June 6, 2024 • 22 mins
Today on The Daily Bespoke Podcast, the boys are joined by GRAHAM NORTON!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, it's Matt Heath here with a massive self source.
My number one best selling book, Are Lifeless Punishing Thirteen
Ways to Love the Life You Got, is out now.
It's the result of a deep dive I took into
how to deal with the emotions that make our lives
more punishing than they need to be. I reckon, I
found a way to live a life less bored, less stressed, angry, worried, annoyed, scared, dissatisfied,
and more. Karan Reid wrote, Matt has a hilarious way
(00:23):
of articulating an important message, highly valuable advice for anyone.
The newsroom described it as good, very good, indeed, and
Kitty Book said, this is wisdom which could save my
teenage son a lot of ants as he negotiates the
slings and arrows of adult life. And under juris Drmy
well S he had met as a deep thinking, highly
intelligent human being, which was nice of him. The number
one best selling are Lifeless Punishing Thirteen Ways to Love
(00:44):
the Life You Got, as available in all good bookstores now.
Shocking self source over.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It's Gary.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Bizar.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
It's the seventh of June twenty twenty four. Welcome all
you bespokey dogies to a very special podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yes, today we're talking to the legendary Graham Norton. Graham.
Where do we find you today?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Well, you find me.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
In New York City, baby, at the top of some
fancy hotel and look like one window.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
I actually Central Park.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Oh beautiful. You love New York City, don't you. You
talk about a little bit in your book.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
I do. I started coming here years and years ago,
kind of back in the and I came here first
when I was like twenty.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I came here straight from Ireland and I was so
terrified I couldn't wait to leave. I got on a
bus like the next day and start fading west. It
wasn't helped because the day after I arrived, like we arrived,
all these lier of students. We arrived, and then the
next morning they gave us a talk, literally a talk
on how not to get killed.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
And it stuck with me ever since. So like, don't
look up is one of the rules.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Wow, Well it's bettyly successful because you haven't been killed
over the year and you've been.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Here a lot. Clearly it worked. Yeah, work, This was
a great call, but it did frighten me.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Was there like a different time in New York or
something that was a time when it was super dangerous.
I feel like it's not so dangerous now.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
I mean, you know, I don't want to say that
because then I'll walk out in this building and get mugged.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
But it doesn't I don't think it is.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I mean, I think one of the problems was I'd
watched too many episodes of The Equalized great show.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
With all.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
It was a great show, but it meant that I
my fear. My fear levels were very high at all times.
So but now it does it does seem like I'm
much kind of safe place.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And so you're in New York trying some some some wines.
What what grapes have you been sampling today?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
There you go also be blong.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Were Ye, We're just we're blending our New Zealand something
long for for this year. And the standard, the quality,
let's use the word quality, is super high.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
This year. They were all delicious.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Normally there's a few duds, the kind of thing I
never want to taste that again, but they were all
delicious this year.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
So it was an embarrassment of riches.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So you're a sieve, guy Graham.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
That's how this all started.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
I must have been doing some press, uh for the
TV show with a New Zealand magazine or paper radio,
I don't know what it was. And I because I'd
never been to New Zealand, and I couldn't remember the
names of any New Zealand guests I might have had.
The only thing, the only thing I could share with
them was that my, seriously, my drink of choice was
(04:18):
New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
So many bloc I love New Zealand, sony bloc.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
And the guys in in Vivo must have read that,
and because they're you know, they're smart, they thought they
all had on let's contact.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
The Grim Norton Show and see if they want some
of our wines for the green room.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
And so you know, you're never too older to rich
for free wine, so yeah, we will have some free wide,
thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
And then they got to be able to tell people.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
That, you know, as drunk by Gwyneth Paltrow or as
drunk by So it was such a I was so
impressed by that because it was no one else had
thought to do it, and it's such a you know,
it's such an obvious idea once you hear it in
terms of marketing. So and they approached me then to
do my own label. I kind of thought, well, these
(05:05):
guys are switched on. They know what you're doing. And
you know, eleven years later and millions of bottles later,
here we are.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Twenty million bottles later, I believe, well, and I didn't
drink all of them.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Well, the interesting thing is your show is one of
the few shows around now which actually has alcohol on it. Now,
it seems to make complete sense to me that you
would sit around and have a glass of wine when
you're doing a talk show. I mean, when people sit
around and socialize and talk, they drink wine. Has there
been You've probably been asked this a thousand times. Has
there been pushed back at certain times to get rid
(05:40):
of the alcohol? And if you said no, you know what?
