“I’m nervous and excited” says Graham Norton about his new Virgin Radio shows
Graham Norton dropped in on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio this morning to talk about his new weekend shows which start tomorrow.
“I’m 58 and I’m nervous and excited,” Graham told Chris. “I probably haven’t had adrenalin in my body for a long time. So tomorrow morning I may OD, you may hear a clunk!
“The show to listen to is Sunday, because if everything goes alright on Saturday I’ll be really over confident on Sunday,” he added.
He told Chris that he’d had a dummy run on the show and revealed that he was excited about operating the equipment himself for the first time. “Here’s my confession,” he said, “At Radio 2 I was never allowed to touch a button, I was just gloves on, and I’d sit there and talk. So everything happened around me.
“But here, I’m pushing some buttons and it’s pathetic how excited that makes me. It’s like that thing when you’ve learned to drive, you’ve passed your test and then you’re on the motorway and you’re like ‘this isn’t illegal…but it should be!’”
"This isn't illegal… but it should be!"@grahnort told @achrisevans how excited he is to be taking full control of our station for his new show…
Hear #TheGrahamNortonRadioShow 9:30am-12:30pm Saturdays & Sundays from this weekend on Virgin Radio ? pic.twitter.com/jnWeH7AQ47
— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) January 8, 2021
Graham also thanked Chris for encouraging him to make the move to Virgin Radio, Chris remembered: “The last time you were on the breakfast show you said, it’s lovely here and I said it is, it is. And you said you seem so different and happy and I said I know. I loved working at Radio 2 but I didn’t realise there was another level of joy to be had. And you got the same vibe didn’t you?”
Graham answered: “I really did. And you were saying ‘oh you should come and work here. And as I left thinking ‘well, that will never happen, but actually that would be quite nice’ and now it has happened.”
Chris pointed out that at Virgin Radio, Graham is doubling his weekend workload with a new Sunday show in addition to Saturday.
“I keep forgetting about the Sunday show, I hope I show up,” Graham joked and added: “I was in the supermarket yesterday looking at avocados thinking ‘ooh, that’d be nice on Sunday mor… oh, no!’
“Pre-pandemic I’d normally be out on a Saturday night for a dinner or something – it wouldn’t be bonkers. But at the moment, the difference is I won’t watch the seventh and eighth episode of something, I’ll go to bed to be ready for the Sunday show.”
Then, welcoming Graham to the station, Chris said: “It’s fantastic to have Graham Norton on Virgin Radio. I’ve literally got goosebumps! Is it true that you’re now going to go downstairs and sign your contract?”
Graham replied: “Yes, I’ve got a big pen with my face on it. Although I might change my mind now on the way downstairs!”
The Graham Norton Radio Show on Virgin Radio can be heard every Saturday and Sunday from 9.30am – 12.30pm and tomorrow’s guests include Fay Ripley and Ralph Little.
TOMORROW! ?#TheGrahamNortonRadioShow – Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30am, only on Virgin Radio.
How to listen ? https://t.co/pvTG9xmSjK
— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) January 8, 2021