Graham Norton's favourite running joke (Eurovision 2009 - 2022)

Is this Paris, by any chance? It's hard to tell..
(ENGLISH CC AVAILABLE)

[@ZeetZoot]

‘We built a tunnel to your country’

[@vladd896]

As if they had many other options...

[@moramento22]

@@vladd896 They could've build it to Ireland

[@CEDRICKB]

@@moramento22 they still can

[@CEDRICKB]

imagine giving the points from the tunnel entrance ^^

[@gerdcelinejensen8294]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@lizaplath]

our swedish commentator once said "i don’t know what she is saying but i know she is exactly as tall as the eiffel tower" lmao

[@RustyVaperGameplay]

And that is funnier than anything to ever leave Graham Norton's mouth.

[@Stevenbfg]

@@RustyVaperGameplay No.

[@RustyVaperGameplay]

Solid rebuttal.

[@TearTheRoof0ff]

​@@RustyVaperGameplay About as salient as warranted.

[@danielyeshe]

I am glad to see that another country has a similar style of commentator.

[@yodudeHQ]

The year they didn’t use the Eiffel Tower was honestly thrilling

[@MJAY-N7129]

Hilarious

[@averageday]

This makes so much sense 😂

[@benjaminqmorris]

i guess building the grand entrance to ur gallery underground and then building what CAN be seen from the ground out of glass isn't optimised for television

[@rinanishikido819]

I never saw it coming, how am I supposed to know they're in Paris without it?

[@orpheaslivitsanos]

But, they did so!

[@dylanjames2]

The reason they didn’t have it that one year is because they were busy moving the tower to the left.

[@nameredacted6221]

Is the joke that they switched the perspective skewed to the left after that one year?

[@forsakenvoidz6828]

@@nameredacted6221 yes that is the joke

[@nameredacted6221]

@@forsakenvoidz6828 ok

[@liplapdvs9443]

god damn it I wish I thought of that joke

[@DavinciWhite]

Wonderful

[@Skypost4ever]

If i were the person in Paris i would say "greetings to all, and yes Graham Norton, im in Paris."

[@nienkehuijbens301]

No one outside of the UK (and those watching this) would understand but hey

[@NathalieNoZen]

@@nienkehuijbens301 mate, I'm not from UK and never went there but I think most of Eurovision fans know about Graham 😂

[@nienkehuijbens301]

@@NathalieNoZen so? Obviously we know about graham but only a handful of people watch his commentary. How would they know about this highly specific running joke?

[@NathalieNoZen]

@nienke huijbens mate, you're right. It was meant on a light tone as it would be a funny joke, but well, not everyone is a eurovision "connoisseur"😉

[@cinziapetio8929]

You seem to be taking this joke awfully seriously! I'm sure it'd help to lighten up 😊

[@abj6920]

He's such a fantasic addition to british tv and it's wild that theylet him go off so much as a commentator

[@lifelikejosie]

Sweden’s commentator Edward goes off just as much if not more 😂😂

[@BrianLloyd1991]

Isnt graham at the final?

[@joshuakerr5702]

@@BrianLloyd1991yes he’s hosting and commentating. I’ll miss him commentating as much but his hosting will be great!

[@clyde_45td]

Hahah he does often go ham but we Brits abolutely love him, he's very entertaining and also a really nice guy

[@gottalovetheinternet]

That’s British humour… just teasing eachother basically

[@joaovitormatos8147]

France: 🗼 Graham Norton: I have never met this in my life

[@zxorizonn_3111]

LMFAOOAOOA

[@nemnyoom]

yeah, tokyo is pretty far from europe

[@bobaplaysgames4019]

@@nemnyoom wtf you talking about? Whats a tokyo? This is clearly the eiffel tower 🗼

[@nemnyoom]

@@bobaplaysgames4019 are you joking?

[@DreamsAreMakeBelieve]

This tower could be walking down the street and I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this tower.

[@scottredding7357]

Each Eurovision, the Arc de Triomphe thinks, “this will be my year.”

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎ ‎ ‎

[@MonsieurManatane]

I am French and every morning, after putting on my beret and taking my accordion, I listen to La Zarra while going to buy my baguette and my croissants at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. This gets me in shape to prepare my midday frog legs

[@angelvelezsalazar9766]

😂😂

[@regina_george340]

no wine, cigarett and escargot? I doubt you are French

[@KarrieDreammind5]

No doubt, you do all that while wearing your black & white striped shirt! 😀

[@ob1cannobody]

I did not see you but my leprechaun friend told me all about this

[@fenhen]

@@regina_george340 Needs a ring of onions around his neck too.

