Quentin Tarantino is back on Graham Norton’s sofa for the first time in over a decade, alongside Ellen DeGeneres, Colin Farrell and Gemma Chan. Here is the full line-up, the start time, and who is booked for the next two weeks.

It has been more than ten years since Quentin Tarantino last sat on the red sofa. He is back because he has written a play, it opens in the West End in March, and Sacha Baron Cohen is starring in it.

Next to him is Ellen DeGeneres, who now lives in the Cotswolds. Which makes this the rare Graham Norton line-up where the American guest is the one who didn’t have to fly in.

Who is on The Graham Norton Show tonight?

Quentin Tarantino, Ellen DeGeneres, Colin Farrell and Gemma Chan, with a live performance from Suede.

• Quentin Tarantino Rare appearance Promoting his play, The Popinjay Cavalier His first appearance on the show in over a decade. The play is a comedy of deception and disguise set in 1830s Europe, written and directed by Tarantino, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, opening in the West End in March 2027.
• Ellen DeGeneres US comedian and chat show host Hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show for nineteen series. She moved to England after the 2024 US presidential election and has since made the move permanent.
• Colin Farrell Promoting the documentary The Slightest Touch A film about his friend Emma Fogarty, a campaigner living with the rare skin condition epidermolysis bullosa. Directed by Rachel Fleit, it premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival on Rare Disease Day and has been acquired worldwide by HBO Documentary Films.
• Gemma Chan Promoting the thriller Josephine She stars opposite Channing Tatum in Beth de Araújo’s crime thriller, out on 20 November and already carrying awards talk.
• Suede Live Musical guest Performing Dancing with the Europeans from their album Antidepressants, which they tour across the UK and Europe in early 2026.

What time is Graham Norton on tonight?

10.40 pm on BBC One, tonight, Friday 16 October. The episode goes on BBC iPlayer straight afterwards.

The Graham Norton Show runs on Friday nights at 10.40 pm for the rest of series 34. It is the late end of a long BBC One Friday — Celebrity Traitors is on at 8 pm, and Strictly follows on Saturday. The slot has been stable all series, but it is a late-night show on a channel that carries live sport and breaking news, so it can shift. Check the BBC One listings on the night if you are recording it.

Why is Quentin Tarantino on Graham Norton?

He has written and directed his first stage play, The Popinjay Cavalier, which opens in the West End in March 2027 with Sacha Baron Cohen in the lead.

Tarantino announced in 2025 that he had written a play he intended to direct himself. The title and the West End plan were confirmed in March 2026, and Sacha Baron Cohen’s casting followed this month, along with the first poster.

It is described as a rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise, set in 1830s Europe and drawing on swashbuckling stage and screen epics. Sonia Friedman Productions and Sony Pictures Entertainment are producing. The theatre has not been named.

Tarantino has also said he would “start the ball rolling on it in January” when he moved to London, which puts him in the country for the kind of promotional round that gets you onto a Friday night chat show.

Why is Ellen DeGeneres on a British chat show?

She lives here. DeGeneres moved to the Cotswolds after the 2024 US presidential election and has since decided to stay permanently.

She said at the time that life “is just better” in Britain. It is a sizeable career shift for someone who hosted a daytime show in Los Angeles for nineteen years, and it is the obvious thing for Norton to ask her about.

Who is on Graham Norton next week?

Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham, Robert Irwin and Jorja Smith are booked for Friday 23 October.

The week after that, on Friday 30 October, it is Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Naomi Ackie and the Sugababes.

Douglas and Close on the same sofa is the one to put in the diary. They have not shared a screen since Fatal Attraction in 1987, and that is thirty-nine years ago.

Line-ups are announced by the BBC roughly a week ahead and are listed as “will include”, so they can change. This page is updated every Thursday when the following night’s guests are confirmed.

Full Graham Norton Show series 34 schedule

Fridays, 10.40 pm, BBC One.

Series 34 runs to 26 February 2027, finishing with two highlights specials. The New Year’s Eve edition is the one scheduling exception: it goes out on a Thursday rather than a Friday.

How do you watch Graham Norton on iPlayer?

Every episode lands on BBC iPlayer after broadcast, and earlier series are there too.

You need a TV licence to watch live or on iPlayer, and there is nothing to pay on top of that. iPlayer is UK-only, so it will not play abroad without the BBC recognising a UK connection. The BBC One programme page carries the full episode listing.

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