So Graham Norton

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So Graham Norton
So Graham Norton.png
Genre Comedy
Presented by Graham Norton
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series5
No. of episodes76
Production
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company So Television
Release
Original network Channel 4
Original release3 July 1998 (1998-07-03) 
1 March 2002 (2002-03-01)
Related
V Graham Norton (2002–2003)
The Graham Norton Show (2007–present)

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

Contents

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. [2]

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. [3]

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. [4] [5]

Future

The show was a success and was ultimately extended to five nights a week under a new name V Graham Norton . [6]

Episode guide

Series 1

DateEpisode NumberGuests
3 July 19981 Ivana Trump, Kathy Burke, and Sooty
10 July 19982 George Melly and Ulrika Jonsson
17 July 19983 Honor Blackman and David Blaine
24 July 19984 Linford Christie and Nanette Newman
31 July 19985 Grace Jones and Judith Chalmers
7 August 19986 Stephen Fry and Lorraine Kelly
14 August 19987 Kylie Minogue and Ian McCaskill
24 December 1998
Christmas special
8 Pam St Clement and La Toya Jackson

Series 2

DateEpisode NumberGuests
5 February 19991 Sophie Dahl and Bo Derek
12 February 19992 Sandie Shaw and Alexis Arquette
19 February 19993 Brenda Blethyn and Gloria Hunniford
26 February 19994 Ursula Andress and Julie Hesmondhalgh
5 March 19995 Jan Leeming and Jason Orange
12 March 19996 Kate O'Mara and Roy Scheider
19 March 19997 Anne Robinson and Miles O'Keeffe
26 March 19998 Joan Collins and Marc Almond
2 April 19999 Katie Price and Billy Zane
9 April 199910 Roger Moore and Philippa Forrester
16 April 199911 Fern Britton and Stephanie Beacham

Series 3

DateEpisode NumberGuests
19 November 19991 Lee Majors and Liz Smith
26 November 19992 Twiggy and Huey Morgan
3 December 19993 Jackie Stallone and Glenda Jackson
10 December 19994 Terry Wogan and Carrie Fisher
17 December 19995 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 20008 Georgia Taylor, Martin Hancock, Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly
28 January 20009 Michael Learned and Trude Mostue
4 February 200010 Joan Rivers and Boy George
11 February 200011 Jason Priestley and Mo Mowlam
18 February 200012 Catherine Deneuve and Zandra Rhodes
25 February 200013 Bea Arthur and Stefanie Powers
3 March 200014 Julie Goodyear and Patsy Palmer
10 March 200015 Lynda Carter and Leslie Nielsen
17 March 200016 Naomi Campbell and Jilly Goolden
24 March 200017 Richard Wilson and Joan Collins

Series 4

DateEpisode NumberGuests
3 November 20001 Molly Ringwald and Davina McCall
10 November 20002 Lauren Bacall, Natalie Cassidy and Jack Ryder
17 November 20003 Patrick Duffy and Sheena Easton
24 November 20004 Jane Horrocks and Richard Chamberlain
1 December 20005 Macaulay Culkin and Kyle MacLachlan
8 December 20006 Hannah Gordon and Barbara Windsor
15 December 20007 Marianne Faithfull and Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen
22 December 2000
Christmas special
8 Carrie Fisher, Roger Moore, and Nigella Lawson
29 December 20009 Jane Seymour and Carol Smillie
12 January 200110 Richard Madeley, Judy Finnigan and Sinéad O'Connor
19 January 200111 Sarah Brightman and Amanda Donohoe
26 January 200112 Martin Kemp and Jane Birkin
2 February 200113 Lindsay Wagner and Charlie Dimmock
9 February 200114 Melanie Brown and Anneka Rice
16 February 200115 Sophia Loren and Ben Fogle
23 February 200116 Dolly Parton and Alan Halsall
2 March 200117 Richard E. Grant and David Ginola
9 March 200118 Elton John and Kim Wilde
16 March 200119 William Shatner and Craig Doyle
23 March 200120 Lulu and Lynda Bellingham
30 March 200121 Ricki Lake and Stephen Gately
6 April 200122 Christopher Lambert and Jane McDonald
13 April 200123 Donny Osmond and Jacqueline Bisset
20 April 200124 Geri Halliwell and Lynn Redgrave
27 April 200125 Shannen Doherty and Vicky Entwistle

Series 5

DateEpisode NumberGuests
2 November 20011 Cher, Jessie Wallace, and Andrea Corr
9 November 20012 Jackie Collins and Brian Dowling
16 November 20013 Olympia Dukakis and Claire Sweeney
23 November 20014 Gérard Depardieu, Anne Robinson, and Belinda Carlisle
30 November 20015 Morgan Fairchild, Antoine de Caunes, and Emma Bunton
7 December 20016 Jerry Hall and Sylvia Kristel
14 December 20017 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 20029 Linda Hamilton, Anne Kirkbride, and Eddie Irvine
25 January 200210 Natalie Imbruglia and Simon Cowell
1 February 200211 Liza Minnelli and Helena Christensen
8 February 200212 John Waters, Helena Bonham Carter, Will Young and Gareth Gates
15 February 200213 Victoria Beckham and Matthew Kelly
22 February 200214 David Hasselhoff, Gaby Roslin and Charlie Brooks
1 March 200215 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.

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References

  1. "Graham Norton says he's outgrown 'mean' jokes". www.femalefirst.co.uk. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  2. So Graham Norton, 20 July 2001, retrieved 7 January 2020
  3. Episode #5.8, 21 December 2001, retrieved 7 January 2020
  4. "Graham Norton pays tribute to Betty Hoskins on his show: Who was she?". 21 December 2019.
  5. "BBC - Radio 4 - Woman's Hour -Betty Hoskin".
  6. "Graham Norton reflects on 20 years of chat shows". BBC News. 22 December 2019.