So Graham Norton
# So Graham Norton

So Graham Norton is a British television chat show hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. It aired on Channel 4 from 3 July 1998 to 1 March 2002.

## Theme

The show was primarily adult-oriented, with host Norton dishing out many sexual innuendos and stories. A staple of the show is the beginning of the programme, which involved large amounts of audience participation (named "So . . .", with the blank filled with a different adjective every show). Audience members would usually share embarrassing stories (nearly always of a sexual nature), and Norton would then sometimes use the same audience members for later games, with real prizes. Also, a recurring segment includes Norton looking for people on the Internet with different fetishes, including balloons, gloves and a lightweight environment.

## Format (timeframe)

The entire series consisted of 5 series. In the later series, the run started around October and ran all the way to February or March. There were shows broadcast during Christmas and New Year's weeks and there was also a millennium special.

## Guests

The guests were not typical talk show guests. Most of them were not there to promote their latest project, but were there at Norton's behest. For example, John Waters only flew to England because he had been invited to appear on the show by Norton since he chose the guests himself. Generally, these were the people that Norton grew up with. There were reality show stars, gay icons, old American television stars and soap stars. There were not many musicians and those who did make an appearance, except for S Club 7, were not there to sing.

## Recurring themes

A running gag on the programme is Norton's obsession with Tarzan, the Ape Man star Miles O'Keeffe. Norton has a framed photo of O'Keeffe as Tarzan and O'Keeffe would often be phoned by Norton.

Betty Hoskins (2 August 1922 – December 2019) was an elderly woman who first appeared on the show as a contestant in one of the mini-games. She was a dinner lady at the drama school that Norton attended. Hoskins featured in many episodes of the show as well as on Norton's subsequent programmes.

## Future

The show was a success and was ultimately extended to five nights a week under a new name V Graham Norton.

## Episode guide

### Series 1

| Date | Episode Number | Guests |
| - | - | - |
| 3 July 1998 | 1 | Ivana Trump, Kathy Burke, and Sooty |
| 10 July 1998 | 2 | George Melly and Ulrika Jonsson |
| 17 July 1998 | 3 | Honor Blackman and David Blaine |
| 24 July 1998 | 4 | Linford Christie and Nanette Newman |
| 31 July 1998 | 5 | Grace Jones and Judith Chalmers |
| 7 August 1998 | 6 | Stephen Fry and Lorraine Kelly |
| 14 August 1998 | 7 | Kylie Minogue and Ian McCaskill |
| 24 December 1998 Christmas special | 8 | Pam St Clement and La Toya Jackson |

### Series 2

| Date | Episode Number | Guests |
| - | - | - |
| 5 February 1999 | 1 | Sophie Dahl and Bo Derek |
| 12 February 1999 | 2 | Sandie Shaw and Alexis Arquette |
| 19 February 1999 | 3 | Brenda Blethyn and Gloria Hunniford |
| 26 February 1999 | 4 | Ursula Andress and Julie Hesmondhalgh |
| 5 March 1999 | 5 | Jan Leeming and Jason Orange |
| 12 March 1999 | 6 | Kate O'Mara and Roy Scheider |
| 19 March 1999 | 7 | Anne Robinson and Miles O'Keeffe |
| 26 March 1999 | 8 | Joan Collins and Marc Almond |
| 2 April 1999 | 9 | Katie Price and Billy Zane |
| 9 April 1999 | 10 | Roger Moore and Philippa Forrester |
| 16 April 1999 | 11 | Fern Britton and Stephanie Beacham |

### Series 3

| Date | Episode Number | Guests |
| - | - | - |
| 19 November 1999 | 1 | Lee Majors and Liz Smith |
| 26 November 1999 | 2 | Twiggy and Huey Morgan |
| 3 December 1999 | 3 | Jackie Stallone and Glenda Jackson |
| 10 December 1999 | 4 | Terry Wogan and Carrie Fisher |
| 17 December 1999 | 5 | Gilbert and George and Adam Rickitt |
| 24 December 1999 Christmas special | 6 | Valerie Singleton, Goldie, and The She Boom Drummers |
| 31 December 1999 Millennium special | 7 | Ivana Trump, Sandra Bernhard, and Raquel Welch |
| 21 January 2000 | 8 | Georgia Taylor, Martin Hancock, Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly |
| 28 January 2000 | 9 | Michael Learned and Trude Mostue |
| 4 February 2000 | 10 | Joan Rivers and Boy George |
| 11 February 2000 | 11 | Jason Priestley and Mo Mowlam |
| 18 February 2000 | 12 | Catherine Deneuve and Zandra Rhodes |
| 25 February 2000 | 13 | Bea Arthur and Stefanie Powers |
| 3 March 2000 | 14 | Julie Goodyear and Patsy Palmer |
| 10 March 2000 | 15 | Lynda Carter and Leslie Nielsen |
| 17 March 2000 | 16 | Naomi Campbell and Jilly Goolden |
| 24 March 2000 | 17 | Richard Wilson and Joan Collins |

