Graham Norton: I can’t see any successor to my BBC chat show

Graham Norton has said he does not know if he will ever have a successor as a host of a prime-time chat show.

The comedian, 63, has been hosting The Graham Norton Show since 2007 and is known for attracting A-list guests to his sofa.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society London Convention, Norton said it is “difficult” to see how a “terrestrial telly chat show” could begin now and become a huge success.

Norton has been hosting his BBC show since 2007 (Ben Whitley/PA)

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He said: “I don’t think that’s going to happen now, it takes so long to establish a new show, I sort of can’t see that happening.

“It’s difficult to see how a big terrestrial telly chat show could start again. We’ll see.

“It’ll be interesting to see if streamers get into talk. They haven’t so much so far.”

Norton speculated someone hosting a popular podcast could one day “end up doing a similar show to mine and it’ll just be aired on TV”.

Claudia Winkleman presented her own BBC chat show earlier this year but decided to bow out after just one series, admitting she was “too nervous” to enjoy it.

Norton discussed this, saying: “Claudia was the perfect person to do that. I’ve spoken to her and she did not enjoy it. She didn’t want to do it.”

Norton does not believe his show will be replaced (Ian West/PA)

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The presenter said he does not feel any pressure to continue with his show, but acknowledged it might spell trouble for his production company, So Television.

He said: “I don’t feel a pressure to continue. I’m very happy to continue, but at the same time, I slightly know that if I stop, the business is a bit f*****.

“That isn’t why I keep going, I keep going because I still enjoy the show and I recognise how fortunate I am to be doing it. The vagaries of success are enormous.

“I’m aware I’ve had a much bigger slice of the pie than most people.”