Graham Norton

Graham William Walker, known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. Born on 4 April 1963, he is best known as a television chat show host, having presented The Graham Norton Show since 2007. Recognized for his flamboyant presentation style and innuendo-laden dialogue, Norton has won the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance a record six times, as well as an additional BAFTA Award for producing.

Norton was born in Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland, to Rhoda Walker and William Walker, a sales representative. He was raised in a Church of Ireland family and grew up in Bandon, County Cork, where he attended Bandon Grammar School. In 1981, he began studying English and French at University College Cork, but left his studies in 1983 after a nervous breakdown. He spent a year living in a commune and working as a waiter in San Francisco before moving to London to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama. Upon joining the actors' union Equity, he took the surname Norton—his great-grandmother's maiden name—to differentiate himself from another member.

Norton gained early attention in 1992 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his stand-up comedy drag act as Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He subsequently became a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends, gained television exposure on Channel 5, and co-hosted the quiz show Carnal Knowledge on ITV in 1996. Between 1996 and 1998, he played Father Noel Furlong in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. In 1998, he moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows, including So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton, before launching his American show, The Graham Norton Effect, on Comedy Central in 2004.

In 2005, Norton joined the BBC, hosting the reality series Strictly Dance Fever and several West End talent search shows organized by Andrew Lloyd Webber, beginning with How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? in 2006. His flagship chat show, The Graham Norton Show, debuted on BBC Two in February 2007 before transferring to BBC One in 2009. Alongside his television work, Norton hosted a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 2010 to 2020, and later presented a weekend show on Virgin Radio UK from 2021 to 2024. He has also been a regular participant on the BBC Radio 4 panel show Just a Minute since 1999.

Norton has been the BBC's main television commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest final since 2009 and co-hosted the 2023 final in Liverpool. In 2019, he became a judge on the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race UK. His other work includes a West End role in La Cage Aux Folles in 2009, an advice column for The Daily Telegraph from 2006 to 2018, and his 2016 debut novel, Holding. In 2024, Norton returned to ITV to present a revival of Wheel of Fortune.