ITV heaped praise on the beloved presenter and said the new show offers “an unmissable entertainment experience”
ITV has announced Graham Norton will front a new gameshow named The Neighbourhood. The gameshow will broadcast next year and sees families and households compete in a street-sized reality game, battling it out for the chance to take home a life-changing cash prize.
Graham, who is renowned for his BBC chat show, was excited as he confirmed his role as host of the new programme. The 61-year-old also fronts Wheel of Fortune for ITV and he is thrilled to join this new show, which is co-produced by Lifted Entertainment and The Garden.
He said: “Like everyone, I’m always intrigued by what goes on behind closed doors. Add to that some dastardly challenges and a life changing prize and I’m hooked. Both Lifted and The Garden are masters at what they do, so I feel confident The Neighbourhood will be the nation’s favourite destination!”
ITV issued a statement after the announcement and heaped praise on Graham. Katie Rawcliffe, Director of Entertainment & Daytime ITV said: “The Neighbourhood offers audiences the perfect blend of high-stakes competition and reality drama, with a very relatable cast.
“With the beloved Graham Norton at the helm, it’s going to make for an unmissable entertainment experience.” The co-producers of the new show have promised it offers a fresh angle on the traditional gameshow format.
Richard Cowles, Managing Director at Lifted Entertainment and John Hay, CEO of The Garden said: “In a TV landscape full of successful formats set in jungles, islands and luxurious villas, The Neighbourhood offers a fresh and different flavour: it’s a show all about the drama on our doorsteps.
“This is a world we know and love from soaps and sitcoms, so we’re excited to make it the setting for a new type of competition reality show and there’s no better person to bring it to life than Graham.”
Graham is one of the nation’s favourite presenters and he spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview last year about how his career got underway in Liverpool. He told the ECHO: “It is where I had my first professional job after drama school in 1989.
“I was Tommy in Shadow of a Gunman by Sean O’Casey at the Playhouse and I remember staying in some mouse-infested digs up on Huskisson Street. It was such an exciting time. I felt like it was the start of my acting career, blissfully unaware that it was also, more or less, the end of it as well.”
The Irish presenter told the ECHO about his favourite spot he always makes sure to visit whenever he’s in Merseyside. He said: “No matter how brief a stay, the one thing I love to do is take the walk along Hope Street between the two cathedrals.
“They are both so iconic in their very different ways, plus there are the views and, time permitting, a quick pit stop in The Philharmonic.”