So. What is Graham Norton like?
I spent the weekend at Listowel Writers’ Week recording this coming Saturday’s RTÉ Poetry Programme and conducting the public interview with Graham Norton in the local community centre in front of 750 very excited people both locals and from far afield.
The thing everyone wants to know is “so what’s he like in real life?” Of course, he’s pretty much as you find him on the telly. Lovely, chatty, warm and a total professional. We met about a half hour before the interview and ended up getting on wonderfully (I thought!)
All 75 minutes of the interview itself flew (including the surreal Q&A where my two favourite questions were “Who looks after your dogs?” and “Can I give you a squeeze?”) and, judging from the number of people who told me it was the highlight of the festival for them, I think I did a decent job of it.
Ended up in the hotel bar, talked to half of Listowel, same again when we ended up down in John B. Keane’s Pub to be greeted at the door by Billy Keane himself. Lovely, lovely guy, great pub, jammed and they had McGargles on tap…
Met the incredibly talented Sara Baume, the now award winning Victoria Kennefick, the ladies of Tramp Press and so many others…
I have rarely fallen so in love with a festival and a place as I did last weekend.
I’ll be back.
One thought on “What is Graham Norton Like?”
You did more than decent job at writers’ week! I was speaking with a few people and all were in agreement that you were the perfect host. Free flowing, entertaining yet getting the most out of Mr. Norton in an hour or so.
When I was designing the programme in March, Maire in writers’ week said she had found the perfect host and three months later on a Saturday night she was proved so right.
Alas another year has come and gone in Listowel, in the winter the rumblings start about next years programme and a design – hopefully Mr. Rick O’Shea will become a more permanent guest in the Listowel Writers’ Week Programme.
Comments are closed.