PLUME: It’s what, an 18-episode run for the first series of the US show?

NORTON: No, I think we’re 13. I know we’ve got another 6 weeks left.

PLUME: What is the status of a second series? Has that already been picked up?

NORTON: Well, in my head, yes. I know we did a deal for 2 series, but I can’t remember whether they… I guess they could cancel us… I don’t know. But as far as I know, we’re coming back.

PLUME: What is your preferred frequency as far as the series goes? When would you like to come back for the second series?

NORTON: The trouble is, I love working here, so I’d be quite happy just to stay on the air and not go back…

PLUME: I’m sure the BBC would love to hear that…

NORTON: I’ve said it in other interviews and there were panicked calls – “He’s joking, isn’t he?” We’re finishing in mid-September, so I think it would be good to come back sort of early next year… Kind of the end of January or something. That way they can repeat these shows a bit, and build up an audience for the second season.

PLUME: Which has built up tremendously fast as it is…

NORTON: Yeah – no, it’s good, so Comedy Central seems pleased with it all.

PLUME: Are you happy with the guests so far this series?

NORTON: Yeah. What’s been good is just that we’ve had guests who’ve been up for playing, so it’s given the show a chance… Because in Britain, we could have sort of other sorts of guests, if you know what I mean, and we could then change the show to accommodate them because the show is so established. But here, we thought it was really important that we make the show that we wanted to make, and then the guests fitted in to that. So we’ve been really aware of booking people who we know like the show, and we know won’t get offended by things… won’t be screaming at the publicist afterwards.

PLUME: Are you worried at all about the psychological difference for the guests coming in? Because in the UK when you had a guest like Dustin Hoffman on, it seemed like they felt they could be much freer on your show knowing it was outside the American market, and they could relax the veneer a bit. Do you find that dynamic different now, since they know it’s a US show?

NORTON: I don’t know… I don’t know. Slightly. I think certainly people are more aware of language. They don’t swear in the way that they swore on my British show – because I think that they liked that. I think they liked the freedom that they had there. And I’m not sure what that is – whether that’s just ’cause they know the rules, or whether they don’t want an audience to seem them like that in public.

PLUME: They’re worried about the truncheon-wielding FCC goons outside the studio…

NORTON: It’s weird – the Standards people… We deal with a very nice woman from Viacom, and she couldn’t be more helpful. She knows the show, she likes the show, and she wants us to get as much on-air as possible. She’s great.

PLUME: So you really came up aces when you came over…

NORTON: We were so full of dread, you know… Not “dread,” but you know what I mean. We were resigned to the reality of American television, and we just kind of thought, “Oh well. We’ll see how a diluted version of our show goes.” And it just hasn’t been diluted. I mean, maybe as the show gets more popular and we put our head above the radar, maybe the FCC will go, “Wait a minute! What the hell is that?!?! And why is that on television?!?!” So maybe we will end up getting in trouble. For now – fingers crossed – it’s all good.

PLUME: So who was supplying the wine to Seth Green and Matthew Lillard?

NORTON: We supply wine to all the guests – but most of the guests don’t bring the wine on. But I drink wine before the show. Everyone does.

PLUME: And they just kept on drinking…

NORTON: It’s so funny, because people think they were drunk. They weren’t. They’d literally had, like, a glass of wine, I think.

PLUME: So it was just a beautiful act…

NORTON: Yeah! They were just bouncing off each other.

PLUME: Is there a guest that you’re still trying to book for the US show that’s giving you trouble?

NORTON: Always!

PLUME: But there must be someone on your short list… When’s Dolly (Parton) coming back?

NORTON: Oh, bless her… We’ve asked, but I can’t remember… Dolly’s doing something… Is she in Vegas or something? I can’t remember. She’s doing something that I don’t think we’re going to get her this series.

PLUME: Well, there’s your excuse for doing a Vegas show…

NORTON: (laughing) Yeah! Hopefully next year.

PLUME: But you’re still in contact with Dolly…

NORTON: Yes, sort of. I’m not really, but we e-mail each other and fax each other, and stuff like that.

PLUME: How much of a loss is it not having Betty around the show anymore?

NORTON: Oh, obviously we miss her! But what’s interesting is that because this is kind of a new audience who don’t know Betty, they don’t know that she’s not there. And actually we’ve forgotten about her, to be brutally honest.

PLUME: In other words, she’s sitting there by the phone hoping you’ll call…

NORTON: Uh, yeah. Actually, she’s – weirdly – now working with another presenter who does these skits where he pretends to be me.

PLUME: So you’ve reached the level where people are imitating you now…

NORTON: Yeah… and she plays herself.

PLUME: What have you done to her?

NORTON: I know! We’ve turned her into a huge star!

PLUME: That’s not true…

NORTON: Well, she is a celebrity…

PLUME: She does have her own section on the DVD…

NORTON: Yes, she does.

Continued below…

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