Wit, intact

Musician Nile Rodgers made an appearance in episode 5

There's something inherently comforting about BBC presenter and TV personality Graham Norton's voice. Maybe it's the sense of familiarity for fans of his talk show or perhaps it's his chatty candour that peels back the curtains of the entertainment world in a skilful way, an ability that he has seemed to keep intact for almost two decades now. Listening to Norton's Virgin Radio podcast titled the Graham Norton Radio Show drew us back to both those feelings, back to the red couch of laughs and experiences - a great recipe that many talk shows simply can't replicate.

Graham Norton's weekly podcast is 30 episodes in, clocking an hour's worth of content with each. Pics/Instagram

Norton made the jump to Virgin Radio's mic earlier this year, interviewing musicians, actors, comedians and more in an hour-long segment. Tuning into the show, however, feels like taking a step back in time, to the forgotten era of radio. This is not to say that it's boring in any way; quite the contrary actually as in times like these, this old-school formula works by relaxing the listeners, drawing their attention away from daily woes for a slice of the day and giving insight into new projects and experiences of their favourite figures. One of our picks was the fifth in the series. Here Norton chats with comedian Tom Allen, presenter Gregg Wallace, author Ann Cleeves and musician Nile Rodgers. Rodgers' segment was the most exciting by far, peppered with the musician's experiences of the industry before the pandemic and his take on how much the world has changed in the past year. Norton's show, we feel, is one of the few platforms that legends like Rodgers might feel comfortable taking up, where audiences are keen for such content too.

Overall, we think this show might be a fun one to tune into, simply for the feel-good aspect of it. Don't expect great cerebral stimulation, but jokes, light-hearted banter and one-liners to take home.

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