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Graham Norton (born Graham Wilson on April 4, 1963 in Dublin, Ireland) is a celebrity personality best known for his evening television chat shows in the United Kingdom.
He is the openly gay host of chat shows including So Graham Norton, V. Graham Norton and The Graham Norton Effect. His shows are devoted to interviews of celebrities and raunchy conversations ensue. He generally precedes the interviews by asking questions of his audience members, for example: "Everyone stand up. Now sit down if you've never had a sexual experience with an animal."
He often phones authors of eccentric websites live on the show; often when they are fans of his guest. However, the addresses of the sites are no longer given out, as some of the owners have received hate mail and abuse in the past.
In 2003, he caused a national outcry among the more sensitive area of the media when, on his British show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to them and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Graham in person. Also in 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.
In the summer of 2004, Graham moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. The Graham Norton Effect debuted June 24th, 2004 on Comedy Central. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Graham was wary of moving into the market. Yet, The Graham Norton Effect has got away with the same naughty, suggestive jokes that made his UK shows so popular.
TV appearances
Radio
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