Graham Norton
Born 1963 · Age 62
Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor and writer, best known for The Graham Norton Show, Eurovision commentary and multiple BAFTA wins.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Clondalkin, County Dublin
Born Graham William Walker at 48 St Brigid's Road, Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland.
Family moved around Ireland during childhood
Family lived in Tramore, Waterford and Kilkenny before settling in Bandon, County Cork, where he grew up.
Raised Church of Ireland
Raised in a Church of Ireland family; has said he felt isolated as a Protestant in predominantly Catholic south of Ireland.
Attended Bandon Grammar School
Educated at Bandon Grammar School, County Cork.
Studied at University College Cork (two years)
Spent two years studying English and French at University College Cork in the 1980s but did not complete studies after a breakdown and refusing to leave his flat.
First TV appearance: RTÉ's Youngline
Featured in an episode of RTÉ's Youngline, taking part in an audience debate about underage teens attending discos.
Moved to San Francisco and lived in commune
Travelled to and lived in San Francisco for one year in the 'Stardance' hippie commune on Fulton Street and worked as a waiter.
Studied at Central School of Speech and Drama, London
Moved to London in the late 1980s to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama; worked as a waiter while studying.
Victim of near-fatal stabbing/mugging
Attacked and stabbed in London; lost over half his blood, hospitalised for two and a half weeks, and nearly died.
Regular on BBC Radio 4 Loose Ends (early 1990s)
Began early broadcasting career as a regular comedian and panellist on Radio 4's Loose Ends during the early 1990s.
Edinburgh Fringe drag act causes press stir
Performed a stand-up drag act as a tea-towel-clad Mother Teresa at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which made headlines after a TV religious affairs department mistook the act for the real Mother Teresa.
Co-hosted Carnal Knowledge on ITV
Co-hosted the late-night quiz show Carnal Knowledge on ITV with Maria McErlane.
Portrayed Father Noel Furlong in Father Ted
Gained recognition for portraying Father Noel Furlong in three episodes of the sitcom Father Ted (episodes: 'Hell', 'Flight into Terror', 'The Mainland').
Hosted Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment (Channel 5)
Presented the comic quiz show Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment on Channel 5, further establishing his reputation as a host.
Stand-in host on The Jack Docherty Show (Channel 5)
Gained attention as a stand-in late-night host on Channel 5's Jack Docherty show, raising his profile in TV chat formats.
Moved to Channel 4 to host own shows
Signed to Channel 4 and began hosting chat shows, starting the weekly So Graham Norton.
Launched So Graham Norton (Channel 4)
Began hosting the weekly chat show So Graham Norton (1998–2002), establishing a signature format of irreverent celebrity interviews.
Featured in Boyzone music video 'When The Going Gets Tough'
Appeared in the Boyzone music video as part of Comic Relief-related activity.
Won Gaytime Award: Gay Presenter of the Year
Awarded Gay Presenter of the Year at the Gaytime Awards.
Won BAFTA TV Award: Best Entertainment Performance
Received the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance (first of three consecutive wins for this category).
Hosted Comic Relief 2001
Presented Comic Relief in 2001 for the BBC, raising funds and profile.
Second consecutive BAFTA: Best Entertainment Performance
Won the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance again (second consecutive win).
Won Royal Television Society Best Presenter
Won a Royal Television Society award for Best Presenter.
V Graham Norton nightly show (Channel 4)
Moved to a daily late-night format with V Graham Norton (2002–2003).
Third consecutive BAFTA: Best Entertainment Performance
Won the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance for the third year in a row for So Graham Norton.
Listed in The Observer's 1,000 Funniest Acts
Named by The Observer as one of the 1,000 funniest acts in British comedy.
Named most powerful person in TV comedy by Radio Times
Radio Times named Norton the most powerful person in TV comedy.
Published memoir 'So Me'
Published his first book So Me (Hodder & Stoughton), a memoir.
The Graham Norton Effect debuts (US / Comedy Central)
Made a move into American TV with The Graham Norton Effect, debuting on Comedy Central (also shown on BBC Three in the UK).
Joined BBC, hosted Strictly Dance Fever and Bigger Picture
Moved to the BBC and began hosting Strictly Dance Fever and Graham Norton's Bigger Picture; also read bedtime stories on CBeebies.
Hosted 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?'
Presented the BBC One series produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber to find a lead for The Sound of Music on the West End.
Hosted Eurovision Dance Contest (first edition)
Hosted the inaugural Eurovision Dance Contest (1 September 2007) with Claudia Winkleman.
Launched The Graham Norton Show (BBC Two)
Began his flagship chat show The Graham Norton Show on BBC Two; format similar to his Channel 4 shows.