Speaker 4 (05:44):
No?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
And do you know what?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
No?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
There never has because it's not like we force people
to drink, you know, we only offer people to drink,
and a lot of people say no, you know a
lot of people so just olive water. Of course, then
they get out there and see the next person's drinking
at margarita.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
The thing's a fool. Why have I done this? But
you know, it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
I watch old clips of you know, there's an American
talk show called The Dick Caviot Show.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Oh yeah, fantastic.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I love those.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Kids, and they're on there and they're smoking their cigarettes,
and it just seems so alien now. And I'm totally
confident that in ten fifteen years, people will look back
clips of my show and kind of go look at
them the drinking cameras. You can feel it, you can
feel the tide is slightly turning.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So you mentioned Dick Kevin, and I've been down YouTube
holes just watching his interviews and how they're just so
deep and they go there slow along, one on one,
and you can't believe that that was a hugely successful
show back in the time. So you must have interview heroes,
interview with heroes.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean, and that that's why, you know,
when when the show started back on in the UK,
it was on Channel four, And of course, you know,
when you start a new talk show, it's great, look
at me, I've got a new job. But it's incredibly
hard to book guests because none of the publicists want
(07:19):
to put their guests on there because you know, your
an unknown quantity and you know, and British television has
a certain you know, reputation. It might be too dangerous,
it might be too whatever. So what we did was
we threw money.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
At the problem.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
So I was just flying in people from America who
weren't very busy, who I had watched as a kid.
So I had Michael Lerner, who she made the mother
and the Waltons.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
You know, she hasn't been on telling much since I
got her.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
And I because it was, you know, it was my
childhood dream come true.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
We'd Cagny and Lacey on, we had you know, starskid Hutch,
we had you know, we have various reunions of old
shows and and and I think people liked the retro
Pitcheness Office. But the reality was those are the only
guests we could get. So that's how that kind of happened.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
And now I guess it's Scott to the point, Graham,
where if you ask anybody at any stage, they would
jump at the opportunity to be on the show. Is
there anyone recently who said no, no, they have to.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Have a reason to come on, you know, and they
and and there were some people we still haven't got,
you know, we've never had Brad Pitt and actually, up
until recently, we've never had Julia Roberts and and we thought, oh,
and she's one of the weird ones. She has never
done a British talk show everw not not like it's
(08:53):
not like she did one and didn't like it, never
came back. She's never done it. What why I don't
because she fell out with the press.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Pretty early on in her career. I think she kind
of realized, this is the part of my job I
don't like. Okay, yeah, and you know, and I think
that is totally understandable.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And I think now she's at you know, the other
end of her career and you know, why should you know,
I feel she's she's in charge of it all now.
So she came on with it was such a ridiculous show.
It was Julia Roberts with Tom Hanks, Schaer and Timothy Shallaback.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Oh it's a good life.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I know, like it was probably the best lade we've
ever had.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
And it happened, you know, what is it twenty five
twenty six years after we began, So that that's kind of,
you know, it feels good that the show is still
kind of you know, drawing those kind of guests.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
How much of it Graham is casting and how much
of us in terms of your show putting together the
right people? Is there a lot of thought that goes
into that, thinking, Okay, this person's going to work with
us persons, this pison's going to work with us persons.
Or is it just a case of big star availability
will work around that?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
I mean, it's mostly the latter.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
It's mostly kind of once you if you have a
big star, then you cast the rest of the couch
around that. You know, you kind of think, oh, who
will they like? Who could sit beside them?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (10:23):
You know, someone mentioned a British calm make and we're thinking,
not sure that's a good idea because they might rub
them up the wrong way? Yeah, you know, will they
want to sit next to a sexy person? Would they
rather sit next to someone? You know, all those things
you take into account. Now that's on a good week.
On a good week, yes, you discuss it. And then
(10:45):
there's other weeks where it's just like, okay, so seriously,
who can we get? And those are often the more
interesting weeks because it really is like, good luck everyone,
just just some stuff in a part No idea if
it's going to taste good, but you know, let's see
(11:06):
and and those are often the nights where there's kind
of unknown quantities and people kind of spark off each
other in kind of unexpected ways.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
And I really like that.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I guess it's sounds like a nuty question, but I'm
thinking about it. Is it If you want people to communicate,
do you want them to be right beside each other?
