Graham Norton reveals his talk show secrets, favourite guest

The Graham Norton Show first hit television screens in 2007.

Veteran talk show host Graham Norton has pulled back the curtain on how his hit TV show is made – and who his favourite guest is.

Norton agreed to answer questions, rather than ask them, in an extended one-hour interview with Between Two Beers hosts Steven Holloway and Seamus Marten on TVNZ+.

The Graham Norton Show regularly features A-list celebrities and a "red chair" segment at the end where audience members share funny or embarrassing anecdotes.

Kiwis often hog Graham Norton's notorious red chair.

The show has been a mainstay on British TV since its debut in 2007 and screens on TVNZ here.

Norton told the Between Two Beers hosts that his show’s success relied on his team of researchers, who pretend to be the stars in a show rehearsal that is "often more fun than the actual show".

Who sits where on the couch?

Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern appeared on The Graham Norton Show alongside actress Kate Winslet, American late night talk show host Seth Myers, and comedian Alan Carr.

Norton confirmed that a lot of thought goes into who sits where on the couch, acknowledging that the person sitting further away from him needs to have the confidence to join the conversation.

"They have to be more of a self-starter down the end. Which is why often it's a British comic or an American comic who sits down the end because I can just look at them and they will chip in."

While the biggest star would often sit closest to the host, some celebrities preferred to be "protected" by sitting with guests on either side to be more comfortable.

But Norton said the show’s success did not rely on how famous the guests were. Some of his favourite shows were those where the star power was "a bit weak" but the conversation took off in ways that were unexpected.

Do guests mingle in the green room before the show?

Norton said the guests do not see each other before the cameras roll. He used to be more "diligent" and meet guests beforehand but nowadays this only happened if it was a guest’s first appearance or for a younger star who "might be a bit nervous".

The hosts and the guests gathered behind the set right before filming began.

"So when I’m greeting them on the show that is kind of me meeting them."

Asked if guests socialised after the taping Norton said the bigger stars were often whisked away for other publicity requirements. However others were happy to stick around for a "free drink".

"Someone like Taylor Swift, she will hang out in the green room for a surprisingly long time because again, you imagine she’ll be whisked off to be fabulous somewhere else."

Do guests know what questions they'll be asked?

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Norton credited his team of researchers for meticulously studying interview subjects, poring over previous interviews, reading books and listening to podcasts.

The host then reviewed the research material to decide what to include – this was then shared with a guest, who had the ability to agree or disagree to discuss what was proposed.

Norton revealed that he and the production staff conduct an on-set rehearsal with a researcher pretending to be each guest as a form of dress rehearsal.

"Often the researchers are funnier and more interesting than the celebrities."

The show actually filmed for about 90 minutes, which allowed for slower parts to be edited out.

Who's your favourite guest?

Norton identified a clear winner for what could be a potentially awkward question.

"Someone like Tom Hanks is so good, you know he is brilliant. And he’s done that thing – whether he is pretending or not I don’t know – he’s a great actor, we’ll never know.

"But he has found a way of appearing to really enjoy being on the show, telling stories about the movie, telling stories about his life."

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And the worst guest?

Norton did not name names and noted that movie stars were now expected to help promote their new movie by doing media interviews.

In the past there had been guests who were "a bit snarly" on the show because they resented having to do interviews.

"There are stars who got away with it for a long time, they didn’t have to do talk shows, everyone has to do it now," Norton said.

"No one gets a pass anymore … they all have to do it.

“It is rare that we get the moody ones anymore."

The Graham Norton Show is available to stream on TVNZ+.