Graham Norton Popular Books
Graham Norton Biography & Facts
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, actor, author and television host known for his work in the UK. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy chat show The Graham Norton Show (2007–present) and an eight-time award-winner overall. He has received the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance three times for So Graham Norton (2000 to 2002). Originally shown on BBC Two before moving to other slots on BBC One, his chat show succeeded Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in BBC One's late-Friday-evening slot in 2010. From 2010 to 2020, Norton presented the Saturday-morning slot on BBC Radio 2. From January 2021 to February 2024, he presented his weekend show for Virgin Radio UK. Since 2009, he has served as the BBC's television commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest. He has been noted for his innuendo-laden dialogue and flamboyant presentation style. Before establishing himself as a presenter, Norton appeared as Father Noel Furlong in three episodes of the multiple award-winning Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. In 2012, he sold his production company So Television to ITV for around £17 million. In 2019, he became a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Early life Norton was born Graham William Walker on 4 April 1963 at 48 St Brigid's Road, in Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland to William "Billy" (died 2000), a sales representative for Guinness, and Rhoda Walker. He has an older sister, Paula. He grew up in a Protestant (Church of Ireland) family in the town of Bandon, County Cork, which he has said made him feel somewhat isolated. His father's family were from County Wicklow, while his mother is a native of Belfast. He discovered during a 2007 episode of the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? that his father's direct ancestors were English, having originated in Yorkshire before emigrating to Ireland in 1713. Norton was educated at Bandon Grammar School in County Cork and then University College Cork, where he spent two years studying English and French in the 1980s. He did not complete his studies after having a breakdown and refusing to leave his flat. He later received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2013. In 1981, Norton featured in an episode of RTÉ's Youngline, participating in an audience debate about underage teens attending discos. In 1983, Norton travelled to San Francisco where he lived for one year, in the "Stardance" hippie commune house, on Fulton Street and worked as a waiter. In the late 1980s he moved to London to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama. He again found work as a waiter during that period. Upon joining the actors' union Equity, he chose Norton (his great-grandmother's maiden name) as his new surname, as there was already a comic-actor called Graham Walker, represented by the union. Career Channel 4 In 1992, Norton's stand-up comedy drag act as a tea-towel-clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa. His first appearances in broadcasting were in the UK, where he had a spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show Loose Ends in the early 1990s, when the show ran on Saturday mornings. He was one of the early successes of Channel 5, winning an award as stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty. This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment, which was not well received as a programme but enhanced Norton's reputation as a comic and host. In 1996, he co-hosted the late-night quiz show Carnal Knowledge on ITV with Maria McErlane. In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series Father Ted, which was set on the fictional Craggy Island off the west coast of Ireland. Father Furlong was often seen taking charge of the St Luke's Youth Group. After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 in 1998 to host his own chat shows, including the weekly So Graham Norton (1998–2002), followed by the daily weeknight show V Graham Norton (2002–03). As a performer who is not only openly gay, but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker. In January 2003 Norton was listed in The Observer as one of the 1,000 funniest acts in British comedy. (Though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK.) In January 2004, he was named the most powerful person in TV comedy by Radio Times. Also that year he was the subject of controversy in the United Kingdom when, on his Channel 4 show, 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 received and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person. In the summer of 2004, Norton ventured into American television. The Graham Norton Effect debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market. BBC Television Norton began his career on the BBC in 2001 when he hosted Comic Relief 2001. In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series Strictly Dance Fever on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, Graham Norton's Bigger Picture. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of Bedtime Hour. In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of The Sound of Music. Norton has subsequently presented the three follow-up series: Any Dream Will Do in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; I'd Do Anything in 2008, in which Lloyd Webber seeks to find the parts of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's Oliver!; and Over the Rainbow in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a Wizard of Oz West end Production. Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including When Will I Be Famous? (2007), The One and Only (2008) and Totally Saturday (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the .... Discover the Graham Norton popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Graham Norton books.
Best Seller Graham Norton Books of 2024
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A Keeper
Graham NortonFrom Graham Nortonthe BAFTA Award–winning Irish television host and author of the “charming debut novel” (New York Journal of Books) Holdinga masterly and haunting tale of secrets ...
