The BBC presenter, 63, has lifted the lid on his drinking habits during the song contest – revealing there’s often ‘nothing to be had’ in the commentary booth and confessing he’s left ‘sniffing around’ for leftovers by the end of the night
Graham Norton has lifted the lid on his drinking habits at Eurovision, revealing he “smuggles” alcohol backstage and has had to break Terry Wogan’s famous “song nine rule”.
The chat show host, 63, who will commentate on his 18th Eurovision final next weekend in Vienna, explained that when Terry retired from Eurovision in 2008, the legendary broadcaster gave him crucial advice before his first show.
“He was really sweet – he rang me before I went off to Moscow, which was so nice of him,” Graham said. “The only bit of advice he gave me was: don’t have a drink before song nine.
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“Terry was quite fond of the Bailey’s. I do wine if I can get it. Some years, there’s no drink to be had, no drink to be smuggled in, nothing.”
The Irish presenter added: “Normally, it is smuggled in because you can’t really get it in. Anyway, his advice was very good, except that I feel like there are a lot more songs now. So song nine is quite early to be having a drink.”
While Graham may feel the Grand Final goes on for longer than it used to, this year’s show will feature 25 songs – only one more than the 24 songs that competed 20 years ago.
Graham continued: “You know what it’s like, you have a drink, you go, ooh, delicious, I’ll have some more. And because it’s a long live show, you just can’t. So you have to just go, as nice as that is, I can’t have anymore. You try to stay sober.”
The presenter revealed that by the end of the evening, he’s desperate for refreshment. “It finishes so late that you’re sniffing around the old commentary booth: ‘Any of that wine left?'” he said.
This year’s Eurovision takes place in Vienna after Austria’s Karol G won last year. The UK will be represented by electronic artist Look Mum No Computer, real name Sam Battle, 37, with his song “Eins, Zwei, Drei” – the first UK Eurovision entry not sung entirely in English in 68 years.
Speaking on the Bottoms Up! podcast with Alan Carr and Lee Peart, Graham also opened up about why he drinks wine when hosting his chat show and during live performances.
“When I started doing standup – or performing, really, like, solo performing – friends would come up and they’d go, ‘You seemed a bit nervous’. And I could feel it. I could feel I was nervous,” he said.
He recalled how having a drink before a performance decades ago changed his approach. “I was doing an Australian tourist commission gig… I was standing there with my glass of Australian wine, sipping it. And because I was in a nervous state, I was heightened – I could really feel the wine going through my body. And it just took the edge off.”
Graham continues to drink during hosting gigs these days, but now sets himself a strict limit. “If it ever gets to where I’m on my second glass before I go on, then I’ll knock it on the head,” he explained. “That’s why I still have that glass of wine on set with me. Now I don’t get nervous – I just like having a glass of wine. I have a huge glass of wine with lots of ice in it, and I sip it. Also I think it communicates to an audience that you’re having a nice time.”
Graham has been the BBC’s Eurovision commentator since 2009, taking over from Terry, who commentated on the contest for 35 years. Terry died in January 2016, and since then Graham has led a national toast to his predecessor during song nine of each contest.
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