[@scottmurphy4278]

0:53 “ONE?! We built a tunnel to your country”

[@spitbacca]

I think each country only made a tunnel half way, then we connect in near the middle of the English Chanel

[@afroturtl]

@@spitbacca the British half was longer :)

[@GreeneyedApe]

Unfortunately for them, Eurovision is not a tunnel-building competition.

[@Zuazman]

@@GreeneyedApe yet

[@thebazgaz]

We shouldn't criticise, at least the French give us points.

[@jordanchan674]

i LOVE this!! He also made the same joke in the 2010 intro video, when the camera flew by the effiel tower he said "do you think French people get bored of the effiel tower?"

[@stephanieshine2098]

honest yes

[@stephanieshine2098]

i don't even live in Paris

[@ThumpaContinues]

Eiffel* , and personnally no hahah. But i don't live in paris anymore so maybe that's just it

[@neigegavart6670]

Yes, yes, we wish they would show something else than the Eiffel tower.

[@Ferreneh]

I'm sure they do, same exact way we get bored to the city we live in. After a while you just get "blind" to it. Only excited tourists make you actually see it again like "oh yeah there's that!"

[@Soul_Slayer]

“We built a tunnel to your country.” That sounded so ominous! 😂 Also, imagine if France hosts one year and they still report from the Eiffel Tower instead of the stadium! 😂

[@FlipperWolf]

France will never win cause we purposefully avoid winning ...

[@mironty]

Eifell tower WILL be the stadium lmao

[@OO-oe3th]

So junior eurovision

[@rachgregory3892]

“Is she on a skateboard???” 😂😂😂

[@graceisadisgrace8625]

That killed me 🤣🤣🤣

[@SorchaYT]

I'm still have no clue how he could tell they were in paris

[@oldvlognewtricks]

If only they’d build a big illuminated landmark - some kind of mast or spire, maybe - to help give a sense of location

[@riverkath]

Yeah, if only! That would be a great help!

[@jamienorth1603]

It’s because of the Eiffel Tower in the background and so that’s how he recognises it each time, he said he couldn’t recognise where it was one year as they weren’t next to the Eiffel Tower as a joke. Hope this clears it up

[@oldvlognewtricks]

@@jamienorth1603 If only it were real 😔

[@michaelalmquist9063]

Who was in Paris?

[@FeralCreatureOfIncredibleRoses]

"we built a tunnel to your country" that's a threat. He's coming in and taking the tower down in a matter of minutes

[@BenBeckford]

2024 and he's just done it again 😂

[@MrDannyDetail]

It'd be funny if this year Graham, as onstage host for the voting, throws to the french vote, and the person reading France's twelve said something like either, 'Hi Graham, yes it's the eiffel tower agaaaaiiiiiiinnnn', or 'Hi Graham, You probably don't know where I am, but I thought I'd sit in front of one of France's lesser known buildings".

[@jakehonor8770]

you mean if onstage host how he was this year and he would just say that he likes french or vote for them?

[@HoltAlex]

I missed the voting; does anyone know if he did?

[@Mscape7]

@@HoltAlex no need for a semi-colon there :')

[@Menno_3]

@@Mscape7 well just taking it out would be wrong.

[@Mscape7]

@@Menno_3 He just needed a full-stop. The semi-colon is wrong, and he only included it to try and look smart!

[@intotheunknown6736]

I missed him this year during the televoting wasn't the same without him there.

[@PoMaQue]

He did go off on his own sometimes "It's Eurovision, not Tinder!"

[@pn2360]

i mean i didn't particularly mind because he and hannah were busy being such a vibe themselves as hosts so i didn't really care all too much, but yeah mel wasn't great...

[@triceratops3]

1:23 It feels like they were literally moving her so they could show him the eiffel tower and it just makes it so much funnier XD

[@Thedarkknight2244]

While the jokes themselves are funny, the thing the brings this into legend is how it spans across an entire decade

[@sabinajoh]

It’s really funny that every Eurovision has their own commentary. I’d love to choose which commentary to watch. Loved that Catherine Tate gave the votes from the Uk this year. Love her

[@mallbratgirl_3005]

she was soo drunk though lmao it was kind of embarassing

[@thesmithersy]

She was awful, I can't believe we picked her to represent us. Ham acting and forcing enthusiasm.