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The Stone House
Marita Conlon-McKennaEverything changes for Kate, Moya and Romy when they receive word that Maeve Dillon, their mother, is critically ill. It is time to return from Dublin, London and New York to Rossm...
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The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt
Joyce TyldesleyFrom Herodotus to The Mummy, Western civilization has long been fascinated with the exotic myths and legends of Ancient Egypt but they have often been misunderstood. Here acclaimed...
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Calling Major Tom
David M Barnett'I loved everything about it.' Goodreads 'This book made me laugh, cry, giggle and gasp.' Goodreads'One of my favourite books of the year. Charming and very sweet.' Goodreads He...
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Ramesses
Joyce TyldesleyEveryone has heard of Ramesses the Great but what is the truth behind the legend? Joyce Tyldesley's lively book explores the life and times of Egypt's greatest king. Ramesses II w...
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The Way From Here
Jane Turner'Warm, wonderful and very wet at times! I LOVED it!' FAITH HOGAN, author of The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club The start of something new...When Kate is faced with an 'empty nest' ...
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Made In Scotland
Billy ConnollyTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Where do you come from? It's one of the most basic human questions of all. But there is another question, which might sound a wee bit similar but is act...
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Home Stretch
Graham NortonIn this “compelling, bighearted, emotionally precise pageturner” (Sunday Times), the New York Times bestselling writer and acclaimed television host explores the aftermath of a tra...
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Cheer Up, Mr. Widdicombe
Evan JamesNamed one of 2019’s most anticipated reads by Entertainment Weekly, “a hilarious and witty joy of a novel about a family’s insanely dramatic summer at their new island home” (Cosmo...
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Us Three
Ruth JonesTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'A touching celebration of the beauty and endurance of female friendship. There is nothing mightier. Fact.' DAWN FRENCHThe new novel from Ruth Jo...
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Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt
Rosalie DavidThe ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile their life source was a divine gift. Religion and magic permeated their civilization, and this book provides a unique insight into th...
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Last Christmas
Greg Wise & Emma Thompson'The perfect gift for anyone who loves all things Christmas ... it's a festive gem' Woman & Home'A beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays' PrimaThe perfect ...
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The Best Things
Mel GiedroycTHE HILARIOUS SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA bighearted story of a family on the brink from the marvellous, muchloved Mel Giedroyc.'Properly funny with a brilliant cast of characters' GR...
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Paradise House
Erica JamesPraise for Erica James'A wonderfully humorous novel following the dysfunctional Baxter family' Woman's Own'Completely absorbing' Sarah Morgan'A brilliant and gripping family drama ...
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Murder Most Cornish
Kate Johnson'An excellent cosy mystery.' NetGalley ReviewerAt Penkellis Hall, murder is just for entertainment... Kitty Cardew has been enjoying life in Port Trevan and her reoccurring role on...
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The Hungry Road
Marita Conlon-McKennaThe No.1 bestselling novel of the Great Irish Famine from one of Ireland's most beloved writersIreland's hopes for freedom are dashed with the arrival of a deadly potato blight tha...
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Identity Crisis
Ben EltonWhy are we all so hostile? So quick to take offence? Truly we are living in the age of outrage. A series of apparently random murders draws amiable, oldschool Detective Mick Matloc...
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Mack The Life
Lee Mack‘His book is a joy to read, full of homespun wisdom and hilarious asides’ IndependentWhere do comedians come from? Why is it that one person is a funny bloke down the pub while ano...
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Graham Norton
Alison BowyerSince being spotted on Channel 5, Graham Norton's career has gone from strength to strength. His unique blend of camp comedy, cosy chattiness, and brilliant bitchiness has earned G...
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Holding
Graham NortonA New York Times bestsellerFrom Graham Nortonthe BAFTA Award–winning and hugely popular BBC America television hostcomes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village wher...
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The Book of Contemplation
Usama Ibn MunqidhThe volume comprises lightly annotated translation of a key medieval Arabic text that bears directly on the Crusades and Crusader society and the Muslim experience of them.
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Nefertiti
Joyce TyldesleyFor over a decade Nefertiti, wife of the heretic king Akhenaten, was the most influential woman in the Bronze Age world; a beautiful queen blessed by the sungod, adored by her fami...
