Look up bond in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Bond, bonds, bonded, and bonding may refer to:

• Peace-bonding, something which makes a weapon unusable as a weapon

Fiduciary[link]

• Bond market
• Bond (finance), in finance, a type of debt security
  • Government bond, a bond issued by a national government
    • War bonds, a type of government bond used to raise funding for a war effort
  • Municipal bond, a bond issued by a city or local government
  • Corporate bond, a bond issued by a corporation
  • Mortgage bond, in South Africa a bond or mortgage bond is the usual term for property mortgage.
• Insurance bond (or investment bond), a life assurance-based single premium investment
• Surety bond, a three party contract, where the surety promises to pay the obligee for non-performance or dishonesty by the principal
  • Performance bond, a surety bond for completion of work under a contract
  • Bail bond agent, or bail bondsman, a person or corporation providing a surety bond for return of a person to a court
• Tenancy bond (or damage deposit), a deposit taken by a landlord in relation to rental of a property
• Catastrophe bond (or cat bond), a form of reinsurance
• Bonded labor (or debt bondage), a system of servitude where someone must work to pay off a debt
• Bond of association, a basic building block of credit unions and co-operative banks
• Bond vigilante, a form of political protest by selling bonds

Judiciary[link]

• Peace bond, a protection order from a Canadian court
• Bond of manrent, a Scottish clan treaty
• Bond of Association, a British legal document from the 16th century
• Bond v. United States (2000), a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding the fourth amendment
• Bond v The Queen, a 2000 High Court of Australia case

Physical sciences[link]

• Bond number, in fluid mechanics, a dimensionless number expressing the ratio of gravitational forces to surface tension forces
• Chemical bond, the physical phenomenon of chemical substances being held together by attraction of atoms
  • Covalent bond, between nonmetals
  • Ionic bond, between metal and nonmetals
  • Metallic bond, between metals
• Bond albedo, a measure of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from an astronomical body
• Bond graph, a graphical description of a physical dynamic system
• Bond fluctuation model, a lattice model for simulating the conformation and dynamics of polymer systems
• The Bond (Chinese constellation), both a mansion in the White Tiger constellation and an asterism within that mansion
• Bond Crater, a crater on Mars

Social sciences[link]

• Pair bond, in biology, the strong affinity that develops in some species between the male and female in a breeding pair, or, sometimes, between individuals of the same sex
  • Human bonding
  • Maternal bond
  • Paternal bond
  • Male bonding
  • Female bonding
  • Affectional bond

Anthropology[link]

• Village-bonded society
• Land-bonded society
• Lineage-bonded society

Manufacturing, construction and electronics[link]

• Bond, the manner in which the bricks overlap as they are laid in brickwork
• Bond paper, a high quality durable writing paper
• Bonded leather (or reconstituted leather)
• Bottled in bond, referring to a type of American whiskey
• Bond store, another name for bonded warehouse, where alcohol may be held without tax under strict conditions
• "Bonding" may refer to a method for creating electric interconnects:
  • Chip bonding, method of wiring some chips (also from different manufactures) together on die an integrated circuit
  • Wire bonding, a method of making interconnections between a microchip and the outside world as part of semiconductor device fabrication
  • Ball bonding, a method very similar to wire bondin
• Channel bonding (or modem bonding), an arrangement in which two or more network interfaces on a host computer are combined
  • NIC bonding, an alternate name for link aggregation
• Electrical bonding, practice of connecting all metal objects in a room to protect from electric shock

Company and product names[link]

• Bond (sheep), Australian breed of sheep
• Bond (wine), California cult wine producer
• Bonds (clothing), Australian clothing company
• Bond Clothing Stores, a former New York clothing company
• Bonds, formerly the name of a department store in Norwich, England, now called John Lewis Norwich
• Bonds, formerly the name of a department store in Chelmsford, Essex, now called Debenhams Chelmsford
• Bond Arms, a Texas gun manufacturer
• Bond Aviation Group, a British helicopter operator
  • Bond Offshore Helicopters, a subsidiary of the above
• Bond Cars Ltd, a small scale car manufacturer between 1949 and 1971:
  • Bond 875, three-wheeled motor car
  • Bond Bug, three-wheeled motor car
  • Bond Equipe, their first four-wheeled motor car
  • Bond Minicar, three-wheeled motor car
• BOND, RAD software tool
• Bond Street (cigarette), brand of cigarette
• The Bond Electraglide electric guitar, manufactured by Bond Guitars
• Bond Market Association, the former international trade association for the bond market industry
• Bond Wireless, an Australian wireless company

Organizations[link]

• Afrikaner Bond, a political party in the Cape Colony in the 19th century
• bonding-studenteninitiative e.V., a German student organisation
• Church of the Universal Bond, a British religious group
• Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND), created By Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
• Bond (for international development), the membership body for UK-based NGOs working in international development.

Entertainment[link]

• The James Bond series of spy fiction originally created by Ian Fleming
  • James Bond (character), a British secret agent who is the central character in the series
  • James Bond novels, the original literary works by Fleming, plus works by other authors after Fleming's death (usually commissioned by the owner of the Fleming copyrights, a company now known as Ian Fleming Publications)
  • James Bond film series, a popular series of 23 films featuring Fleming's secret agent
  • Bond girl, the 'love' interest in a James Bond film
• Campion Bond, the fictional character from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• Bond (band), an Australian/British string quartet
  • Bond: Video Clip Collection, a video collection from the band
• The Bond, a film by Charlie Chaplin supporting Liberty bonds'
• "The Bonding", a third-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Bond Street (film), a 1948 British film

Places[link]

• Bond Street, a major shopping street in the West End of London
  • Bond Street tube station
• Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
  • Bond South Africa, South African campus of Bond University
• Bond Education Group, Toronto, Ontario
• Bond Head, Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario
• Bond Head, Simcoe County, Ontario, part of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario
• Bond Island, Queensland, an island in the Torres Strait
• Bond Inlet, a body of water in Nunavut's Qikiqtaaluk Region in Canada
• Bonds, Lancashire, an English village

United States[link]

• Bond, Colorado
• Bond County, Illinois
  • Bond County Community Unit School District 2
• Bond Township, Lawrence County, Illinois
• Bond, Mississippi
• Bond Hill, Ohio
• Bond Court Building, the former name of a highrise in Cleveland, Ohio
• Bond Falls, a waterfall in the Ontonagon River, Michigan
  • Bond Falls Scenic Site, a state park for the above waterfall
• Mount Bond, a mountain in Grafton County, New Hampshire
• Bond's Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, an historic church in Missouri
• Bond House (disambiguation), various National Registered Historic Places in the United States

People[link]

• Alan Bond (businessman) (born 1938), Australian businessman
• Edward Bond (born 1934) English playwright
• Edward A. Bond (1849–1929), NY State Engineer and Surveyor 1899-1904
• Edward August Bond (1813–1898), English scientist
• Francis Bond Head (1792–1875), Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada
• Gerald Bond (1909–1965), South African Test cricketer
• George Phillips Bond (1825–1865), American astronomer, son of William Cranch Bond (below)
• Graham Bond (1937–1974), an English musician, considered a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s
• James Bond (ornithologist) (1900–1989), American ornithologist
• Julia Bond (born 1987), American porn star
• Kit Bond (born 1939), senior United States Senator of Missouri and member of the Republican Party
• John Bond (Born 1939), Irish American Business man, proprietor of "BOND45" restaurant, managing director of "Bond NYC" Properties
• Michael Bond (born 1926), English children's author
• Nigel Bond (born 1965), English snooker player
• Oliver Bond (died 1797), Irish revolutionary
• Ruskin Bond, Author
• Samantha Bond (born 1961), English actress, best known for her role of Miss Moneypenny in the fictional James Bond movies
• Shane Bond, Cricketer
• Steve Bond, Actor
• Ward Bond (1903–1960), American actor
• William Cranch Bond (1789–1859), American astronomer, father of George Phillips Bond (above)
• William K. Bond (1792–1864), American politician
• Bond Baronets
  • Sir Thomas Bond, 1st Baronet
  • Sir James Bond, 1st Baronet

See also[link]

• Bonds (disambiguation)
• Bonde (disambiguation)
• Bondage (disambiguation)
• Bond Street (disambiguation)
• James Bond (disambiguation)
• Bond Head (disambiguation)
• Guarantee

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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The Basics
The Basics at the Oxford Art Factory, 2010
Background information
Origin	Melbourne, Australia
Genres	Rock
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Independent, Albert Records
Associated acts	Gotye, Down Hills Home, Dog With Wheels, Blood Red Bird
Website	The Basics Official Website
Members
Wally De Backer Kris Schroeder Tim Heath
Past members
Michael Hubbard
Notable instruments
Lead guitar, drums, bass guitar.

The Basics ( /ˈbæzɪtʃ/ BAZZ-ich) are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, ska, country, and electro-pop. They are "recognised as one of Australia's hardest-working bands".^[1]

With close to 1000 shows in their ten-year career, their live performances are well-known for their sense of humour and energy.^[2]

Formation[link]

The Basics were formed after Kris met Wally at a party in Melbourne.^[3] The event was to see off the young aspiring producer, who was about to depart for Los Angeles, and together with a number of musician friends, the two jammed on some blues-rock standards. Later that night, they bonded over a mutual love of The Beatles, 70s and 80s cartoon theme songs and old Sierra adventure games.

Initially, they played around Melbourne as an acoustic guitar/drums combo, starting at The Opposition in Frankston and the House of Fools in Footscray, where in late 2002 they met Michael Hubbard and later invited him to join them on electric guitar.^[4] Though lacking any real experience with the instrument, Kris willingly purchased his first bass guitar, and the trio was born. During this time, the group start performing songs with more complicated three-part harmony.

During late 2002 and early 2003, The Basics recorded and released an album called Get Back through MGM Distribution. They began what was to become regular tours of the East and West coasts of Australia.

2004-2005: Current lineup[link]

Tim Heath joined the group in June 2004, after Michael decided to pursue his solo career, which has included being one half of Down Hills Home.^[4] Tim was reportedly the only person to reply to an advertisement in Melbourne's Beat Magazine looking for a new guitarist. Tim apparently answered the advertisement - which said the applicant "must have a love of 50s and 60s rock'n'roll" - thinking that he would be meeting "a couple of old guys to play with on the weekends over some beers". They soon recorded For Girls Like You.

The Basics in 2005 continued to tour and play small festivals, and after releasing For Girls Like You through MGM Distribution, they departed for a national tour of Australia, which lasted for two months and took them to every Australian state and territory. Stuart Padbury, a young Melbourne sound engineer, joined them on much of this tour. On returning, the band began demonstrating songs for a new album.

2006-2009: Touring and soundtracks[link]

In 2006, The Basics began recording what was to become known as Stand Out/Fit In. Taking several months, it was not completed until the end of the year, despite intentions to have it released in June. Instead, they held a successful 'album preview', where each of the tracks was demonstrated in 'rough form' accompanied by a music video for each (produced by Melbourne photographic artist James Bryans). The band also talked about the origins of the songs. This event brought a lot of attention to the band for the idea's originality. They pre-released a radio single 'Just Hold On' from the album. The band were invited to play the hugely popular Homebake Festival in Sydney, where they received a great response, after being introduced onto the stage by a short stocky Asian guy with big calves ("one of the highlights" wrote The Daily Telegraph).

In 2007, the band departed on a tri-state residency which saw them play Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane every week for the month of April - a bold move which brought further attention to the band for its original idea.^[5] Riding on the wave of this tour, Schroeder, De Backer and Heath departed on their first overseas tour which saw them performing 26 shows around Japan, Norway and the United Kingdom.^[6] They also toured twice more up the East Coast, one of which was with popular Japanese band The Bawdies. Their song 'Rattle My Chain' was used in a series of commercials for Volvo Australia. The song 'Hey There!' featured in the British film The Bank Job - starring Jason Statham - and was used as the backing for a February 2007 short film directed by Tim Longhurst called The Rip. Their song 'Better' was featured in a surfing documentary about the invention of the shortboard in 1967.