[@travelphotos7662]

Australia used to get the Terry Wogan commentary and we loved it. And then, one year, SBS (the broadcasting service in Australia with broadcasting rights) decided to have an Australian team do the commentary instead of using Terry Wogan's. There was a lot of upset in Australia that year. There was a lot of love for Terry Wogan's dry commentary. SBS did repeat Eurovision a few days later in that particular year, using the Terry Wogan commentary. We now only get the Australian commentary; Graham Norton doesn't get a look in. I

[@NuminorTheFool]

@@mallbratgirl_3005 If she's doing any presenting she's always blind drunk. It's got to the point where I'm surprised that any one hires her for these sort of things because they have to know she'll just do it pissed.

[@RenewedRS]

​@@thesmithersy she literally in character you mong

[@tomasflatharta]

Hearing him and Hannah Waddingham do the votes was so good. Usually it fells so generic and forced. Both of them had good chemistry together and made it fun.

[@tontonjeannot6089]

"We built a tunnel to your country." delivered with just the right amount of bitterness.

[@kingofthesands]

Come on France...we get it! The Eiffel Tower is in Paris! It's beautiful we love it but show us something else! 🤣

[@ninab.4540]

As opposed to the shard, England

[@solarprogeny6736]

I blame foreigners for being so obsessed with the Eiffel Tower that if we showed anything else they'd be disappointed

[@astrovisionbroadcastingunion]

Tell that to our oh-so wise ministery of culture... 😭

[@jonatortue]

yes next time in the Catacombs, that would be original haha

[@mishynaofficial]

I don't even like that tower lol

[@Velnar.]

As a presentator in the final he will have the duty to comment on the eiffeltower!

[@Tillyard86]

Didn’t really get a chance they were in and out with France pretty quick.

[@Species1571]

When they read out the UK votes next year, they should have the Blackpool tower in the background, confuse the hell out of the rest of Europe.

[@quietviolence7957]

I love Graham Norton! He must have been super excited to finally host Eurovision in the UK.

[@conorcolumb6291]

I'd say hed love to host in Ireland more

[@criostoirodriscoll3534]

@@conorcolumb6291 I dunno if he would. He is very much a monarchist and unionist west Brit at heart

[@Oxley016]

@@conorcolumb6291 I don't know about that. He's very much become a Brit like Terry Wogan before him. Wouldn't be surprised if Graham becomes a British Citizen and receives a Knighthood too, before long!

[@Zett76]

@@conorcolumb6291 He did say "we built a tunnel to your country", didn't he? :)

[@linajurgensen4698]

“I wonder where he is?……. He could be anywhere in France really…“😂😂😂

[@DerekPK]

Ha ha, even in Normandy.

[@conn7125]

😂😂😂😂😂 i Wish we could hear the UK version of Eurovision with Graham Norton instead at our boring Danish speakers. I love Graham ❤

[@squidink3470]

What's the Danish commentary like? I assumed it would be funny as you guys have a good sense of humour.

[@Danmarinja]

Graham’s sass is part of the UK Eurovision experience

[@fairypoo]

I think one of the reasons UK loves it so much was Terry Wogans commentary and then Graham when he took over. It just adds to the experience

[@mr.lookatmeiamyourcaptainn9078]

@@squidink3470it’s just a man who always hypes up the other skandinavien countries and if another contestant has the smallest thing to do with Denmark he mentions that but thats it

[@conn7125]

@@squidink3470 no there’s no fun what so ever unfortunately. We used to have one like Graham many years ago but they wanted someone younger and we got stuck with one that calls the danish entry the best he’s ever seen 🫣🫣🫣

[@Ceej_MM]

The UK should deliver their points from the Blackpool tower one year

[@georgehand]

Wouldn’t it be funny if this year they announce the votes in Nice then Graham can’t comment on the Effiel Tower

[@imageez]

Wow, even the Eiffel Tower walked out and joined the strike

[@bakeymykakey]

honeslty at that point he’d make it a thing to ask where the eiffel tower had gone

[@jensraab2902]

I'd be more interested in the Naughty votes! 😛

[@ignatiuskhan]

Following Graham Norton's relevant remarks, we built Palais du Louvre AND its pyramid. Too quickly evidently for they collapsed after a few weeks. And since there is no other monument in our miserable capital, we had no other choice but to go back to the Eiffel Tower.

[@frogsfoot]

devastated that graham wasnt allowed to be drunk this year. let the poor man deliver tipsy commentary! it's tradition at this point 😂

[@Dirty20]

"we built a tunnel" had me in stitches

[@jasmin5858]

It's sad to see how other commentators make jokes and our german commentator just.. commentates. Gotta love german practicality

[@louis3328]

I'm not sure if it's particularly practical and if German are really practical, but it sure is less funn 😅

[@solmoman]

That's why you got voted the least funny people by South Park

[@jasmin5858]

@@solmoman South Park 😩😩😭 plsss

[@jensraab2902]

@@jasmin5858 I've stopped watching Eurovision on German TV a couple of years ago because I can no longer stand Peter Urban's stupid comments. I now watch the video on the official Eurovision channel. It involves some shielding from the news for a day but it's so much better! The only good thing is the info he usually gives about the performers during the short video clip shown right before their song but that's about it.

