Jonathan Ross addresses ongoing ‘rift’ with chat show rival Graham Norton

With The Graham Norton Show only growing in popularity, Jonathan Ross has addressed the rivalry, saying that he is proud to have more British talent on his own sofa

Jonathan Ross has suggested Graham Norton gets “bigger” chat show guests than he does because he is more willing to compromise with Hollywood stars’ demands. It comes as the Celebrity Traitors star is launching a new social experiment-style show set to hit screens on Channel 4.

Legendary presenter Wossy used to host a series in the same Friday night slot on the BBC throughout the 2000s. But he jumped to ITV after being “kicked out” in 2010 after nine years in the role and was promptly dropped after being caught up in a major scandal alongside Russell Brand.

Since then, The Graham Norton Show has gone from strength to strength, raking in millions of viewers for the Beeb. It is also becoming a favourite stop-off for world-famous faces like Julia Roberts and Harrison Ford – and even earning him an invite to Taylor Swift’s wedding.

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Jonathan, who presents an ITV chat show that has aired on Saturday nights since 2011, has expressed confusion over why Norton books all the A-listers from overseas. He did not understand how so many big names from abroad will go to Graham’s show, while his sofa is typically filled with British talent.

Asked if Graham gets more famous guests, he said: “He gets American names – and I am not quite sure why that is. I think they have a better relationship with the studios, and by ‘better’, I mean more conciliatory.”

But the presenter, a hit on the first series of BBC’s Celebrity Traitors last year, said he doesn’t think his show “is any weaker” because of the lower calibre of celebrity guests. He explained: “We put a lot of thought into the mix of people we get on. I try not to have all actors.

“I try not to have all comedians. I try to have a variety of ages and, obviously, sexes.”

The Masked Singer judge, 65, also denied he’s a national treasure and insists he’s got “no interest in being one”. He maintained he couldn’t care less if people thinks he’s an “arsehole” as long as he isn’t actually one deep down.

And he suggested “TV as we know it has three years left” because the audience is so “fractured”. He added that most youngsters are not turning on the telly and watching traditional television anymore, instead relying on streamers and catch-up TV.

He added: “Most young people don’t have a TV. They watch on smaller screens. There are YouTube stars we don’t even know exist who are bigger stars for young audiences than any terrestrial TV personalities.

“MrBeast is one of the biggest stars. MrBeast is a billionaire.”

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