Graham Norton left stunned after celebrity guest brings up awkward encounter with presenter

Graham Norton was left quite perplexed after Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn asked him why he hadn’t been invited back on the show for nearly a decade.

Last Friday (13 February), Adolescence star Stephen Graham, Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco, Olivier award-winner Adrian Lester, White Lotus and One Day actor Leo Woodall and the British singer joined Norton on his sofa.

Albarn, also the lead singer of Blur, was in attendance promoting his upcoming tour with Gorillaz in support of their ninth studio album, The Mountain.

After his performance of 'Orange County' live in the studio, featuring Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar, Albarn joined Norton for a chat.

He took the opportunity to ask the Irish talk show host why it had taken him nine years to return to the BBC programme.

When Norton welcomed Albarn back, opening with 'It’s been a minute,' the 'Feel Good Inc' hit-maker wasted no time, telling him: "Well, you just haven't invited me back."

Norton then responded: "Well, you’re here now."

Albarn went on to recount a run-in with the presenter at a nightclub after taping his last appearance in 2017, where he’d allegedly asked Norton the question outright: "Why am I never on your show?"

Graham Norton was left quite perplexed after Gorillaz star Damon Albarn asked him why he hadn't been back on his show in years (BBC)

Norton looked genuinely thrown, replying: "What? I was in a nightclub? I have no recollection of that. I must’ve been quite drunk."

With the audience laughing, Albarn added: "It must’ve been one of those nightclubs," prompting Norton to concede: "Yes, it must have. How funny. I may have blanked it from my mind out of awkwardness."

Ahead of the interaction, Norton congratulated Graham on the success of Adolescence.

"It’s been so surreal, we never expected it. We just caught something in the zeitgeist, and its success has been unbelievable. Erin (Doherty) says, 'It is the gift that keeps on giving,'" the award-winning actor said.

"The awards have been wonderful, but the impact it has had on social awareness is incredible. It has achieved more than I could have ever dreamed of."

Albarn revealed it had been nine years since he was last invited on the talk show (BBC)

Discussing his upcoming book, Letters to Our Sons, which was inspired by the series, Graham explained: "The scale of it is massive - it spans every walk of life, every subject matter, and every sort of father-son relationship. It is something I am very proud of."

When asked about his new dark comedy thriller The Good Boy, he added: "It is really a strange little film. It’s weird, but good weird. It has a wonderful script, and I play a great character. He is bizarre and very different to anyone I normally play."