Graham Norton

A major force on British television since the early 1990s, comedian and producer Graham Norton served up brassy, naughty and irreverent humor as the host of numerous popular talk shows, including "So Graham Norton" (Channel 4 1998-2002), "V Graham Norton" (Channel 4 2002-2003) and "The Graham Norton Show" (BBC Two 2007- ). Originally hailing from Ireland, Norton burst onto the UK TV scene in 1992 as a guest performer and occasional actor on various projects. His impish personality and seemingly inexhaustible energy led to a steady slew of talk shows, which allowed him to exercise his love for innuendo-laden comments and pop culture, which was alternately tweaked and paid tribute by the comedian. He also became a much-loved host for a vast array of variety series, including "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" (BBC One 2006), and the venerable Eurovision Song Contest. Norton also shrewdly served as producer for most of his TV efforts, which helped to make his production company, So Television, a hugely successful entity by the time of its sale to ITV in 2012 for more than £15 million. Though widespread success in America largely eluded Graham Norton, his status as one of Europe's most popular TV personalities remained untouched.