In 2008, the band appeared on Australia's Channel 9 for Australia Day celebrations, performing two of their songs - 'Just Hold On' and 'Hey There!' - to an estimated audience of 2 million. Securing an Australian Government grant, they embarked on a two-month tour of Australia, specifically targeting "culturally underprivileged groups" in rural and regional schoolchildren and Indigenous communities. The programme had them holding masterclasses and performing alongside Indigenous groups in the remote Northern Territory and Queensland.^[7][8] Their initiative also had them raising money for the charity Lifeline^{[disambiguation needed ]}, their contribution to which was recognised with a plaque at the end of the tour. Season two of Californication starring David Duchovny featured their cover of the classic 'Have Love, Will Travel', most famously covered by 'The Sonics'.

In 2009, The Basics for the first time enjoyed the support of Australian radio network Triple J, which had reportedly snubbed the band's previous material.^[9] The singles 'With This Ship' and 'Like A Brother' were added to the station's playlist, and momentum carried The Basics overseas for a second tour of the United Kingdom and Norway, and also a series of shows in Dublin, Ireland. They were joined by the longtime front-of-house engineer Stuart Padbury, who had been mixing them since 2005. The band was often seen in the Grafton Street Mall in Dublin, busking to promote their concerts there. Their second show in Oslo, Norway, saw the band perform with Hot Tub, one of the members of the Norwegian boy band "Boyzvoice", in his first performance for several years. Season Eight of Scrubs featured the song 'Lookin' Over My Shoulder'.

Despite all this promise, the band's album Keep Your Friends Close - produced and part-recorded by Peter Cobbin at London's Abbey Road Studios - though enjoying many favourable reviews,^{[10][11][12][13]} failed to impress Richard Kingsmill, music director of Triple J. This effectively ended the band's apparent upward spiral and the resulting album launch tour was reportedly "trying".

2010: Hiatus and live album[link]

In 2010, following the band's fourth stint at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and the recording of a yet-unreleased live album, an indefinite hiatus was announced on the band's websites. This was in part due to the impending release of a new album produced by Wally for his Gotye project, and also to reported tensions within the band following the previous year's disappointments.

However, this hiatus was soon broken with a two-month residency at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne, which saw an apparent return to form.^[14] The band's EP "Wait For You" enjoys airplay on Triple J.^[15] The Basics also played a one-off show at Sydney's Oxford Art Factory.^[16]

On 20 August 2010, The Basics released their fourth LP /ðəˈbæzɪtʃ/, available free and exclusively from their website for digital download^[17]. The band had reportedly moved to expand their listenership through this free giveaway, though 300 "Deluxe" CD/vinyl versions have been printed. /ðəˈbæzɪtʃ/ was recorded at the Northcote Social Club on 6 February, "in front of a live studio audience", and like the previous record, was mixed by Peter Cobbin at Abbey Road Studios. Technically a self-titled album, the phonetics spell out the accurate pronunciation of the band’s name. Kris Schroeder: "For years we’ve worked at bringing our live energy into the studio and thus far it’s been a bit hit-and-miss. Our trick this time was to pull a switcheroo and bring the studio to us instead; the result is the best and closest to us we’ve sounded yet."

Melbourne thespian and Dog With Wheels bassist David Bramble - friends with Heath from university days - has occasionally joined the band on tour, playing keys, often while sporting a large moustache. Other guests have included Jake Mason (saxophone), also of Cookin' on 3 Burners and The Bamboos^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Gideon Brazil (saxophone, flute), Simon Imrei (guitar and vocals) and Monty MacKenzie (saxophone).

Covers have often made an appearance from various sources: to date, some of the bands covered have been Cream, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, New Kids on the Block, Richard Berry, Sonny Curtis and The Crickets, JJ Cale, Harry Nilsson, Bill Scott, Ryan Adams and The Coasters (via The Beatles for their cover of Three Cool Cats).

