Graham Norton has revealed the name of a guest on his late-night talk show who proved so challenging that the chat was ‘hell’ for him.
During a recent appearance at the Henley Literary Festival, Norton opened up about his infamous interview with Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg, who appeared on the BBC show in 2013.
In the 15th episode of the programme’s 12th season, Wahlberg came on to promote his new film, Broken City.
During the taping, Wahlberg climbed onto Norton’s lap, stroked the presenter’s nipples, and flipped a nurse on the red chair before she could even begin to tell her story.
While recalling the incident at the literary festival, Norton said, according to The Independent: ‘Mark Wahlberg was a weird one because when he arrived, he didn’t seem drunk.
‘He told me about his film, told me a couple of stories about stunts going wrong or whatever, and then it was only 15 minutes into the show when whatever the hell was in his system really took hold – and it was hell.’
The Italian Job actor was appearing on the couch alongside Sarah Silverman and Michael Fassbender.
Norton went on to explain how Wahlberg’s behaviour made it difficult for the guests.
He said: ‘No one could tell a story. You tried to tell a story, he’d just interrupt and, at one stage, Michael Fassbender was telling a story, […]
‘I thought. “This one is going well – I wonder why,’ and I looked over at Mark Wahlberg and he was asleep. So yeah, we don’t encourage that.’
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- Will.i.am, Miriam Margolyes, and Greg Davies – series 11, episode 11: The unlikely trio, favoured by fans on Reddit, humoured audiences as they discussed will.i.am’s encounter with Prince William at the Jubilee celebrations.
- Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and Hugh Bonneville – series 14, episode 16: This episode gets special mention from viewers for being ‘an absolute riot’, as the Hollywood stars learn about the ITV series, Downton Abbey.
- Joan Rivers, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Clarkson and James May – series – series 12, episode 6: The 2012 episode is cherry-picked by fans as a favourite, as the American comedian and actress discusses ageing with the Top Gear hosts.
Addressing rumours that the show is responsible for getting the guests drunk, Norton said: ‘We really don’t. There’ll be a drink waiting for you if you want one and then, while we’re showing a clip or getting the music ready, they might be able to rush in and top you up, but the most you can have is two, three tops.’
He added: ‘If you ever see a drunk person on the show, it’s because they’ve arrived drunk – we have not made that happen,’.
Six months after his unforgettable interview on The Graham Norton Show aired, Wahlberg addressed his behaviour in an interview with Digital Spy.
He said: ‘Sarah Silverman and I talked about doing something funny, trying to do a bit, and some people took it a little too seriously.’
Wahlberg added: ‘I had a blast.’
The Graham Norton Show returns on Friday at 10.40pm and is available to stream on iPlayer.
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