So if you're positioning the couch or do you want
you know, I've got Harrison Ford, do you want it
one end and the person you want to talk to
me at the far end or right right beside them?
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Again, mostly beside them. But sometimes that isn't possible because
of the the pecking order of stars or because of
the products. Because if somebody's got a very serious film
and the other person has a very serious film, you
probably want to break those up with a book or
(11:56):
a sitcom or a comedy tour or something, so that
often plays apart. It's one of those things. We we
do think about this equally, we also throw it away.
And all the other thing is you learn, you know,
I think you you over time, if you're having guests back,
(12:17):
you kind of go, Okay, remember how great they were
with so and so, Let's try and find someone like
that again.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You know that kind of thing. It's always good you
keep it in the back of your minds.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Getting someone who doesn't know Miriam Margalis, for example, who's
never heard of her before it has never met her,
and who doesn't know there is always.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
God, yeah, I mean the Miriam Margolize thing. We have
to be really sparing in the.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Amount of times we use her. Sometimes we'll look at
the names of on the board and we'll just think,
will we and we sort of break glass in case
of emergency and Chucky and Miriam and mostly mostly works.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And actually what's interesting is she has changed over the years.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
I think she's sort of she takes not she doesn't
make herself more seriously or anything. But I think she realizes,
you know, that she doesn't have to be.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Just shocking. She can be other things. She can have,
you know, different opinions.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
It doesn't have to be some you know out there
sex story about a soldier, tree or those.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Are the best that's of her book to be fit.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
One of the best things I've ever seen on TV,
that story with the soldier and finishing him off. Of course,
when I first saw that, I never saw that coming.
Excuse the pane. I never never thought that that was
going to be the ending.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
To that, the one that we love because because often
we know what story she's going to do, and uh,
and so we we put it later in the show
because you know, you want it to be later because
children are dead.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
And but she was with Matthew Perry and I.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Don't know what we were talking about, being a fan
of somebody or whatever, and and I don't know how
out there this podcast is. Okay, so it was this
was on our show, so I think I can say it.
And so she went, I remember when I was a
young girl, I went to see Laurence Olivier and I
(14:22):
waited the stage were offwards. He came out the stage door,
and I just remember I creamed my nickers and it
was one of the things we didn't know you was
going to tell the story. And I looked a bit
like you were saying like you did not think that's
where this story was going. And we're on Matthew Perry,
who just thought he was sitting beside you know, some
(14:42):
nice old English actress.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Sorry did I miss here?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
That, yeah, because Americans look at the you know, British
people as being sort of you know, elite, elit drama.
They look up to them. I mean, I'm always amazed
how many British people are playing Americans over there, so
they must come over with the sort of some of
them must come over. I'm going to be sitting with
(15:08):
basically Shakespeare enthusiasts on the couch.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
And sometimes they are like, you know, if you're on
beside Ian mchael and Judy Dench, you know, you do
get a bit of Shakespeare. Chuck did there. But I
think I think that where we win.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
With Americans on the show is because they sort of
forget that anyone in America will see it, and they
sort of forget that it'll be online. And I think
they feel like, you know, oh, I don't need to
worry about this one. I can relax. And of course
they should worry the World Wide Web losing the name.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
But I think that's part of your genius, Graham, is
that you you you kind of start things off beautifully
and then oftentimes the best moment so when the couch
just start going between themselves, and that must be a
wonderful feeling. For you just being have to sit back
and thank.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Yeah, those are absolutely the best nights.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
The best nights are when I, you know, just let
them go and I'm just I just have the best
seed in the house and the couch are talking to
each other, really enjoying each other. Like I remember, Kevin
Costner was on Kevin Costner. You know, I don't think
you might be saying that he's not a great guest.
He's not a good guest. And I was asking him
(16:28):
questions and he couldn't be less interested in me, and
he couldn't be less interested in answering my questions. But
then Helen Mirron was sat beside him and she kind
of asked him the same questions, and suddenly he was
off and he is back to me, and he just
told his stories to the couch and it's kind of
(16:51):
the best talk show he's ever done, you know, because
he he was telling his stories to other actors, not
to some stupid team. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
So the other thing I was keen to know is
because on our show, we're always looking for the optimum.