Members[link]

Current

• Wally De Backer - drums, vocals (2002-present)
• Kris Schroeder - bass, vocals (2002-present)
• Tim Heath - guitar, vocals (2004-present)

Former

• Michael Hubbard - guitar, vocals (2002-2004)

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Get Back (15 January 2004)
• Stand Out/Fit In (5 May 2007)
• Keep Your Friends Close (25 September 2009)
• /ðəˈbæzɪtʃ/ (20 August 2010)

EP[link]

• For Girls Like You (11 July 2005)
• Lookin' Over My Shoulder (10 February 2007)
• Like A Brother (5 June 2009)
• Wait For You (21 May 2010)

Singles[link]

• Call It Rhythm & Blues (20 August 2004)
• Just Hold On
• With This Ship (22 February 2009)

Upcoming projects[link]

The band is taking a three year hiatus, with an announced return to the stage together in early 2014. Wally De Backer launched Making Mirrors under his Gotye act in August 2011, Tim Heath will be touring and recording with Blood Red Bird, and Kris Schroeder recorded a solo EP titled, Patience in the Face of Control, before leaving Australia to work with the Red Cross in Kenya for a two year sabbatical.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Myspace Website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2011)

Victor Harold Flick (born 14 May 1937, Worcester Park, Surrey, England) is an English guitarist, most famous for playing the guitar riff in the "James Bond Theme".^[1][2]

Biography[link]

As a child, Flick first played piano, until he was given a guitar.^[2] He joined The John Barry Seven in the early 1950s, his first composition for the group being "Viva Zapata!".^[2] On the Dr. No soundtrack he was lead guitarist, the soundtrack being recorded before the musicians had seen the film.^[2]

Before that, he also played the guitar riff in the theme tune of the popular early 1960s TV show Juke Box Jury. As a member of The John Barry Seven,^[1] he appeared on every episode of BBC TV's Drumbeat during 1959. Flick continued to contribute to James Bond soundtracks throughout the 1960s.^[2]

Apart from his early 1960s work as the distinctive lead guitarist in The John Barry Seven, Flick was a much in demand session player, and featured on many early 1960s UK pop records. Flick was a member of the George Martin Orchestra, playing on the soundtrack of the film A Hard Day's Night.^[1]

He has worked with many notable artists, including Tom Jones,^[1] Cliff Richard,^[1] Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page. One of Flick's legendary guitars, a Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe, on which he played the original James Bond Theme for John Barry, was displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio and now is part of the collection of The National GUITAR Museum.

Flick also collaborated with Merchant Ivory Film as composer/music arranger for Autobiography of a Princess (1975), The Europeans (1979), Quartet (1981), Heat and Dust (1983).

In 2003, he recorded the album James Bond Now, featuring tracks from James Bond soundtracks and new compositions.^[2]

In 2008 his autobiography, Vic Flick, Guitarman (ISBN 978-1593933081), was published by Bearmanor Media.

Discography[link]

• James Bond Now (2003)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Vic Flick Interview
• Vic Flick at the Internet Movie Database
• John Barry Website (with complete Drumbeat listings)

Album discography[link]

• West of Windward - 1968 - Rediffusion

This article on a UK guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

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Graham Norton
Norton in May 2010
Birth name	Graham William Walker
Born	(1963-04-04) 4 April 1963 (age 49) Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
Medium	Television, radio, stand-up
Nationality	Irish
Years active	1992–present
Genres	Observational comedy
Subject(s)	Everyday life, pop culture, current events, celebrities, sex
Notable works and roles	So Graham Norton V Graham Norton The Graham Norton Effect Graham Norton's Bigger Picture The Graham Norton Show

Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton, (born 4 April 1963)^[1] is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist. He is the host of comedy chat programme The Graham Norton Show on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US. Hot Press has described him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wogan", with both men sharing an Irish background and the common link of being a BBC Radio 2 presenter and the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest.^[2] Norton has won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance on five occassions.

