Okay, for those of you that asked here's a bit more info...
RE: So, how was he?
Well..... (hmm, i taped the show and have only watched it twice so far, so bare with me, I might have forgotten some of the details ). Alrightee (bearing in mind my propensity to analyse)...
Grahame Norton does a set piece with the audience at the begining, gets them to stand up / sit down for a selected Q & A and then picks on people in the audience as targets. Most are quite unembarrased (which given the tone of some of the questions, or the surprising answers at times , is astounding, and regularly side splitting hilarious).
Next Graham (along with trick camera work) ran in slow mo down the stairway, and then 'leapt' bionically along with acconpanying music, over a floor mounted camera (this is where the audio at the Cyborg site starts when Graham says... " ... that piece of slowmotion overacting..... " (by him) Then he introduces Lee. (Huge applause).
Lee enters via a spiral staircase at the rear centre stage (not exactly limping, since it is a stairway, but you can tell he's favouring his left leg) and sidles over to even more applause to greet Graham.
Lee towers over Graham, folds his tall , slim blonde self and long legs into the chair and they start to chat. He smiles warmly, and gestures all the time as he talks (in fact very expressive) a man constantly moving, (which I put down to a bit of initial nervousness).
Graham (as he often seems to be with his guests) behaves as the starstruck 'in-awe' of his guest persona. Lee chuckles affably and answers his questions, seeming a little nervous at first, fidgeting. Once they get into the swing of things it goes really well - Graham leaning forward in rapt attentiveness, Lee relaxing and chuckling, cracking a few jokes, e.g about SMDM and Fall Guy entrance styles down said stairway. He was looking great, hair longish as per his part in Too Much Sun (sitcom), stylish in wearing black jacket/ trou, dark blue shirt & funky tie. Graham comments that its scarey that Lee " ...hasn't changed a bit... ". Lee thinks this is quite amusing.
Graham hauls out a SMDM doll and after saying to Lee that he was something of a fashion icon, makes jokes about the bionic eye (looking through at the TV camera), and clothing, Lees relaxes and jokes about the epaulettes, and Graham about the colour of the shoes. the audience warms (although they were pretty warm from the start)
They chat about Lee's part on BV, the jobs had outside of acting (Park director) and working with Babs.
Graham moves on to " ...now you must know that you are a huge phenomenon on the internet... "
Lee protests he is internet iliterate, using an Etcha-Sketch pad instead.
Graham goes on with one of his standard show scenarios - loooking at an 'unusual 'website, and phoning the owner, or an advertiser etc on 'Doggie' phone (a toy stuffed dog which is a telephone). this is the point where many past guest either get into the spirit but maintian their dignity, or 'frost up' . Lee did the former, remaining cheerfully detatched and slightly appalled. Of course one aspects of the So Graham Norton show is the shock factor, and also the curiosity factor over the behaviour of 'average' people featured in this spot.
Graham joshes Lee " .. don't you want to get a computer now?"
" Nope, nope "quips Lee' in good spirits. Wiping a tear from his eye.
Graham draws out the victim on the phone, audience/guest laughing hysterically while the recipient of the call is wondering things like - why is the television in your house on so loud (sound of the audience laughter). By this stage Lee is relatively relaxed and in tune with what is essentially a failry spontaneous show, occuring w/n a few set-piece comedic set-ups. He quips and he and Graham talk. What is interesting is that many of the Stars who guest on the show are, whilst candid, are perhaps just a little bit full of talking about themselves, like they expect to answer endless questions about themselves and like the attention, even like the personal level of disclosure. Whilst Lee seems happier getting into the participation level of the show, with the jokes, and he and another guest participate in a gag /skit with the audience , than talking too much about himsef per say, although he had plenty to say w/n the scenario of the format. It seemed to me that he is a little shy and would be happier 'on the move/in action' getting on with things than having the spotlight on him personally. The stillness that people remark about when on screen must take remarkable self control because he constantly seemed to be moving when he talked, waving his hands around ('italian' like). Graham keeps the patter going, and if the 'chemistry' is there they just keep going till the next guest is due, and then they all interacted. The last segment before the next guest is a 'viewer sent in video clip' R18. Part of Grahams approach is the horror/ dilemma that these clips bring out in his audience, the guest being reflective of an individual's response. Lee handled this well.
