Graham Norton producers explains what happens when people get flipped on the red chair

If you're a fan of The Graham Norton Show, you'll know all about the 'red chair' segment where people come on to tell their stories before being tipped over at the yank of a lever.

It's a chance to move the camera off the celebrities and onto everyday people telling their most unbelievable stories, though some don't make it to the end before being tipped over. Have a look:

There's been plenty of great stories, a personal favourite being the time Charlie Hunnam's old school rival showed up and the Sons of Anarchy star remembered him by name before pulling the lever to tip him.

You might be wondering how it all works, especially if you're angling to get into the red chair yourself one day to tell your story.

Graham Norton Show executive producer and co-creator Graham Stuart recently told Metro what really goes on over there.

"I stress that in order to have something like that, it has to be properly engineered with correct people around it," he explained of the red chair segment.

BBC

"It is essentially a special effect, and it has specialist people around and we’re careful about who we allow to go on it."

"They tip back, they are righted again and removed, and they go off happy, now worrying whether that story will be in or out of the show because it’s not guaranteed."

That's right, some people who tell their tales in the red chair and get tipped over might have gone through all of that and not even ended up in the final edit, basically meaning they got spilled onto the floor for nothing.

Stuart also told Metro that they'd never cut a story because the details were getting too saucy or outrageous, but stressed they were 'always very careful' when it came to the legal bits.

So crazy stories are fine, potentially legally risky ones are not so good.

BBC

One bonus of the red chair segment is that it's on so late, meaning anyone staying up to watch it ought to know what they're getting themselves into.

Stuart said: "This is an important thing about our relationship with the audience. Our audience understand what it is that works on a red chair.

"They’ve watched so many of them. And I think they know if you’re going to say something that could end up with you in court, that’s not gonna work."

The producer reckons the most popular stories have to do with 'bodily functions', so if you have a funny story in that field this might be your chance.

Topics: Graham Norton, BBC, TV and Film

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker