DRINK UP
Graham Norton reveals strict BBC alcohol rule for hit chat show amid claims bosses try and get guests ‘drunk’
Mark Wahlberg made a memorable appearance on the show while intoxicated
GRAHAM Norton has responded to claims that guests on his are plied with alcohol before filming.
The talk show host, who has been interviewing celebs on screen since 2007, revealed that some guests do arrive already drunk - but the BBC has a strict rule about giving them alcohol.
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Celebrities from all over the world have appeared on The Graham Norton Show, which has provided quality entertainment over the years.
Some particularly memorable moments have included tipsy and drunk guests, which has led viewers to believe that they are encouraged to drink during their appearance on the show.
Speaking to , Graham, 61, explained this is absolutely not the case.
“A lot of people think we try to get our guests drunk and we really don’t,” he said.
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The BBC actually has a strict rule for alcohol, the host revealed.
They do offer the celebs a drink so they can have some fun or to calm their nerves, but there is a limit.
“There is a drink waiting for them out there if they want it, but the most you can really have is two or three drinks, tops.
“If you want to be drunk – and clearly some people do – you’ve got to arrive pre-liquored,” Graham explained.
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Recalling a particularly memorable appearance by Mickey Rourke, who sat on the red couch in 2008 alongside Jessica Biel and Martha Wainwright, Graham said it was “hard work” to keep things on track.
“I remember Mickey Rourke [was a guest]. I just happened to be standing there when he got out of the car, and he was holding a bottle of Jack Daniels, which is already worrying,” Graham explained.
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He continued: “But then we noticed the bottle of Jack Daniels was half-empty. It soon became very clear where that Jack Daniels had gone.
“Those nights are quite hard work where you’re just trying to keep it together and get to the finishing line.”
Last year the show’s long-time producer Graham Stuart also spoke to Metro about some other guests who were notably under the influence on air.
In 2013, Mark Wahlberg’s drunken antics saw him sitting on the host’s lap and pinching his nipples while repeatedly interrupting fellow guest Sarah Silverman. He also challenged Michael Fassbender to a ‘big d*** contest’ and appeared to fall asleep on the sofa in the studio.
Graham Norton's career to date
Graham Norton is one of the U.K. most beloved presenters. Take a closer look at his career to date...
- Graham Norton got his start at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the 1990s performing a stand-up comedy drag act as a tea-towel-clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta before he moved into the world of broadcasting.
- He hosted short-lived TV shows like Carnal Knowledge and Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment before he landed his a gig hosting his own chat show, So Graham Norton, for five series.
- Graham also ventured into the world of acting appearing in three episodes of Father Ted, playing himself in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous and starring in films like Another Gay Movie and I Could Never Be Your Woman.
- Most of Graham's career has been dedicated to presenting. When So Graham Norton ended he hosted five more series of V Graham Norton, along with 13 episodes of the panel show, Graham Norton's Bigger Picture.
- In 2007 he bagged himself another 13 episode series which would simply be titled The Graham Norton Show. However, the show proved to be so popular that it has gone on to air 30 series.
- He also hosted a BBC Radio 2 show from 2010 to 2020.
- Alongside this, Graham has hosted a number of star-studded events such as the BAFTAs and Eurovision. He has also appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race as a judge.
Reflecting on what happened after the cameras stopped rolling, 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.”
Although Stuart also made it clear that they would never want to make a guest appear on air if they were too inebriated and unable, there was a 2014 episode where Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Hugh Bonneville arrived on set straight from the premiere of their movie Monuments Men which made for brilliant entertainment.
“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…”
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“That was classic television,” he recalled.
However, he added that the team had “never been in a situation where we thought we can’t put that show out.”
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