We like sampling and imbibing different things on our show.
At certain times, we used to have a a thing
on Friday is called massive head to steam Up Fridays,
where we would drink all Friday morning throughout the show
because we do a breakfast show as well, or radio
Briack for show, and we're always looking for that optimum zone,
(17:25):
you know, what's the perfect amount of this to really
get the best out of ourselves and to create the
best material we can So for you, I mean, we
realized it's about for us five drinks, but like for
you or hungover after drinking seven or eight drinks and
maybe a bottle of wine and then coming and hungover
the next day, but not having anything to drink for you,
(17:48):
where's the optimum zone? Are you even drinking much? You
look like you're not drinking a huge amount of wine
on set.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I'm really not. I'm really not.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
What it happened years ago when I was when I
started doing stand up, people would say, oh, you seemed nervous.
That's that was often a comment from friends, not not
so much audiences, but friends would kind of go oh,
I could tell you're a little bit nervous. And then
I was doing a terrible corporate gig for I think
(18:20):
it was for the Australian Tourist Commission or something, or
maybe it was the New Zealanders, I don't know what.
It was somewhere down you know, your neck.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Of the woods. And and I had to pretend.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
To be at this party, this reception, and then I
had to get up and do this bit of stand
up about I don't know, tourism. And so I was
there and to blend in, I was holding glass of
wine like everyone else, and I just had a couple
of SIPs and I think, because you're you're adrenaline is
(18:53):
kind of going, because you are nervous because you're about
to perform.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
I could really feel the alcohol in me.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
It was the oddest thing and and it really it
just took the edge off and it was a bit
of a Eureka moment, and I just went, Okay, I'm
going to do that now. If I start having a
second glass of wine or finishing that first glass of wine,
I'll stop because I think then you're in trouble because
(19:20):
then you're like, hang on, I've mixed up. I've mixed
up with drinking and before me, it's very dangerous. Yeah,
it's going to end in tears. But that was you know,
that must be over thirty years ago, and I still
just have that one glass of wine that I carry
on with me at the beginning of the show, and
I just sip it while it was on, and I.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Don't feel it in the same way that I used to.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
And now I think, actually, it doesn't really help my
nerves so much as it relaxes an audience, and it
relaxed the guests because they kind of think, oh, he's
having a nice time, like he's he's you know, he's
not a serious journalist. He's not gonna ask as a
terrible question because look, he's drinking glass.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Drinking glass. Vine is a fool.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
So I think that's how my relationship with the wine
helps on the show now.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
But but initially it was about me and my nerves.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Speaking about you in your in your book He Devil,
you talk about it's all about your loves and your
focus on your loves, and one of those loves you
do mention is the booze flowing freely. But you talk
about Ireland, your love of Ireland, and your friends and
music and your dogs. I mean, since you put down
that down on paper, as has that become even more
(20:34):
so for you that you're a person that's led led
by your loves.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
I don't think it's become more true, but certainly they
haven't changed.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I don't. I don't think about that. But I'm going
to go, why do I write that chapter? Booze? I mean,
I think it was.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
I was sort of pleased with that as a format
because it's a good way to kind of just bundle
stories for your life together and kind of you do
but without doing kind of and then I and then I, yeah, memoir.
So it was just a nice, nice supposed to do it.
But I think everything in there I still still really love.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
I find it quite inspirational because people normally call those interests,
and once you upgrade an interest to a love, it
gives them more legitimacy. And it's just a wholesome way
to look at the world.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Hey, go with passion, passion, passion poet.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, hey Graham, thank you so much for your time.
We love what you do and love watching you bring
a lot of joy. Thank you so much, and and
bears of light with everything.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Okay, is there a cs I investigator behind you, Jeremy?
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Oh, look that's Ellie. That's that's our entertainment. Every morning
we just look out that window at the Ellie and
crazy stuff happens.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
You should see what okay, investigating a murder someone killed
in that alley upon.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Once Graham, we had a a competition that ran. We
used to have to put your ass against the glass,
and so people won prizes by coming by the studio here.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
It was against the glass sweepstake.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
People, would I miss that?
Speaker 1 (22:11):
It could happen if you're just told on, if only
who were talking to, I'm sure they'd do it. Thank you,
thank you so much, really appreciate it.
