Jack Whitehall had big shoes to fill when he signed on to guest present the Graham Norton Show. The BBC1 chat series is wildly popular with viewers – and the celebrities it features – but for the very first time, its host was absent from a recording as Norton prepped for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Instead, it was Whitehall tasked with stringing together a jovial conversation between a sofa of disparate celebs unlikely to have met before.

The line-up included actors Gwendoline Christie and Luke Evans, fellow comedian and children's book writer David Walliams, footballer Peter Crouch and up-and-coming singer Sam Fender – and Whitehall more than pulled it off. So much so that some viewers were tipping him for his own rival talk show...

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Kirstie Allsop and Alex Jones were won over:

https://twitter.com/KirstieMAllsopp/status/1129513280391778307

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As were plenty of other viewers, some a little surprised by just how much they enjoyed seeing Whitehall at the wheel...

https://twitter.com/matthewmc1989/status/1129663190890160129

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Of course, it's not the first time Whitehall has demonstrated his hosting abilities – he won praise from viewers and critics alike for presenting the Brit Awards for the past two years.

He's also found some success in Hollywood, appearing in Mother's Day and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and bagging roles in Jungle Cruise (opposite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and Amazon's upcoming Good Omens.

But if he ever needs someone to bring him back down to Earth with a bump, he can always rely on his father...

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https://twitter.com/fatherwhitehall/status/1129497764918960129

Authors

Susanna LazarusAssociate Editor, RadioTimes.com

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Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

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An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

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Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

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