When I have seen other episodes sometimes the guests and Graham have no 'chemistry' and despite Gr's best efforts things just don't spark re the interview, so he has sometimes abandoned it and just brought the next guest in (there is an emergency stand-in interviewee in the audience, a planted guest, there every week, called Betty, who Graham sets up every now and then. If the show is running out of hum Betty sometimes arrives to do something.
Next guest (Liz Smith) worked as a 'bag inspecter' before big break in acting (looking for holes in bags she said), and became more wellknown as she got older, now prob. late 60s. She was playing a role as The Queen Mum (royal fmaily comedy apparently) and Lee and Graham played up to her role - Lee greeted her and kissed her hand. The skit thing involved lost luggage so Lee & Liz donned gloves for the occassion - Lee's were bright yellow with fur around the top.
Overall : quick witted, DDG, still got that presence, affable, energetic, perceptive, a little shy, and really nice guy. (No sign of Betty that night!)
This is a show that requires a receptive spirit and quick adaptive wit to 'survive' as a guest, kind of like reality TV. Other 'survivors' have included Cher, Cilla Black; 'footshooters' have included David Arquette, Sybill Shepherd.
okay - so I overdid it again Hope you enjoyed the report anyway
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Replying to:
Lee Majors was guesting on 'So Grahame Norton', which finally made it down under!!!! (Heck it was made in Nov 1999, and its only 2003 now )
Hey Mavisdavis,
I saw the show a few years back and I agree Lee held his own with Graham. It seemed like Lee didn't know how to take Graham at first but after a few minutes he just kind of just played along. The phone call that Graham made was very strange and I really don't know how I would handled it, but Lee managed to come away looking like a good sport.
I also saw the Lindsay Wagner episode and she didn't come off as well. I'm not sure of why she did the show, but you could tell she was not enjoying it at all. As a matter of fact she didn't appear in the last segment and came off with little sense of humor. I'm sure she had a talk to with her agent afterwords.
Take care
Cubster
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Replying to:
Okay, for those of you that asked here's a bit more info...
RE: So, how was he?
Well..... (hmm, i taped the show and have only watched it twice so far, so bare with me, I might have forgotten some of the details ). Alrightee (bearing in mind my propensity to analyse)...
Grahame Norton does a set piece with the audience at the begining, gets them to stand up / sit down for a selected Q & A and then picks on people in the audience as targets. Most are quite unembarrased (which given the tone of some of the questions, or the surprising answers at times , is astounding, and regularly side splitting hilarious).
Next Graham (along with trick camera work) ran in slow mo down the stairway, and then 'leapt' bionically along with acconpanying music, over a floor mounted camera (this is where the audio at the Cyborg site starts when Graham says... " ... that piece of slowmotion overacting..... " (by him) Then he introduces Lee. (Huge applause).
Lee enters via a spiral staircase at the rear centre stage (not exactly limping, since it is a stairway, but you can tell he's favouring his left leg) and sidles over to even more applause to greet Graham.
Lee towers over Graham, folds his tall , slim blonde self and long legs into the chair and they start to chat. He smiles warmly, and gestures all the time as he talks (in fact very expressive) a man constantly moving, (which I put down to a bit of initial nervousness).
Graham (as he often seems to be with his guests) behaves as the starstruck 'in-awe' of his guest persona. Lee chuckles affably and answers his questions, seeming a little nervous at first, fidgeting. Once they get into the swing of things it goes really well - Graham leaning forward in rapt attentiveness, Lee relaxing and chuckling, cracking a few jokes, e.g about SMDM and Fall Guy entrance styles down said stairway. He was looking great, hair longish as per his part in Too Much Sun (sitcom), stylish in wearing black jacket/ trou, dark blue shirt & funky tie. Graham comments that its scarey that Lee " ...hasn't changed a bit... ". Lee thinks this is quite amusing.