Early life and career[link]

Norton was born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, but grew up in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland to a Protestant family. He was educated at Bandon Grammar School, in County Cork and then University College Cork but did not complete his studies.

In 1992 his stand-up comedy drag act in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a tea-towel clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa.^[3]

His first appearances in broadcasting were in his spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show Loose Ends, when the show ran on Saturday mornings, in the early 1990s. His rise to fame began as one of the early successes of Channel 5, when he won an award for his performance as the stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty.^[4][5] This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment, which was not well received as a programme, but did further enhance Norton's individual reputation as a comic and TV host. In 1996, Norton co-hosted the late-night quiz show Carnal Knowledge on ITV with Maria McErlane.

In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight Into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series Father Ted. Father Noel Furlong was often seen taking charge of a small youth folk-group.

Channel 4[link]

After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows including So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton. As a performer who is not only openly gay,^[6] but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker.

In 2003, he was the subject of controversy when, on his show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to it and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person.

Also in 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. (Though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK.)

In the summer of 2004, Norton moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. The Graham Norton Effect debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.^[7]

BBC[link]

Norton at 2009 BAFTA awards

In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series Strictly Dance Fever on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, Graham Norton's Bigger Picture. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of Bedtime Hour.

In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of The Sound of Music. Norton has subsequently presented the 3 follow-up series: Any Dream Will Do in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; I'd Do Anything in 2008, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber seeks to find the part of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's Oliver!; and Over the Rainbow in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a Wizard of Oz West end Production.

Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including When Will I Be Famous? (2007), The One and Only (2008) and Totally Saturday (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary Who Do You Think You Are?.

Norton's chat show, The Graham Norton Show, began on 22 February 2007 on BBC Two. Although in a format that he had not been involved in for 4 years, it is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format.

In May 2010, he stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station.

In December 2011, the panel show Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton premiered on BBC America in the time slot immediately following The Graham Norton Show. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first panel game the channel has shown, either of British or American origin.

In January 2012, he called on listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car hours after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to “Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way."

Eurovision[link]

Norton with Josh Dubovie at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010

Norton hosted the first annual Eurovision Dance Contest alongside Claudia Winkleman which was held on 1 September 2007 in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and the EBU's Eurovision Song Contest. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 Contest in Glasgow, Scotland.

In October 2008, it was confirmed by the BBC that Norton would replace Terry Wogan as the BBC's presenter for the UK heats of the Eurovision Song Contest, in a show to be called Your Country Needs You.

On 5 December 2008 it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the presenter of the main Eurovision Song Contest.^[8] The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olimpiyskiy (Olympic) Stadium, Moscow on 16 May 2009.

Norton's jokes during his debut received some positive reviews from the British media. The Guardian noted his comments on Iceland's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenian singers, who finished in tenth place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor."^[9] The Times noted his highlighting of the arrest of thirty gay rights protesters in Moscow – "heavy-handed policing has really marred what has been a fantastic Eurovision."^[9]

His comment “The bad news is you’re about to watch Albania. She’s only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn’t she step in and say no?” which was made just before Albanian singer Kejsi Tola was set to take the stage dubbed an insult by many, sent ripples of outrage through not only Albania, but also the Albanian population in Britain. He then announced that Albania should get no points and that he didn't care what anybody else thought. There was a petition circling the net calling for a formal apology from Norton. The petition, which called his comment “very rude and insulting,” had drawn over 1,000 signatures. He never responded.^[10]

In 2011, he snarked that if Jedward's entry into the competition that year won, the twins would never sleep again. In the end, they were eighth. Earlier in that year's televote, he joked "Quick, someone take a picture", when The British entry that year went temporarily in the lead early on after high votes from Russia(4), Bulgaria(12) and Italy(10). In the end, the song dropped down the 11th, earning 100 points. Very annoyed, Norton claimed 'We were better than Jedward'.

In 2012, Norton joked about the Spanish singer Pastora Soler and the economic situation of Spain. This statements unleashed many bad reviews on the internet. Norton joked about Rona Nishliu (the singer of Albania) too. He said that Rona was a singer that "she shout a lot".