Hello, it's Matt Heath here with a massive self source.
My number one best selling book, Are Lifeless Punishing Thirteen
Ways to Love the Life You Got, is out now.
It's the result of a deep dive I took into
how to deal with the emotions that make our lives
more punishing than they need to be. I reckon, I
found a way to live a life less bored, less stressed, angry, worried, annoyed, scared, dissatisfied,
and more. Karan Reid wrote, Matt has a hilarious way
(00:23):
of articulating an important message, highly valuable advice for anyone.
The newsroom described it as good, very good, indeed, and
Kitty Book said, this is wisdom which could save my
teenage son a lot of ants as he negotiates the
slings and arrows of adult life. And under juris Drmy
well S he had met as a deep thinking, highly
intelligent human being, which was nice of him. The number
one best selling are Lifeless Punishing Thirteen Ways to Love
(00:44):
the Life You Got, as available in all good bookstores now.
Shocking self source over.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It's Gary.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Bizar.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
It's the seventh of June twenty twenty four. Welcome all
you bespokey dogies to a very special podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yes, today we're talking to the legendary Graham Norton. Graham.
Where do we find you today?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Well, you find me.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
In New York City, baby, at the top of some
fancy hotel and look like one window.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
I actually Central Park.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Oh beautiful. You love New York City, don't you. You
talk about a little bit in your book.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
I do. I started coming here years and years ago,
kind of back in the and I came here first
when I was like twenty.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
I came here straight from Ireland and I was so
terrified I couldn't wait to leave. I got on a
bus like the next day and start fading west. It
wasn't helped because the day after I arrived, like we arrived,
all these lier of students. We arrived, and then the
next morning they gave us a talk, literally a talk
on how not to get killed.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
And it stuck with me ever since. So like, don't
look up is one of the rules.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Wow, Well it's bettyly successful because you haven't been killed
over the year and you've been.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Here a lot. Clearly it worked. Yeah, work, This was
a great call, but it did frighten me.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Was there like a different time in New York or
something that was a time when it was super dangerous.
I feel like it's not so dangerous now.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
I mean, you know, I don't want to say that
because then I'll walk out in this building and get mugged.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
But it doesn't I don't think it is.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I mean, I think one of the problems was I'd
watched too many episodes of The Equalized great show.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
With all.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
It was a great show, but it meant that I
my fear. My fear levels were very high at all times.
So but now it does it does seem like I'm
much kind of safe place.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And so you're in New York trying some some some wines.
What what grapes have you been sampling today?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
There you go also be blong.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Were Ye, We're just we're blending our New Zealand something
long for for this year. And the standard, the quality,
let's use the word quality, is super high.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
This year. They were all delicious.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Normally there's a few duds, the kind of thing I
never want to taste that again, but they were all
delicious this year.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
So it was an embarrassment of riches.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So you're a sieve, guy Graham.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
That's how this all started.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
I must have been doing some press, uh for the
TV show with a New Zealand magazine or paper radio,
I don't know what it was. And I because I'd
never been to New Zealand, and I couldn't remember the
names of any New Zealand guests I might have had.
The only thing, the only thing I could share with
them was that my, seriously, my drink of choice was
(04:18):
New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
So many bloc I love New Zealand, sony bloc.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
And the guys in in Vivo must have read that,
and because they're you know, they're smart, they thought they
all had on let's contact.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
The Grim Norton Show and see if they want some
of our wines for the green room.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
And so you know, you're never too older to rich
for free wine, so yeah, we will have some free wide,
thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
And then they got to be able to tell people.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
That, you know, as drunk by Gwyneth Paltrow or as
drunk by So it was such a I was so
impressed by that because it was no one else had
thought to do it, and it's such a you know,
it's such an obvious idea once you hear it in
terms of marketing. So and they approached me then to
do my own label. I kind of thought, well, these
(05:05):
guys are switched on. They know what you're doing. And
you know, eleven years later and millions of bottles later,
here we are.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Twenty million bottles later, I believe, well, and I didn't
drink all of them.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Well, the interesting thing is your show is one of
the few shows around now which actually has alcohol on it. Now,
it seems to make complete sense to me that you
would sit around and have a glass of wine when
you're doing a talk show. I mean, when people sit
around and socialize and talk, they drink wine. Has there
been You've probably been asked this a thousand times. Has
there been pushed back at certain times to get rid
(05:40):
of the alcohol? And if you said no, you know what?