### Series 4

| Date | Episode Number | Guests |
| - | - | - |
| 3 November 2000 | 1 | Molly Ringwald and Davina McCall |
| 10 November 2000 | 2 | Lauren Bacall, Natalie Cassidy and Jack Ryder |
| 17 November 2000 | 3 | Patrick Duffy and Sheena Easton |
| 24 November 2000 | 4 | Jane Horrocks and Richard Chamberlain |
| 1 December 2000 | 5 | Macaulay Culkin and Kyle MacLachlan |
| 8 December 2000 | 6 | Hannah Gordon and Barbara Windsor |
| 15 December 2000 | 7 | Marianne Faithfull and Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen |
| 22 December 2000 Christmas special | 8 | Carrie Fisher, Roger Moore, and Nigella Lawson |
| 29 December 2000 | 9 | Jane Seymour and Carol Smillie |
| 12 January 2001 | 10 | Richard Madeley, Judy Finnigan and Sinéad O'Connor |
| 19 January 2001 | 11 | Sarah Brightman and Amanda Donohoe |
| 26 January 2001 | 12 | Martin Kemp and Jane Birkin |
| 2 February 2001 | 13 | Lindsay Wagner and Charlie Dimmock |
| 9 February 2001 | 14 | Melanie Brown and Anneka Rice |
| 16 February 2001 | 15 | Sophia Loren and Ben Fogle |
| 23 February 2001 | 16 | Dolly Parton and Alan Halsall |
| 2 March 2001 | 17 | Richard E. Grant and David Ginola |
| 9 March 2001 | 18 | Elton John and Kim Wilde |
| 16 March 2001 | 19 | William Shatner and Craig Doyle |
| 23 March 2001 | 20 | Lulu and Lynda Bellingham |
| 30 March 2001 | 21 | Ricki Lake and Stephen Gately |
| 6 April 2001 | 22 | Christopher Lambert and Jane McDonald |
| 13 April 2001 | 23 | Donny Osmond and Jacqueline Bisset |
| 20 April 2001 | 24 | Geri Halliwell and Lynn Redgrave |
| 27 April 2001 | 25 | Shannen Doherty and Vicky Entwistle |

### Series 5

| Date | Episode Number | Guests |
| - | - | - |
| 2 November 2001 | 1 | Cher, Jessie Wallace, and Andrea Corr |
| 9 November 2001 | 2 | Jackie Collins and Brian Dowling |
| 16 November 2001 | 3 | Olympia Dukakis and Claire Sweeney |
| 23 November 2001 | 4 | Gérard Depardieu, Anne Robinson, and Belinda Carlisle |
| 30 November 2001 | 5 | Morgan Fairchild, Antoine de Caunes, and Emma Bunton |
| 7 December 2001 | 6 | Jerry Hall and Sylvia Kristel |
| 14 December 2001 | 7 | Dolph Lundgren, Matthew Modine, and Loretta Swit |
| 21 December 2001 Christmas special | 8 | Martine McCutcheon, Alison Moyet, Kate Beckinsale, and S Club 7 |
| 18 January 2002 | 9 | Linda Hamilton, Anne Kirkbride, and Eddie Irvine |
| 25 January 2002 | 10 | Natalie Imbruglia and Simon Cowell |
| 1 February 2002 | 11 | Liza Minnelli and Helena Christensen |
| 8 February 2002 | 12 | John Waters, Helena Bonham Carter, Will Young and Gareth Gates |
| 15 February 2002 | 13 | Victoria Beckham and Matthew Kelly |
| 22 February 2002 | 14 | David Hasselhoff, Gaby Roslin and Charlie Brooks |
| 1 March 2002 | 15 | Cilla Black, Cybill Shepherd and Orlando Bloom |

## Home media

A VHS cassette with the title The Best of So Graham Norton, was made available on VHS cassette in 2000. This was followed by a DVD with the same title in 2004.

