Graham Norton plans drastic career change away from BBC chat show

Graham Norton is branching out into the world of movies by co-writing and producing a romantic comedy.

It is understood his So Television company and production firm Tiger Mountain will co-produce the film. And Bridget Jones director Dan Mazer will shoot the British-Irish movie, which is due to start filming later this year.

A source said: “The film has been financed by Sky and will be shot in Ireland in July and August. It has not been an easy road to get to this point, and the team at So, who are learning as they go, have found getting movies made is much harder than they expected.

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"But this is a really exciting project and everyone has high hopes for it now the ball is really rolling. Talks are ongoing with some high-profile actors who would really make the script come alive.”

Graham is set to go into movie making
(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty I)

Graham’s shift into movies comes after his novel, Holding, was turned into an ITV series in 2022, starring Conleth Hill and Siobhan McSweeney. The Dublin-born chat show host, 61, did not produce the series but he asked the team to hold back on “overt” Irishness.

At the time, Graham said: “Whenever I felt it was too Irish, I was going, ‘No. You’ve got Irish actors, you’re filming in West Cork. It’s Irish enough… we get it’.”

It comes after Graham's replacement for his Virgin Radio show has been announced. The famous broadcaster recently stepped down from the network after 13 years after deciding he wanted his "weekends back". For many, Graham was a key part of a Saturday morning with millions listening in for his programme on a weekly basis. But back in March, he told listeners he would be having "one last gallop around the paddock" before hanging up his headphones.

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