Speaker 4 (05:44):
No?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
And do you know what?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
No?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
There never has because it's not like we force people
to drink, you know, we only offer people to drink,
and a lot of people say no, you know a
lot of people so just olive water. Of course, then
they get out there and see the next person's drinking
at margarita.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
The thing's a fool. Why have I done this? But
you know, it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
I watch old clips of you know, there's an American
talk show called The Dick Caviot Show.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Oh yeah, fantastic.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I love those.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Kids, and they're on there and they're smoking their cigarettes,
and it just seems so alien now. And I'm totally
confident that in ten fifteen years, people will look back
clips of my show and kind of go look at
them the drinking cameras. You can feel it, you can
feel the tide is slightly turning.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So you mentioned Dick Kevin, and I've been down YouTube
holes just watching his interviews and how they're just so
deep and they go there slow along, one on one,
and you can't believe that that was a hugely successful
show back in the time. So you must have interview heroes,
interview with heroes.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean, and that that's why, you know,
when when the show started back on in the UK,
it was on Channel four, And of course, you know,
when you start a new talk show, it's great, look
at me, I've got a new job. But it's incredibly
hard to book guests because none of the publicists want
(07:19):
to put their guests on there because you know, your
an unknown quantity and you know, and British television has
a certain you know, reputation. It might be too dangerous,
it might be too whatever. So what we did was
we threw money.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
At the problem.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
So I was just flying in people from America who
weren't very busy, who I had watched as a kid.
So I had Michael Lerner, who she made the mother
and the Waltons.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
You know, she hasn't been on telling much since I
got her.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
And I because it was, you know, it was my
childhood dream come true.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
We'd Cagny and Lacey on, we had you know, starskid Hutch,
we had you know, we have various reunions of old
shows and and and I think people liked the retro
Pitcheness Office. But the reality was those are the only
guests we could get. So that's how that kind of happened.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
And now I guess it's Scott to the point, Graham,
where if you ask anybody at any stage, they would
jump at the opportunity to be on the show. Is
there anyone recently who said no, no, they have to.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Have a reason to come on, you know, and they
and and there were some people we still haven't got,
you know, we've never had Brad Pitt and actually, up
until recently, we've never had Julia Roberts and and we thought, oh,
and she's one of the weird ones. She has never
done a British talk show everw not not like it's
(08:53):
not like she did one and didn't like it, never
came back. She's never done it. What why I don't
because she fell out with the press.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Pretty early on in her career. I think she kind
of realized, this is the part of my job I
don't like. Okay, yeah, and you know, and I think
that is totally understandable.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
And I think now she's at you know, the other
end of her career and you know, why should you know,
I feel she's she's in charge of it all now.
So she came on with it was such a ridiculous show.
It was Julia Roberts with Tom Hanks, Schaer and Timothy Shallaback.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Oh it's a good life.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I know, like it was probably the best lade we've
ever had.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
And it happened, you know, what is it twenty five
twenty six years after we began, So that that's kind of,
you know, it feels good that the show is still
kind of you know, drawing those kind of guests.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
How much of it Graham is casting and how much
of us in terms of your show putting together the
right people? Is there a lot of thought that goes
into that, thinking, Okay, this person's going to work with
us persons, this pison's going to work with us persons.
Or is it just a case of big star availability
will work around that?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
I mean, it's mostly the latter.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
It's mostly kind of once you if you have a
big star, then you cast the rest of the couch
around that. You know, you kind of think, oh, who
will they like? Who could sit beside them?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (10:23):
You know, someone mentioned a British calm make and we're thinking,
not sure that's a good idea because they might rub
them up the wrong way? Yeah, you know, will they
want to sit next to a sexy person? Would they
rather sit next to someone? You know, all those things
you take into account. Now that's on a good week.
On a good week, yes, you discuss it. And then
(10:45):
there's other weeks where it's just like, okay, so seriously,
who can we get? And those are often the more
interesting weeks because it really is like, good luck everyone,
just just some stuff in a part No idea if
it's going to taste good, but you know, let's see
(11:06):
and and those are often the nights where there's kind
of unknown quantities and people kind of spark off each
other in kind of unexpected ways.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
And I really like that.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I guess it's sounds like a nuty question, but I'm
thinking about it. Is it If you want people to communicate,
do you want them to be right beside each other?