Other[link]

In July 2000 Graham was one of three judges of the Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest 2000 held at The Talk of London, Drury Lane. The contest was won by 42 year old Carol Hutchins who wowed the audience with her sit-down comedy routine from a wheelchair. Graham described Carol as a "very bright, funny lady."

Graham Norton played Mr. Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film Another Gay Movie. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film I Could Never Be Your Woman.

Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits.

In 2007, Norton featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' Comic Relief video for the single "Walk This Way."

In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since 2009, Norton has been the host of the comedy game-show Most Popular on US cable television channel WE tv.^[11]

Norton currently writes an advice column in The Daily Telegraph newspaper. In October 2010, these columns were made into a book entitled Ask Graham, published by John Blake Publishing.

Personal life[link]

Norton with a dog in 2006, supporting Crusaid.

Norton has stated that he felt "out of place" growing up in Ireland; his family are Protestant yet the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic. Norton took part in the TV programme, Who Do You Think You Are?, to trace his ancestry. It was discovered that his family were originally planters sent over from England to take over Irish land. Some members of his family had fought for the British Monarchy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and taken part in a massacre of Catholics in Carnew Castle. Another member of his family was later killed in battle by the United Irishmen. Norton said he was comforted to find out that his family had resided in Ireland for generations.^[12]

In 1989 while living in London, Norton was mugged, beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on the street. He says he lost half his blood and nearly died, and he was hospitalised for two and a half weeks.^[13][14]

Norton is openly gay.^[6][15][16]

Norton owns a holiday home in Ahakista, County Cork, which is near to where he grew up, in Bandon. The house has a private beach and overlooks Dunmanus Bay.

TV appearances[link]

Main presenting credits[link]

• Carnal Knowledge (TV series, co-presenter) (1996, 27 one hour shows)
• Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment
• So Graham Norton (1998–2002)
• V Graham Norton (2002–2003)
• NY Graham Norton (2004)
• The Graham Norton Effect (2004–2005)
• Graham Norton's Bigger Picture (2005–2006)
• Strictly Dance Fever (2005–2006)
• BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theater talent searches (2006–present)
  • How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? (2006)
  • Any Dream Will Do (2007)
  • I'd Do Anything (2008)
  • Over the Rainbow (2010)
• The Big Finish (2006–)
• When Will I Be Famous? (2007)
• The Graham Norton Show (2007–present)
• The British Academy Television Awards (2007)
• Live Earth (2007)
• Eurovision Dance Contest (2007)
• The One and Only (2008)
• Eurovision Dance Contest (2008)
• Eurovision: Your Country Needs You (2009–present)
• Eurovision Song Contest (UK commentator, 2009–present)
• Totally Saturday (2009)
• Most Popular (2009–present)
• Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton (BBC America, 2011–present)

Other television credits[link]

Radio[link]

• Just a Minute

Sitting in for Steve Wright August 2009 BBC Radio 2

Sitting in for Chris Evans May /July 2010 BBC Radio 2

On 2 October 2010, he began his weekly BBC Radio 2 Saturday show taking over from Jonathan Ross. The show airs from 10.00am-1.00pm and combines a mixture of music, chat and celebrity guests.

2011/12 Radio 2 Saturday mornings

Filmography[link]

Stand-Up videos[link]

• Live At The Roundhouse (19 November 2001)

Awards[link]

• 1999 : Gaytime Award for Gay Entertainer of the Year
• 2000 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance – So Graham Norton
• 2001 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance - So Graham Norton
• 2001 : RTS Television Award for Best Presenter – So Graham Norton
• 2001 : TRIC Award TV Personality of the Year
• 2002 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Perfromance - So Graham Norton
• 2011 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance – The Graham Norton Show ^[17]
• 2012 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance - The Graham Norton Show

References[link]

External links[link]

• Graham Norton Radio 2 at BBC Programmes
• The Graham Norton Show at BBC Programmes
• Graham Norton at the Internet Movie Database
• Graham Norton at the British Film Institute's Screenonline