[@thatguy1173]

@@jensraab2902 Watch the Austrian ORF then. It's done by Andi Knoll, he cen be quite funny and sarcastic.

[@FloatingOnAZephyr]

Tbf to the French producers, the tower is tall and fits in the frame, and it's lit up at night when the results are read. It really is perfect for this. It's just a shame nobody knows where it is.

[@dasmysteryman12]

I mean, to be fair to Graham Norton, they could have used video from Las Vegas by mistake 🤷‍♂

[@TheOpacue]

Graham is such a gem!❤

[@EveryTongueShallTell]

Fun fact, the Eiffel Tower was erected to honour the winner of the first ever Eurovision song contest. Clair Eiffel De Lune won it in 1957 with the hit, 'Just Give Me A Snail For Breakfast' which btw spent 36 weeks at no.1 in the French charts. Clair reported at the time that it was a bottle of wine which inspired her to write the song. After the success of the Eurovision song contest when it was all over, Clair went on to travel the world and speak French wherever she went no matter what. Today, every year on the 16th of May in France people ironically don't eat snails for breakfast in honour of Clair Eiffel De Lune's life. Whilst Clair continues to live a life of honour as she wouldn't ever say something like, it's great to be French because that sentence is in English and she only speaks French even though she can speak English just as well. I think she paints pictures for a living and sells baguettes on the side for the extra bit of cash.

[@johnmartinez7440]

I thought it was named after Eiffel 65? Learn something new everyday.

[@egg_2705]

I, pls tell me this is a joke 😂

[@scientistbird]

this, sadly, means that they could not report her points while standing in front of the eiffel tower

[@Zett76]

You forgot to mention WHY the tower was erected. Not only to honor the winner, but because every time the votes were collected, Graham Norton couldn't tell WHERE the french supermodel was at...

[@multirevelator]

always a history buff in the comments

[@mgg5418]

What do you mean Graham’s favorite running gag!? It’s France’s favorite gag, they’re the ones framing it in EVERY TIME!!! Graham HAS to respond! 😂😂😂

[@aa4488]

Graham is one of the best tv personalities, love him

[@filipholmsten646]

He wont do the joke this year since he is on stage😢 Savage if he does it anyway

[@veebehamfil]

I bet for this year, Graham won't have an Eiffel Tower to look for because of the fact the French delegation took it to make their staging 😭 (edit: forgot they had it plastered into the LED for 2017 buut you get my point)

[@solarprogeny6736]

HAHAHAHAHHA

[@ke_nickie]

graham is a treasure. i dont think anyone understands how unhinged the australian commentary is compared to this. god love em 🤍

[@magic8girl]

Australian?

[@ke_nickie]

@@magic8girl yess i’m comparing graham’s jokes to the chaos of the australian commentary

[@mallbratgirl_3005]

nice pfp lol

[@RustyVaperGameplay]

Why are Australia even in EuroVision...

[@lilymarinovic1644]

​@@RustyVaperGameplay because we Australians need the sophistication and high culture! 😂

[@LuckyCharmander]

wait till he finds out greece always has the panthenon as the background

[@ihasmdb389]

"Who'd you think she gave the other half of that jacket to?" made me crack up

[@happily_blue]

i was SHOCKED when they showed the louvre

[@ch-p2861]

If only he said it live while hosting this year 😂

[@antemarkic6988]

Such a man of culture. On 2:38 he drops Jacques (or Zhak) joke, the Croatian classics.

[@liammcfarlane13]

I’m surprised he hasn’t made a Blackpool Tower joke yet 😂

[@HydraDaLittle]

I wish I could watch eurovision with Graham's commentary! Also, thanks for CC!

[@willhasnofriends]

“Is she on a skateboard” lmao

[@ja1207]

2015 is such a game changer. haha

[@KarrieDreammind5]

Even before I moved to the UK, I always watched Eurovision on the BBC - entirely for this:

[@agustingomez1590]

Fun fact: Elodie Gossuin co-hosted Junior Eurovision 2021 in Paris.

