And here’s the interview from ~8/2004

KEN PLUME: The last time we spoke, you were on the cusp of exploring the American market – you were about to do your first New York shows…

GRAHAM NORTON: Were they the ones for Channel 4?

PLUME: Yes. How would you compare those shows to what you’ve done now, in launching an American show proper?

NORTON: Well, funnily enough, we just assumed that it would be much harder doing the American version. I mean, Comedy Central’s been very good – they kept saying, “You won’t have to change the show. You can be the same.” And we were really quite cynical. We thought, Well, they’re saying that now, but surely when it comes to it they’ll make us do all sorts of alterations and changes.”

PLUME: Were you cynical about the network, or what the network would think the audience would accept?

NORTON: We just thought that was the nature of American television – that a lot of executives would just pile in at the last minute and kind of go, “No, you can’t do that. No, none of that.” And in fact, they were true to their word – they absolutely have left us alone. So we found the experience really great, and we discovered things. We were really nervous about doing a show with seven commercial breaks, and in fact we’ve discovered that commercial breaks really suit us because you don’t need to explain things anymore. Like, there was a time when I would have to talk to the guest, and then explain why we were walking over to the stage area to play a game, and blah blah blah. And now we don’t do that – we come back from a commercial break and boing!, we’re there. We’re just on the stage and I’m saying, “Right, we’re playing a game.”

PLUME: So someone’s finally found a use for commercial breaks…

NORTON: Yeah! No, honestly, I think for a chat show format it really works, because it is all segments. It’s all comedy items, and it works well to break it up.

PLUME: Having those breaks, do you find yourself doing more editing?

NORTON: In fact, I would say less, because things don’t tend to run on like they used to. Because it would take me so long to try and explain what we were going to do next, and trying to come up with some sort of tenuous link from what we had been doing to get into the next thing. And now there doesn’t need to be tenuous links – you just go boing!, right, there you go. So I would say there’s probably less editing now.

PLUME: Were you at all worried, coming in during a puritanical upswing, as to how audiences would react to the show? Or were you pretty confident it would find its niche?

NORTON: I must say, I was always confident about the audience – but again, I was very nervous about the suits and the powers that be. Because audiences couldn’t care less. I think it’s a powerful little minority that care, and they put pressure on the suits, and the suits are very nervous. But in fact, again, Comedy Central – true to their word – they really… We’ve got away with so much on our show. In terms of language, yeah we get bleeped and blurred and things, but in terms of content, I would probably say we’re getting away with more here than we could get away with in Britain. And that surprised us so much!

PLUME: Is a part of you disappointed in the lack of controversy?

NORTON: No, because it’s never something that we court. I mean, we didn’t even try… People think we’re trying to shock, but we never – and this is truly true – that is never our motivation. Our motivations is to amuse people.

PLUME: I don’t think the show would be nearly as good as it is if you were just out to shock…

NORTON: Exactly. We want it to be funny first. I mean, it’s rude, but that’s the thing – that’s the sort of stuff that amuses us. We’re big kids at heart. We’re still trapped in adolescence… Tragically, at age 41! But that is the sort of stuff that makes us laugh, so that’s sort of why we plumb those depths.

PLUME: You’re at the forefront of the second British invasion…

NORTON: Yeah! We’re back!

PLUME: Are there currently any plans to take the American show on the road?

NORTON: No. I could maybe tour with stand-up, but to take the TV show on the road is just so expensive, logistically… Particularly because we’re a weekly show now. I think if we were still doing 5 nights a week, you can somehow justify going somewhere else, because you get 5 shows for the price of one, in a way.

PLUME: What is the status of the Channel 4 show?

NORTON: I’m no longer with Channel 4…

PLUME: I did not know that…

NORTON: Yes…

PLUME: So you’re officially ours…

NORTON: Yes… Well, officially yours and the BBC’s. Back in Britain, my contract with Channel 4 ended in April, and I signed up with the BBC. So when I go back in the middle of September, that’s who I’m working for.

PLUME: So you finally gave in to the great beast…

NORTON: I did!

PLUME: I’m assuming the terms of their offer had changed – because I know they’ve made overtures to you in the past…

NORTON: In the end, it’s never about things like that, because I get paid very well for what I do, and I don’t have children – I live a life that I never thought I would – so that never is really a motivating factor anymore. For me, it was that I wanted to stop 5 nights a week, because I wanted my life back, and I felt that staying at Channel 4 doing a once-a-week show felt like… I don’t know… going backwards. So we knew that we were in a very lucky position – that we were going to continue doing the show we knew how to do and the show we like doing in America, so we thought now was the chance to take a risk in Britain and try something new there.

Continued below…

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