Graham hauls out a SMDM doll and after saying to Lee that he was something of a fashion icon, makes jokes about the bionic eye (looking through at the TV camera), and clothing, Lees relaxes and jokes about the epaulettes, and Graham about the colour of the shoes. the audience warms (although they were pretty warm from the start)
They chat about Lee's part on BV, the jobs had outside of acting (Park director) and working with Babs.
Graham moves on to " ...now you must know that you are a huge phenomenon on the internet... "
Lee protests he is internet iliterate, using an Etcha-Sketch pad instead.
Graham goes on with one of his standard show scenarios - loooking at an 'unusual 'website, and phoning the owner, or an advertiser etc on 'Doggie' phone (a toy stuffed dog which is a telephone). this is the point where many past guest either get into the spirit but maintian their dignity, or 'frost up' . Lee did the former, remaining cheerfully detatched and slightly appalled. Of course one aspects of the So Graham Norton show is the shock factor, and also the curiosity factor over the behaviour of 'average' people featured in this spot.
Graham joshes Lee " .. don't you want to get a computer now?"
" Nope, nope "quips Lee' in good spirits. Wiping a tear from his eye.
Graham draws out the victim on the phone, audience/guest laughing hysterically while the recipient of the call is wondering things like - why is the television in your house on so loud (sound of the audience laughter). By this stage Lee is relatively relaxed and in tune with what is essentially a failry spontaneous show, occuring w/n a few set-piece comedic set-ups. He quips and he and Graham talk. What is interesting is that many of the Stars who guest on the show are, whilst candid, are perhaps just a little bit full of talking about themselves, like they expect to answer endless questions about themselves and like the attention, even like the personal level of disclosure. Whilst Lee seems happier getting into the participation level of the show, with the jokes, and he and another guest participate in a gag /skit with the audience , than talking too much about himsef per say, although he had plenty to say w/n the scenario of the format. It seemed to me that he is a little shy and would be happier 'on the move/in action' getting on with things than having the spotlight on him personally. The stillness that people remark about when on screen must take remarkable self control because he constantly seemed to be moving when he talked, waving his hands around ('italian' like). Graham keeps the patter going, and if the 'chemistry' is there they just keep going till the next guest is due, and then they all interacted. The last segment before the next guest is a 'viewer sent in video clip' R18. Part of Grahams approach is the horror/ dilemma that these clips bring out in his audience, the guest being reflective of an individual's response. Lee handled this well.
When I have seen other episodes sometimes the guests and Graham have no 'chemistry' and despite Gr's best efforts things just don't spark re the interview, so he has sometimes abandoned it and just brought the next guest in (there is an emergency stand-in interviewee in the audience, a planted guest, there every week, called Betty, who Graham sets up every now and then. If the show is running out of hum Betty sometimes arrives to do something.
Next guest (Liz Smith) worked as a 'bag inspecter' before big break in acting (looking for holes in bags she said), and became more wellknown as she got older, now prob. late 60s. She was playing a role as The Queen Mum (royal fmaily comedy apparently) and Lee and Graham played up to her role - Lee greeted her and kissed her hand. The skit thing involved lost luggage so Lee & Liz donned gloves for the occassion - Lee's were bright yellow with fur around the top.
Overall : quick witted, DDG, still got that presence, affable, energetic, perceptive, a little shy, and really nice guy. (No sign of Betty that night!)
This is a show that requires a receptive spirit and quick adaptive wit to 'survive' as a guest, kind of like reality TV. Other 'survivors' have included Cher, Cilla Black; 'footshooters' have included David Arquette, Sybill Shepherd.
okay - so I overdid it again Hope you enjoyed the report anyway
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Replying to:
Lee Majors was guesting on 'So Grahame Norton', which finally made it down under!!!! (Heck it was made in Nov 1999, and its only 2003 now )
OMG! I just found out that they air this show on BBC America!
Great, now I have another show to watch that my husband can complain about!