definitely.’
Although Stuart said they would never want to push someone on air if they were too inebriated, a 2014 episode where Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Hugh Bonneville arrived on set after the premiere of their movie Monuments Men, made for brilliant TV.
‘I don’t think it’s telling tales to say that they arrived with a case of champagne from the film premiere and that case had been used and they were in a good mood…’ he laughed.
‘That was classic television.’
But he added: ‘We’ve never been in a situation where we thought we can’t put that show out. We never let that happen.’
Fans of the TV series will also now be able to dive back into the archives and catch up on all of their favourite moments with the launch of The Graham Norton Show Channel on Samsung TV Plus, which will feature back-to-back episodes 24/7.
As Stuart explained, it was a ‘really interesting opportunity to play archive shows in their entirety’, but he also added the series would still be on BBC screens every Friday night too.
‘I think the great thing about Norton is that a lot of it is timeless, and we are very proud that we make a show that actually means something to people.’
Recent episodes of The Graham Norton Show are available now on BBC iPlayer.
This article was first published on March 30, 2024.
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