The Graham Norton Show has been a constant fixture on our screens since 2007, so just imagine how many stars have parked their ar*e on that infamous red couch over the years.
Anyone who’s worth their salt has earned a seat opposite the Irish presenter, 61, and some have even been invited back several times over the years as the audience loved their appearance that much.
It’s safe to say we’ve all enjoyed a Friday night in watching a celebrity who we have a soft spot for joining Graham Norton for a natter about their careers – but the host can’t say the same himself.
In fact, he previously declared that one legendary household name was the ‘worst ever’ guest he’s welcomed onto the BBC show – but despite this, the person has actually been a guest four times in total.
Pick a lane, Norton!
Take a look at this:
We know, we know, pick your jaws up off the floor – Norton came for the one and only Robert De Niro.
But before you start sharpening your pitchforks, why don’t you stick around and find out the reason why the talk show host was rubbed up the wrong way by the cinema legend.
Despite laughing and joking on the couch with one another, it seems Norton was putting on a false front.
At the Cheltenham Literature Festival a few years ago, he explained that although he had high hopes for his conversations with the Goodfellas star, his presence on The Graham Norton Show was somewhat ‘benign’.
Although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it seems that De Niro’s ability to entertain didn’t live up to the presenter’s expectations.
Norton said that the ‘last time he [De Niro] started telling a story, he went on and on’.
Norton ranked Robert De Niro as one of the ‘worst’ guests he has ever had on his talk show (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
He explained: “He’s not a storyteller, or very verbal. He’s a benign presence. We were all leaning in, willing it to be amazing… then he finally went, ‘why am I telling this?’
“Nobody had an answer. We cut it.”
Even though De Niro is obviously more than capable of winning over a crowd and getting them to eat out of the palm of his hand, Norton seemed to think his multiple natters with the star over the years didn’t flow that well.
The actor, 81, has been a guest on The Graham Norton Show quite a few times to promote his movies, but according to the presenter, he’s a lot better at regurgitating scripts than having a compelling chat.
However, the movie icon will be glad to hear that Norton has since changed his mind about who his worst guest ever was.
In wake of the shocking revelations about disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, the TV titan explained in 2022 that he had reconsider the ranking of his worst guests.
The presenter said a chat with the movie icon was like pulling teeth (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Norton announced that the convicted sex offender from the US had overtook De Niro and was the most unpleasant person he has ever interviewed.
The comedian described how Weinstein emailed him explaining that he wanted to be on the chat show, but it was already fully booked.
“He e-mailed back: ‘What if I blah de blah de blah’. [I replied] ‘No, the show is fully booked, blah de blah’,” Norton said.
“And he e-mailed back again, ‘But I think…’, and I just had to turn to my booker and say ‘Can you please deal with this?’
“And at the time, I thought that sort of attitude, that kind of ‘Oh no, I’m going on [the show]’, that is what makes you a very good producer.
“But of course, now that we know what we know, that is what makes him a predator.
“It was that kind of weird, tunnel-vision thing. And it was sort of chilling in retrospect, because I was just laughing at those emails. But you realise ‘Oh my God, that is an insight into how that man is’.”
