Norton says new TV show 'leans into our curiosity about what's behind closed doors'

Graham Norton has hosted a chat show for almost 30 years, hearing stories from the biggest stars in the world, but that hasn’t hampered his ability to be surprised by people.

The 63-year-old Cork man also relishes hearing shocking anecdotes from the audience members of his eponymous BBC show, who try their luck at impressing him when they sit in the famous ‘Red Chair’, and now he’s seeking out more twists and tension with his new high-stakes reality series.

Over 11 episodes in The Neighbourhood, six households — made up of real families, friends, and university flatmates — move into separate homes, where they will live side by side 24/7, socialising and taking part in challenges, for the chance to win a £250,000 cash prize.

The show, airing on Virgin Media in Ireland, and hosted by Eurovision commentator Norton, will see them compete in tasks inspired by the things we do every day, as well as navigate relatable domestic drama, and then avoid being voted off and removed from the neighbourhood.

Ahead of the release, Norton, who is also a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, chats about his career trajectory and what makes The Neighbourhood different to other reality TV show formats.

YOU’VE HAD AN EXPANSIVE CAREER — WHAT EXCITED YOU MOST ABOUT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD?

NORTON: What I loved about The Neighbourhood is that it is a new format. It’s not something meets something else. I really thought I hadn’t seen this show before.

It leans into our curiosity about what’s behind closed doors, and there’s something really compelling and addictive about seeing the way the existing households interact with each other.

I thought, I’d watch that — and I’d never want to work on something I wouldn’t watch. I thought — this show would hook me!

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT TO REALITY AND ENTERTAINMENT FORMATS WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN BEFORE?

NORTON: Because it is The Neighbourhood, we can all relate because unless you’re very, very rich, you probably have neighbours! We all — even if you don’t necessarily want to — you get drawn into those everyday dramas. The ‘you haven’t cut the lawn, they put the bins out wrong, you shouldn’t park there’.

What the show does is really amp those moments up, and dramatises them even more. There’s the game-play, but because they’re there all the time, there’s the reality that these people really are living next door to each other and watching each other like hawks.

And like any good neighbourhood, you want your way, but you want to keep everyone sweet, and that’s the skill! This show has been cast really well, so these people are all really good at it.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE SIX DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLDS ON THE SHOW?

NORTON: I think one of the unique things about this show is that, like a lot of reality shows, we begin with a cast of around 20 people, and often it’s really hard to work out who anyone is!

But actually, this is really easy because it’s only six households on day one, and within that, you then discover the different personalities.

We have a traditional, multi-generational family, we’ve got blended modern families, we’ve got twin sisters and one of their girlfriends, we’ve got a university household where they’re flatmates, so the relationships are all different in each household.

WHAT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT THEM?

NORTON: What I found fascinating was the unexpected bonding between different households. The Uni Boys, I thought — they’re so young, they’ve got nothing in common with the rest of these families, but actually, everyone loved them! They played the game brilliantly. Everyone just adored those guys.

And it’s not just the households interacting with each other, it’s the way the relationships within each household changed as the game was in play.

There was one family who had fostered a lot of children, and suddenly [in entering the show] the original family were alone, and you really saw the relationship between the kids and the parents shifting.

That was great, and I think that was one of the reasons why they wanted to be in the show, because they realised their kids were about to fly the coop, and they wanted to spend time together.

Equally, The Bradons, they’re siblings, but there’s also the mother, and then there’s a grandchild, and it was really funny to see the way those siblings became almost like children in that situation.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD?

NORTON: One of the loveliest things about the show is seeing households who would never meet in real life, not only meeting but forming proper bonds of friendship.

There are a few moments in the show that really do bring a tear to my eye because it’s just so genuine, so lovely, and properly heart-warming.

It’s such an odd word to describe a show like this, but it’s properly wholesome — there’s something about the bright colours, being out in the countryside, and the genuine bonds that you see created.

The Neighbourhood starts on Virgin Media One and ITV1 on Friday, April 24.