Graham Norton slams boring A-list guests

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Graham Norton has blasted big-name guests for "ruining" his talk show.

The 56-year-old presenter admitted there have been a number of Hollywood actors who have "killed" the vibe of his self-titled BBC programme but they don\'t realise why they have stopped their own episode from being "fun".

He said: "There\'s the guest sitting on the couch thinking, \'But I love this show. Tonight just, I don\'t know, it\'s just not that good tonight,\' and you\'re like, \'Because you\'re on it. Because you\'re here. You\'re ruining it\'.

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"It happens quite often where people are like, \'Normally this show is so fun,\' and I was like, \'Yeah, but you\'re here. You carry this with you. You kill every room you enter.\' "

After a series of difficult guests, Graham admitted he now tries to pair their booking with that of a British comedian because they are able to help bring life back to the discussion.

Speaking in the US, he explained: "That is the joy, because if I\'m getting nothing, if that is a bloodless stone then you turn to someone else, or I might be lucky to have a comic at the end.

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"They can do 20 minutes, so off they go. And actually sometimes, it\'s as illuminating to see a really kind of stern actor who is not really good at telling their stories to see what makes them laugh, to see the comic is really tickling them.

"That\'s, in a way, more revealing than the answer to any question I could ask them."

Graham singled out Mark Wahlberg for particular criticism - and admitted he was relieved when he "fell asleep" mid-interview.

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He said: "If they\'re disruptive then that is a bore and annoying. Like Mark Wahlberg, I think Mark got a bit confused about the jet lag and wine.

"He fell asleep -- that was the good bit. When he fell asleep, that was like we were able to tell stories. The show\'s going a bit better now, I wonder why? Oh, he\'s asleep.

"And at one stage, he climbed on my lap and was like pinching my nipples, and I remember afterwards thinking, \'wow, my 20-year-old self, my head would have exploded if someone would tell me he would do that\', but my 50-year-old self was just like, \'Get off me.\' "

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And Graham - who praised past guests George Clooney, Bill Murray, Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Madonna and Russell Crowe - hit out at those who admit to feel "nervous" about being on the show.

He said: "I find actors being nervous so annoying. Like you know that thing: \'Oh, I was so nervous, I was vomiting in the wings. I needed a bucket in the wings before I could go on stage. I was so nervous.\'

"You\'re in the wrong job! If a bus driver is afraid of his bus, get a new job. Just don\'t do that. So I have no patience for actors being nervous.