On this week's show Graham Norton chats to award-winning actor Cynthia Erivo, Rivals star David Tennant, triple Oscar nominee Laura Linney, top comic Rob Brydon, and singer songwriter Noah Kahan.

Cynthia, talking her new film Prima Facie, which coincidentally reflects the current news cycle, says, “Essentially, it is not just about the case itself, but how the law treats women when it comes to consent and how we are expected to remember things.  Suzie Miller, the writer, is a brilliant brain who is determined to help change the law when it comes to sexual assault.  

“The role allowed me to learn about the  intricacies of being a lawyer and how to separate from the emotion of a case.  I took all of that into account – it was a deep process to go through as I wanted to be as precise as possible.”

Recalling her one woman play, Dracula, she says, “I felt totally insane every day, and I was terrified getting on stage, but it was a complete rush.  I think my mind was completely fractured by the end of it.  I trained for and ran a marathon in the middle of it which helped me focus.  When I was off stage running was a thing to get me  back into my body.”

Laura, talking about her own one woman show My Name Is Lucy Barton, staged in 2018, says, “I was terrified every time as it was an hour and a half of me talking.  I would have a moment about 45 minutes in when, in my head, I was saying, ‘Oh, shut up, stop talking!’  I got sick every night and threw up, but it was a remarkable thing to do.”

David, talking about the new season of Rivals, and asked about his dastardly character Lord Tony Bellingham, says, “He is misunderstood!  He is a creature of the 80s – slightly monstrous, power hungry, and pretty ruthless.  The characters are so beautifully drawn from Jilly Cooper’s novels and are juicy and great fun.  It is a great cast to be in amongst, and everyone has a vivid character to play, and they all do it so well.  I adore them.”

Asked about more about Dame Jilly Cooper he says, “She was everything you’d hoped she would be.  She was glamourous and very mischievous.  She was as thrilled with it as we were.  I think she gloried in the fact that people had rediscovered her stories.   She had a glorious final act, and I am very proud to have got to know her.”

Talking about being known for being Doctor Who around the world, he says, “I was in a small town in Upstate New York and was surprised to find a Doctor Who themed restaurant – The Pandorica – on the main street.  It was very unexpected and I avoided it for a while but then thought I should.  It was very unlikely, a bit weird and a little surreal, but delightful.”

Laura, talking about her moving British drama Onwards and Sideways, says, “I was lucky enough to work with the great Rhys Ifans.  He is a spectacular actor.  Although the film is about the world of Parkinson’s disease, it is very funny and has a very positive outlook on life.  Being welcomed into that community was life affirming.  It was a wonderful experience.”

Rob, talking about his return to the world of sitcom in Bill's Included, says, “I wanted to do something funny and relaxed with comic timing – very much like a Richard Briers character.  It was a shock being the lead character as it was so exhausting being in every scene with so many words to learn.”

And, on the return of The Trip with Steve Coogan, he says, “I thought we had finished with it, but it is very appealing – we shoot in sequence, we travel around, and we both have loads of room to improvise which is so rewarding.  Working with Steve is as good as it gets.”

Talking about visiting Rhys Ifan backstage with Tom Jones after a stage performance of A Christmas Carol, Rob jokes, “Rhys’s uncle and aunt were in the dressing room.  It was all very nice.  A few days later Rhys told me that after we had gone, his uncle said, ‘That bloke was the spitting image of Tom Jones!’”

Noah Kahan performs The Great Divide, the title track of his current album, live in the studio before joining Graham for a chat.

And finally, Graham pulls the lever on more foolhardy audience members brave enough to sit in the world-famous Big Red Chair to tell their funniest stories.

The Graham Norton Show, BBC One, Friday 13th November 10.40pm. Also available on BBC iPlayer.

Next week (20th November) Graham’s guests include Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Oliver, and Take That.

Pictured: Cynthia Erivo, David Tennant, Laura Linney, Graham Norton, Rob Brydon, Noah Kahan

Credit: BBC/PA Wire/PA Images/Matt Crossick