Presented at Live Earth and charity trip to Ethiopia
Presented at Live Earth (7 July 2007) and undertook a Born Free Foundation trip to Ethiopia to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf.
Hosted I'd Do Anything (BBC talent show)
Presented the talent search show I'd Do Anything produced with Andrew Lloyd Webber to cast roles for a West End production of Oliver!
Stage debut in West End: La Cage Aux Folles
Made his West End stage debut in a revival of La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre.
Debut as BBC commentator for Eurovision Song Contest final
Following a 2008 BBC announcement, Norton provided the British television commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest final in Moscow (his debut commentary for the final was the 54th contest, 16 May 2009).
The Graham Norton Show moved to BBC One (1-hour format)
The show transferred from BBC Two to BBC One in a new one-hour format on 6 October 2009.
Started BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show
Took over Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning Radio 2 slot, debuting on 2 October 2010; included segments like 'Tune with a Tale'.
Published 'Ask Graham' (book of columns)
Collected his Daily Telegraph agony-uncle columns into the book Ask Graham, published by John Blake Publishing.
Sold production company So Television to ITV
Sold his production company So Television to ITV for around £17 million.
Asked listeners to help find stolen car ('The Great Car Hunt')
Appealed on his Radio 2 show to listeners to help locate his stolen car as part of a segment he called 'The Great Car Hunt'.
Received honorary doctorate from University College Cork
Awarded an honorary doctorate by his former university, University College Cork.
Broke Guinness World Record on Comic Relief's Big Chat
Broke the Guinness World Record for 'Most Questions Asked on a TV Chat Show' during Comic Relief's Big Chat, raising £1.02 million for charity.
Published memoir 'The Life and Loves of a He-Devil'
Released second memoir which later won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the 2014 Irish Book Awards.
Launched wine collaboration with Invivo; hold 2% share
Has a 2% shareholding in New Zealand winery Invivo and launched a Graham Norton wine range; first wine released in 2014.
Co-presented 'Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits'
Co-hosted a concert show (31 March 2015) to commemorate the contest's 60th anniversary alongside Petra Mede.
Holding won Popular Fiction Book of the Year (Irish Book Awards)
Holding won Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2016.
Published debut novel 'Holding'
Released his first novel, Holding, a murder story set in rural Ireland, published by Hodder & Stoughton.
Won National Television Awards: Special Recognition
Received the National Television Awards' Special Recognition Award.
Published novel 'A Keeper'
Published his second novel 'A Keeper' (4 October 2018).
Became subject of salary transparency discussion (BBC disclosed)
Spoke to BBC News about reported BBC salary figures for 2017–18, expressing surprise at published numbers.
Adopted two rescue dogs (Bailey and Madge)
Adopted two dogs from Dogs Trust in 2012 which he described as his 'significant others'; (included here to mark their public profile; Madge died Dec 2019).
Announced as judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK
Announced as a rotating judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK alongside Alan Carr and permanent judges Michelle Visage and RuPaul.
Appeared (voice) in Pixar film 'Soul' (cast announced Oct 2020)
Announced on 9 October 2020 that he was cast as the voice of Moonwind in Disney/Pixar's Soul (film released December 2020).
Announced departure from BBC Radio 2 show
Announced on 11 November 2020 he would step down from his BBC Radio 2 Saturday show and hosted his final show on 19 December 2020, after 10 years.
Joined Virgin Radio UK for weekend shows
Joined Virgin Radio UK in January 2021 to host shows on Saturday and Sunday.
Published novel 'Home Stretch'
Released the novel Home Stretch (26 April 2021).
TV adaptation of 'Holding' aired on ITV
A television adaptation of his novel Holding, directed by Kathy Burke, aired on ITV in 2022.
Married Jonathan 'Jono' McLeod
Married Scottish filmmaker Jonathan McLeod at Bantry House in County Cork on 10 July 2022.
Published novel 'Forever Home'
Released the novel Forever Home on 29 September 2022.
Co-hosted Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final in Liverpool
Co-hosted the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 alongside Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham, while also providing commentary.
Sold Bexhill-on-Sea house (reported 2022 sale)
Previously owned a home in Bexhill-on-Sea which was reported sold in 2022 (included as part of property / personal milestones).
Returned to ITV to host Wheel of Fortune revival
Returned to ITV in 2024 to present a revival of Wheel of Fortune, including celebrity and Australian revival episodes.
Published upcoming novel 'Frankie' (listed bibliographically)
Bibliography lists 'Frankie' with publication date 12 September 2024 (publisher listing in bibliography).
Left Virgin Radio weekend show
Announced on 24 February 2024 that he would step away from his weekend radio show for Virgin Radio, saying he wanted his weekends back.
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