55 Minutes of filthy frolicking fun!! (So Graham Norton)

Member Name: idodoyou

Product:	So Graham Norton
Date:	11/02/02 (689 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny!, Hilarious!, Side splittingly amusing!

Disadvantages: On for just, just 55 little minutes : (

Who's Irish, as 'happy' as can be, and on Channel 4 at least twice a week? And rumoured to be tickling our funny bones five times come April?
Who as a habit of lowering an already rock bottom tone and embarrassing his guests to beyond humiliation?
And who has the ability to bring tears to my eyes, an aching to my sides and a raw soreness to my throat through non stop giggling as I spend almost 2 hours a week watching his shows?

I'll tell you who. Although, for some, those among you that know who I'm talking about, and who share my bi~weekly emotions, this man and his work needs no introduction.
I'm talking, or rather typing, about the one and only [they daren't risk another!] Mr Graham Norton.

'Talk show host' ... 'comedian' .... 'shock merchant' .... call him what you will. Just as long as you realise that no description of the guy is accurate unless it contains the words 'exceedingly' and 'hilarious'. With his own undeniable style where he makes fun of himself, his surroundings and his fans, Norton spatters his interviews and his friendly banter with sexual innuendoes. Playing on his sexual preference for the male species [actually we have the same taste in men ~ he thinks Dolph Lundgren is delish too!] he is camper than a row of tents. He's ruder than a comedian in a Northern mans working club, and he's funnier than the feeling of getting a fart trapped in your wet suit [although I admit, this is not a feeling I have ever had to deal with, but I hear things y'know]

His program, 'So Graham Norton' isn't your usual run of the mill talk show. In fact, when I think about it [although I don't plan on doing that for long .... It hurts!!] I'm not sure what you would call it? I mean, Parky doesn't get his audience to bring in their worst presents and then award prizes for them. Trisha doesn't get the audience to reveal their
most embarrassing sexual events and then take every advantage of ridiculing the person even further. Wogan never went out into the streets of London with a web cam and cleared sex shops in under 17 seconds. Aspel never trawled the net looking for the dirge of web sites and then used 'Doggy Phone'[has to be seen to be believed!] to ring and get Gerard Depi ... Depit .... Oh the french guy from 'Asterix' and 'Green Card' .... y'know who I mean? to blow his nose down the receiver because the guy on the other end gets off on 'sneezing'!! And O'Connor has never tried to get a Corr sister to blow a penis shaped penny whistle [well, he might, just not on the show!!] or given Jerry Hall a climaxing mirror [like that's just what she needs hey?] And none of them, none of them had an old lady called Betty in a front row seat each week in order to dress up, or down, get blown up, or down, and basically ridiculed continually throughout the hour.

The only thing that could really warrant Norton being thrust into [no puns intended although I'm sure he?d be only too happy to oblige] the pile labelled talk show hosts is, well, he interviews people. He interviews famous people. And considering it's Channel 4, considering its past prime time, and considering its Graham Norton [I mean that in a nice way] he gets to interview some real top class celebs. Celebs you'd think would only be worthy of a Parky type show ~ good conversation and no phoning weirdo's on a cuddly dog phone.
But interview them he does. And interviews them well too. Although, what you and I consider 'well' can be one of two things. I do enjoy the odd chat show, although the usual somewhat boring and polite questioning kinda loses its appeal after a while. I mean, there's only so many times you need to hear how long they've been married, how many kids they?ve had and what are they currently doing. All very entertaining the first
time I grant you, but when it seems as if the guest has come with their own list of questions, we are talking tedious. With a capital T.

This is where Mr Norton differs.
There's nothing boring about his questioning. In fact, there really doesn't seem to be the typical questioning at all. The guests are usually chatting away as if with a mate rather than on a sofa facing interrogation albeit friendly.
Graham gets his guests involved with the rest of the show. He uses them as part of his show. Embarrassing moments, he brings them up. Old photographs, he finds them and then shows no compassion about embarrassing the A List celeb on his left.

I admit, I haven't watched the series from day dot. It's only the last 6 months or so since I've been glued to it. And I admit, after not knowing a great deal about Mr Norton, when first setting eyes upon this Irish Julian Clary without the make up, I was shocked. A tad [OK, a tad by my standards ~ well, I do like John Woss too ~ probably a bloody big tad by yours!!] on the risqué side, I think Graham's style is to stun the audience with his innuendoes. It works. However, it wouldn't if he wasn't funny with it. But he is. Or should I say at least I think he is.

Graham Norton is not, and will never be, everybody's cup of tea. He's rude, crude and some times damn right disgusting. But on the other hand, he's a cheeky chappy that can guarantee making you laugh. He's somewhat loveable in a best friend kinda way too.

If you are in need of a giggle, I'd say head for his program on Friday nights. If you can't wait for Friday, head for www.channel4.com/sograhamnorton and have a butchers at several clips from his show, a peak at his diary and a list of his favourite web sites of the week.
You really should y'know? I mean, what have you got to lose?

Graham Norton ..... Soooo Funny.

Summary: