Irish chat show star Graham Norton has revealed that he was considering retiring – until the covid pandemic hit and made him change his mind.
Rather than look to wind down, he started to see his work as something to treasure.
He added that he has an intriguing theme up his sleeve which is sure to bring back his show with a bang.
Norton has been the king of prime time on the BBC for decades and his is the number one show for A list actors and musicians who are promoting their latest releases.
Maintaining his status at the top of the tree for such a long time may have been starting to take its toll before the pandemic, but after having an enforced break, Norton’s batteries are recharged, and he has a new perspective on his work.
He told the Irish Mirror: “Having somewhere to be or somebody who wants you to show up, or just having a purpose in a day changes your free time, makes it different.”
Norton has thrown himself into this positive philosophy and increased his workload rather than settle down.
As well as his regular BBC show, he now also hosts a show on Virgin Radio, a book club on Audible and is a judge on Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK.
He said: “I was thinking I wanted to retire, and then in that first lockdown I was getting a preview of what retirement might be like and not liking it so much.
“So I started thinking, ‘Actually, aren’t I lucky that I get to work?”
Norton said that his comeback show will feature a special James Bond theme – with 007 Daniel Craig himself as his first guest.
He continued: “If you think the Bond premiere has been moved around, our Bond special moved around just as much.
“So that’s going to be our first show back, with Daniel Craig and a bunch of other stars from the new movie.
“That’s a big splashy start and they’re all going to be in the studio.”