The Graham Norton Show Welcomes 2026 with Star-Studded New Year’s Eve Special

Britain’s Favourite Chat Show Returns for New Year Celebrations

The Graham Norton Show returned to BBC One for a special New Year’s Eve edition, bringing together some of the biggest names in entertainment to help viewers celebrate the arrival of 2026. The show’s latest series, the thirty-third, began on 26 September 2025, and as of 28 November 2025, 559 episodes of The Graham Norton Show have aired.

A-List Guests Grace the Famous Red Sofa

Graham Norton is joined by Owen Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Tim Key, Laura Dern, Will Arnett, Tom Hiddleston and Alison Limerick for his annual New Year’s Eve show. The star-studded lineup featured Tom Hiddleston ahead of his return as spy Jonathan Pine in the long-awaited second series of The Night Manager, which returns on 1 January 2026.

Oscar winner Laura Dern and comic actor Will Arnett talked about their new movie Is This Thing On? (inspired by the life of British comedian John Bishop). Meanwhile, triple Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan and comedian Tim Key, stars of this year’s feelgood British hit The Ballad of Wallis Island, added British charm to the evening.

Rising Star Owen Cooper Makes History

One of the evening’s most notable guests was teenage sensation Owen Cooper. Owen Cooper, the young star of the TV phenomenon of 2025, Adolescence, appeared as a guest. The schoolboy won the 2025 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, and he was 15 when he scooped the gong, making him the youngest ever recipient of an Emmy.

Musical Performance and Red Chair Stories

The music guest was Alison Limerick, performing her classic dance hit Where Love Lives, which celebrated its 35th anniversary this year. The show also featured its traditional Big Red Chair segment, where Graham pulled the lever on audience members brave enough to share their stories, with unfunny ones flying backwards into the New Year.

Why The Graham Norton Show Matters

The Graham Norton Show has become a British television institution since its debut in February 2007. The programme’s unique format of having all guests on the sofa simultaneously creates spontaneous and entertaining conversations that other talk shows rarely achieve. As we enter 2026, the show continues to deliver must-watch television, bringing together Hollywood stars, British talent and emerging performers in an atmosphere of warmth and humour that has made it one of the BBC’s most successful entertainment programmes.