So if you're positioning the couch or do you want
you know, I've got Harrison Ford, do you want it
one end and the person you want to talk to
me at the far end or right right beside them?
Speaker 4 (11:35):
Again, mostly beside them. But sometimes that isn't possible because
of the the pecking order of stars or because of
the products. Because if somebody's got a very serious film
and the other person has a very serious film, you
probably want to break those up with a book or
(11:56):
a sitcom or a comedy tour or something, so that
often plays apart. It's one of those things. We we
do think about this equally, we also throw it away.
And all the other thing is you learn, you know,
I think you you over time, if you're having guests back,
(12:17):
you kind of go, Okay, remember how great they were
with so and so, Let's try and find someone like
that again.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You know that kind of thing. It's always good you
keep it in the back of your minds.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Getting someone who doesn't know Miriam Margalis, for example, who's
never heard of her before it has never met her,
and who doesn't know there is always.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
God, yeah, I mean the Miriam Margolize thing. We have
to be really sparing in the.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Amount of times we use her. Sometimes we'll look at
the names of on the board and we'll just think,
will we and we sort of break glass in case
of emergency and Chucky and Miriam and mostly mostly works.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And actually what's interesting is she has changed over the years.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
I think she's sort of she takes not she doesn't
make herself more seriously or anything. But I think she realizes,
you know, that she doesn't have to be.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Just shocking. She can be other things. She can have,
you know, different opinions.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
It doesn't have to be some you know out there
sex story about a soldier, tree or those.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Are the best that's of her book to be fit.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
One of the best things I've ever seen on TV,
that story with the soldier and finishing him off. Of course,
when I first saw that, I never saw that coming.
Excuse the pane. I never never thought that that was
going to be the ending.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
To that, the one that we love because because often
we know what story she's going to do, and uh,
and so we we put it later in the show
because you know, you want it to be later because
children are dead.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
And but she was with Matthew Perry and I.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Don't know what we were talking about, being a fan
of somebody or whatever, and and I don't know how
out there this podcast is. Okay, so it was this
was on our show, so I think I can say it.
And so she went, I remember when I was a
young girl, I went to see Laurence Olivier and I
(14:22):
waited the stage were offwards. He came out the stage door,
and I just remember I creamed my nickers and it
was one of the things we didn't know you was
going to tell the story. And I looked a bit
like you were saying like you did not think that's
where this story was going. And we're on Matthew Perry,
who just thought he was sitting beside you know, some
(14:42):
nice old English actress.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
Sorry did I miss here?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
That, yeah, because Americans look at the you know, British
people as being sort of you know, elite, elit drama.
They look up to them. I mean, I'm always amazed
how many British people are playing Americans over there, so
they must come over with the sort of some of
them must come over. I'm going to be sitting with
(15:08):
basically Shakespeare enthusiasts on the couch.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
And sometimes they are like, you know, if you're on
beside Ian mchael and Judy Dench, you know, you do
get a bit of Shakespeare. Chuck did there. But I
think I think that where we win.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
With Americans on the show is because they sort of
forget that anyone in America will see it, and they
sort of forget that it'll be online. And I think
they feel like, you know, oh, I don't need to
worry about this one. I can relax. And of course
they should worry the World Wide Web losing the name.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
But I think that's part of your genius, Graham, is
that you you you kind of start things off beautifully
and then oftentimes the best moment so when the couch
just start going between themselves, and that must be a
wonderful feeling. For you just being have to sit back
and thank.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Yeah, those are absolutely the best nights.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
The best nights are when I, you know, just let
them go and I'm just I just have the best
seed in the house and the couch are talking to
each other, really enjoying each other. Like I remember, Kevin
Costner was on Kevin Costner. You know, I don't think
you might be saying that he's not a great guest.
He's not a good guest. And I was asking him
(16:28):
questions and he couldn't be less interested in me, and
he couldn't be less interested in answering my questions. But
then Helen Mirron was sat beside him and she kind
of asked him the same questions, and suddenly he was
off and he is back to me, and he just
told his stories to the couch and it's kind of
(16:51):
the best talk show he's ever done, you know, because
he he was telling his stories to other actors, not
to some stupid team. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
So the other thing I was keen to know is
because on our show, we're always looking for the optimum.
