Years ago, very early doors, we were having Dustin Hoffman on and he’s a big name. But I was thinking, oh god, it’s going to be so serious and dull because of all those stories about him being a method actor … and he came on and he was like a clown. He was just so funny, wanted to tell jokes, he just wanted to have a nice time and [I] discovered the pleasure of being Dustin Hoffman. There have been others over the years, but he’s the one that sticks in my head as being the most pleasant surprise. There have been some that went the other way …
Have you ever got along so well with a guest that you have become friends after a show? – Aaron
Not really. There is such a gulf between the couch and my chair. Often the guests become friends, but I am, in the end, sort of their comedy butler. I’m just there to oil the wheels of conversation and hope that everything goes well. I went out for dinner with Stanley Tucci a couple of times, and … Helen Mirren, but then really that was because I live near her. Tina Fey, but that was because I worked with her on something else, so it’s rarely because of the show that I get to know the celebs.
Norton hosted The Graham Norton Effect in 2004.
What’s one thing that you’re really proud of achieving? – Sarah
It’s hard to narrow down, but I suppose not having to get a proper job is the thing I’m proudest of. I remember back when I was a failed actor, working in restaurants, I remember when I started making enough money doing stand-up that I was able to give up the restaurant job and still pay my rent. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder than that. That was the moment that my whole life changed, where I was my own boss, I was creating my own work and doing something I wanted to do. And so everything else has been butter on bacon, as they say in Norway. That might sound pretentious, but it’s genuinely the thing I was proudest of and still am.
You’ve been a professional agony uncle over the years. Is honesty always the best policy? – Sophie
No, it is not! Everybody knows that. There are times when it pays to lie. It’s kinder to lie. No one is going to thank you for that particular truth. There are times when yes, you need to be honest with people; if they’re sailing off into the land of delusion or they’re interested in a dating situation in a certain way and you think, no you’re wrong. Then I think it’s important to be honest, but so many times in life, it is just kinder to tell a lie. If it doesn’t hurt anybody and in fact, it avoids pain.
You visited New Zealand earlier this year. How special was it to visit the winery that produces the wine that carries your name? – Phil
You know what? It was very special. And I knew it was going to be because I’d never been there before, so I was going to see all these places and meet all these people, but it still took me by surprise. It was really special because when you’re there, you realise, wow, these people are kind of at the top of their game. These people are producing some of, if not the best, sauvignon blanc in the world – that’s what their passion is. And I love meeting people who are passionate about something that I don’t know much about because it’s contagious. And also, we sat outside and had this lunch in a garden in Marlborough and, yeah, I have to say the wine did hit differently sitting there in the sunshine.
What is your greatest indulgence? – Kevin
Time! I waste an awful lot of time.
How can that be? You are so prolific.
I do give [that] impression and when people list everything I’m up to, I do think, “I sound really busy”. But you don’t know that I’ve been sitting in a room for three days staring at a wall. I just work in little bursts. So time is my greatest indulgence and I feel like I ought to use it better. Because as you get older, you think, isn’t time supposed to be more precious than this? I’m not supposed to be phone scrolling. I’m 62, I’ve got things to do.
What have your guests taught you about success? – Courtney
We all think becoming successful is the hard bit, but actually hanging on to success is the hard bit. Over the years, I’ve interviewed so many people who are the actor or actress of the moment, the hitmaker, and we’re so excited to have them on the show and it’s a big deal – and now, we wouldn’t thank you for them. It’s those big ones who still have that drawing power. You look at someone like Cher and that is a career. She’s maintained her stardom, and in fact I would say increased it. She’s not just another famous person – she’s her own kind of myth and legend and icon. That’s the thing to aim for.
Ewan McGregor and Sam Neill play the ukulele on Graham Norton. Photo / Youtube
Do you think some of those younger stars take a little bit of that away from you and your career as well?
I don’t know. There are different young performers I meet: the ones who think they have done it, that they’ve cracked it and you’re just thinking, “you have no idea. You’ve got one hit series and that does not make a whole career”. Then there are the young people who might not even be as famous as that other one, but they’re on the couch and you can see them working. You can see them thinking and just being smart. And you think, you’re going to last, you’re going to be around for a while – even if you’re not a big star, you’ll work, you’ll find success in something because you’re not taking it for granted. You’re still engaged and curious and ambitious. And I think those are the things young people need. I imagine they look at me and think, “how sad, he’s still working”.
How is Graham Norton at 62 different from Graham Norton at 26? – Hamish
I have a new shoulder! After I got home from New Zealand and Australia [in April], I went under the knife and got a new shoulder – so that’s a difference. But at 26, I was more judgmental and snarky and less tolerant. I had very fixed ideas. I felt there were things that were right and wrong, and good people and bad people. And by 62, the edges get knocked off and you figure out life’s not that simple and really, most of us live our lives in a kind of blurry grey area and we’re lucky to just muddle through.
Is there a biggest or most memorable gaff you’ve made while interviewing someone? – Jan
I was talking to Elizabeth McGovern, from Downton Abbey. She came on and I said, “please welcome Elizabeth McGovern”. But then, during the show, I don’t know why, but I said her full name rather than just calling her Elizabeth. And I saw her little face kind of react and I thought, what was that about? And it turned out I was calling her Elizabeth Montgomery – who is the dead star of Bewitched. Bless her, she didn’t say anything – she just let me do it. But that’s as bad as it gets, if you can’t get the guest’s name right!
Taylor Swift will be on the couch for one of your first shows this season. What’s your favourite Swift era? – Jen
Oh! I liked both of her lockdown ones. But I like the early stuff too. It’s all good. And I am excited to hear this new album – I guess I might get a bit of an early listen. I can tell you, it’ll be a big day in this house when the Taylor Swift album arrives. That is a testament to her, isn’t it? That there’s some 62-year-old gay man excited about her music. Maybe she should pack up!
If you were a Late Night host in the US right now, how would your show be different? – Mark
I don’t think it would be. I think it would be the same because we got rid of politics and topical jokes quite a long time ago – they are divisive. They do alienate bits of your audience, and I don’t want to do that. I think the big difference in Britain is that we still have news. You can watch the news, and there’s decent analysis of current affairs and what’s going on, so you don’t need the host of a Late Night show to tell you what’s happening. Whereas in America, their news is so bad that people genuinely, I think, tune into Late Night shows to get their news. And it might be jaundiced, and it might be full of jokes, but it’s better than the news that was just on before them.
The Graham Norton Show starts next Friday, 7.30pm, TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+
Bridget Jones joined the New Zealand Herald in 2025. She has been a lifestyle and entertainment journalist and editor for more than 15 years.