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Me Moir - Volume One
Vic ReevesVic Reeves' vivid, enchanting, and utterly hilarious childhood memoir is a comic masterpiece.Before there was Vic Reeves, there was a boy called James Moir who was much the same as...
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Puckoon
Spike MilliganDISCOVER PUCKOON, SPIKE MILLIGAN'S CLASSIC SLAPSTICK NOVEL 'Pops with the erratic brilliance of a careless match in a box of fireworks' Daily MailIn 1924 the Boundary Commission is...
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Sunny
Sukh Ojla'If you've ever felt lonely, overlooked, unappreciated and just "wrong" this is the book for you . . . Very funny, blisteringly honest' Marian Keyes'I was laughing from the very fi...
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The Echo Chamber
John Boyne'His relish is infectious' Times'The funniest book I've read in ages. Savage but compelling' Ian Rankin'Funny, rumbustious, unstinting and wonderfully Hogarthian' The Observer'Shar...
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The Clementine Complex
Bob MortimerBob Mortimer, beloved comedian and #1 Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of the memoir And Away…, returns with a delightfully quirky mystery in the vein of Richard Osman and ...
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Too Much
Tom Allen'An extraordinary portrait of a son navigating his way through grief and loss in real time. Funny, candid, and measured' GRAHAM NORTONHappily settled in a new relationship and with...
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The Haunting
Alan Titchmarsh'A perfect love story' Katie FfordeHow can the mysterious disappearance of Anne Flint and the drowning of a young girl in a chalk stream in 1816 possibly affect the life of schoo...
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Misadventures of a Big Mouth Brit
Piers MorganPiers has got a new job. He's off to America to be the 'Nasty Brit' judging the show America's Got Talent surely a role he was made for? And with unprecedented access to people, p...
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Dear Fatty
Dawn FrenchA SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLERThe hilarious and heartwarming memoir from one of Britain's bestloved comedians and Women's Prize longlisted author, Dawn French.Dawn French is ...
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Hello, Heartbreak
Amy HubermanTHE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER'Will have you laughing out loud ... lovely' CosmopolitanYou'd think twentyseven years would be enough time to wise up to the rules of love and loss, espec...
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In Little Stars
Linda GreenTwo families divided by hate. A love that will not die.Sylvie and Donna travel on the same train to work each day but have never spoken. Their families are on different sides of th...
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Bringing in the Sheaves
Richard Coles'The best vicar ever' Caitlin MoranTHE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CANON CLEMENT SERIES, THE REVEREND RICHARD COLESAfter a life of sex, drugs and the Communards, r...
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Talk Art The Interviews
Russell Tovey & Robert Diament'Insights from the zeitgeist are preserved with conviction and clarity, offering an inclusive way to access contemporary art in all its forms. If Talk Art is the fun podcast, then ...
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Forever Home
Graham Norton“Wonderful. . . . Dark, funny, full of emotional intelligence and gripping from the start . . . beautifully written.”Daily MailThe internationally bestselling author and host...
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Alanatomy
Alan CarrIf you loved Alan's first memoir Look Who It Is! then his followup, Alanatomy, will take you further into the hilarious and bizarre world of the country's favourite chatty man.'A...
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The Life and Loves of a He Devil
Graham Norton'I defy anyone not to snort, howl and recoil' The Sunday Times'Full of wicked asides, tart observations and sharp remarks that could only have originated in Graham Norton's witty b...
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Really Saying Something
Sara Dallin & Keren Woodward'Engaging, entertaining, brilliantly recounted' Mirror 'Captivating . . . an incredible story' i paperMUSIC, FAME AND A LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPSara Dallin and Keren Woodward met in the...
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Murder On Mustique
Anne GlenconnerA storm. A disappearance. A race against time . . .Mustique is in a state of breathless calm as tropical storm Cristobal edges towards it across the Atlantic. Most villa owners hav...
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Lime Street Blues
Maureen Lee'Another brilliant offering by the woman who, through her novels, has helped put Liverpoolset literature on the map' Liverpool EchoA superb novel of friendship, love and rivalry s...
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The Last Supper
Rosemary Shrager'A great yarn Shrager knows her food and she's cooked up a storm. . . Rosie can write and Prudence Bulstrode is here to stay.' Miriam Margolyes'Think bolshy Mrs Beeton meets Mis...