We like sampling and imbibing different things on our show.
At certain times, we used to have a a thing
on Friday is called massive head to steam Up Fridays,
where we would drink all Friday morning throughout the show
because we do a breakfast show as well, or radio
Briack for show, and we're always looking for that optimum zone,
(17:25):
you know, what's the perfect amount of this to really
get the best out of ourselves and to create the
best material we can So for you, I mean, we
realized it's about for us five drinks, but like for
you or hungover after drinking seven or eight drinks and
maybe a bottle of wine and then coming and hungover
the next day, but not having anything to drink for you,
(17:48):
where's the optimum zone? Are you even drinking much? You
look like you're not drinking a huge amount of wine
on set.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
I'm really not. I'm really not.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
What it happened years ago when I was when I
started doing stand up, people would say, oh, you seemed nervous.
That's that was often a comment from friends, not not
so much audiences, but friends would kind of go oh,
I could tell you're a little bit nervous. And then
I was doing a terrible corporate gig for I think
(18:20):
it was for the Australian Tourist Commission or something, or
maybe it was the New Zealanders, I don't know what.
It was somewhere down you know, your neck.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Of the woods. And and I had to pretend.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
To be at this party, this reception, and then I
had to get up and do this bit of stand
up about I don't know, tourism. And so I was
there and to blend in, I was holding glass of
wine like everyone else, and I just had a couple
of SIPs and I think, because you're you're adrenaline is
(18:53):
kind of going, because you are nervous because you're about
to perform.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
I could really feel the alcohol in me.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
It was the oddest thing and and it really it
just took the edge off and it was a bit
of a Eureka moment, and I just went, Okay, I'm
going to do that now. If I start having a
second glass of wine or finishing that first glass of wine,
I'll stop because I think then you're in trouble because
(19:20):
then you're like, hang on, I've mixed up. I've mixed
up with drinking and before me, it's very dangerous. Yeah,
it's going to end in tears. But that was you know,
that must be over thirty years ago, and I still
just have that one glass of wine that I carry
on with me at the beginning of the show, and
I just sip it while it was on, and I.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Don't feel it in the same way that I used to.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
And now I think, actually, it doesn't really help my
nerves so much as it relaxes an audience, and it
relaxed the guests because they kind of think, oh, he's
having a nice time, like he's he's you know, he's
not a serious journalist. He's not gonna ask as a
terrible question because look, he's drinking glass.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Drinking glass. Vine is a fool.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
So I think that's how my relationship with the wine
helps on the show now.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
But but initially it was about me and my nerves.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Speaking about you in your in your book He Devil,
you talk about it's all about your loves and your
focus on your loves, and one of those loves you
do mention is the booze flowing freely. But you talk
about Ireland, your love of Ireland, and your friends and
music and your dogs. I mean, since you put down
that down on paper, as has that become even more
(20:34):
so for you that you're a person that's led led
by your loves.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
I don't think it's become more true, but certainly they
haven't changed.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I don't. I don't think about that. But I'm going
to go, why do I write that chapter? Booze? I mean,
I think it was.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
I was sort of pleased with that as a format
because it's a good way to kind of just bundle
stories for your life together and kind of you do
but without doing kind of and then I and then I, yeah, memoir.
So it was just a nice, nice supposed to do it.
But I think everything in there I still still really love.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
I find it quite inspirational because people normally call those interests,
and once you upgrade an interest to a love, it
gives them more legitimacy. And it's just a wholesome way
to look at the world.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Hey, go with passion, passion, passion poet.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, hey Graham, thank you so much for your time.
We love what you do and love watching you bring
a lot of joy. Thank you so much, and and
bears of light with everything.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Okay, is there a cs I investigator behind you, Jeremy?
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Oh, look that's Ellie. That's that's our entertainment. Every morning
we just look out that window at the Ellie and
crazy stuff happens.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
You should see what okay, investigating a murder someone killed
in that alley upon.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Once Graham, we had a a competition that ran. We
used to have to put your ass against the glass,
and so people won prizes by coming by the studio here.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
It was against the glass sweepstake.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
People, would I miss that?
Speaker 1 (22:11):
It could happen if you're just told on, if only
who were talking to, I'm sure they'd do it. Thank you,
thank you so much, really appreciate it.
Popular Podcasts
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!