[@prl1973]

Can't believe he still hasn't done a Blackpool Tower joke

[@flazeda8743]

"Build something else famous." We did a million times but they won't show it! 😭🤣

[@Skydive20991]

I fking love british humour omfg 💀💀💀

[@reipetirp]

he is such a hater and i love it

[@rolandmdill]

He could at least ONCE ask why they switched to Las Vegas instead of France

[@johnstevenson1709]

Im hammered and i dont know why youtube has shown me this but i choose to assume theyre all in blackpool

[@daveetheridge]

I was literally just talking to my partner about his obsession with the Eiffel Tower! It's so good. He's obsessed.

[@Me-hs4jj]

The French don’t hate the English as much as everyone thinks because when I went there earlier in the year, there were literally TONNES of stalls at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower selling key rings of the one in Blackpool.

[@TalloMiz]

Lmao. I still enjoy the most his joke about golden boy (Israel 2015)

[@el0leo]

what was the joke

[@sweetgirl070707]

We need to know the joke please

[@TalloMiz]

@@el0leo he said about Nadav what they feed them in Israel, he looks 35 😂😂😂 (he was 16)

[@el0leo]

@Tal Mizrahi lol well he definitely has a point

[@SvobodovaEva]

@@TalloMizwait what, he was 16???

[@GrisouGismo]

„It could be anywhere reaaaally!“

[@HSPLP]

France is using the same background again and again

[@TimmyTheSnail]

It went from being on the right of the person to then missing a year and suddenly it was forever on the left 😂

[@ARBUZIK.dudkin]

Now I know what I’ll be looking for next Eurovision

[@MrJaspett]

They should throw in Blackpool Tower one year just to fuck with us.

[@hscorner3829]

Bet he was gutted that he couldn't make that joke this year on the account of being too busy hosting 😂

[@theratofallmydreams]

i love that the one year they're not in front of the eiffel tower the background is the LOUVRE

[@sevencats4964]

i appreciate the subtitles!

[@zanechi]

In France, if you show Eifel tower in your productions, either in films or tv productions, you got tax free.

[@fabriziobononi7021]

You are the best! Greetings from Brazil

[@Dafoodmaster]

i like how every country seemingly has their own passive-agressive narrator that provides snide comments based on both current and historic geopolitics

[@Pyrozoid]

he sounds like he's in his bed watching this on his tablet just commentating away to himself. soo funny

[@BTA08]

A living legend, I love Graham Norton ❤

[@Anonymouse85]

I don't live in the UK but i always tune in to the Beebs for Graham. It's just so much funnier when Graham Norton is doing his thing, it makes for a fun evening with some very questionable music and snarky commentary. He's the best!

[@MarkAJAgi]

The UK should stand in front of the Blackpool Tower and speak the same way they speak in Allo Allo. That will confuse the French.

[@hoxtondean9855]

My favourite from last night, ESC 2023 was "the slowest stripper in the world" quip. I can't remember which country but the man giving point was all zipped up and unzipped only the mouth to say the country with 12 points.

[@Somnogenesis]

That was the extraordinary jury delegate from Iceland!

[@jamesnewham7125]

Just looks like an oversized electricity pylon

[@MrPinkfloydian]

I guess I need to watch the UK version 😂🤣😂 F-hilarious!

[@gustavgron2252]

You have got to love him! ❤

[@meepmeep1754]

‘do yo think she gave the other half of that jacket to that man from Croatia’ 😂😂

[@CrocoDude-iv3wp]

That thing's the Eiffel Tower? That makes sense now - I always wondered why the French vote always had the person standing in Blackpool.

[@paulbromley6687]

You did it Graham, you got them to stick with the Blackpool tower of the south

[@OrreBorree]

It's funny because I made literally the exact same joke this year while watching it with my friends, without knowing about Grahams running joke, and none of my friends really picked up on the joke. And now, some days later, this video pops up in my recommendations as some message from above to tell me that it was indeed a funny comment!

[@stephenderry9488]

Next year they should troll Graham by broadcasting the results of the French jury from Blackpool.

[@angelus77300]

One? "We built a tunnel to your country" 😂😂😂

[@JamesL42]

"1? We built a tunnel to your country -_-"

[@chriswyatt9869]

Graham is better in the booth commentating than he is actually hosting tbh.

[@SumChap1]

"We built a tunnel to your country" - Graham, you're from Ireland, there's no tunnel to France from Ireland?

[@Euroviking86]

Nobody tell him about all the times this happened BEFORE 2009. 😄

[@caloricphlogistonandthelum4008]

Apparently Ireland dug a tunnel to France!

[@AthynVixen]

It's actually the same picture they use as a background.. it literally never changes. There's no way thats convincing us it's live footage

[@michaelkingis]

"It could be Paris, or it could be Las Vegas?" - this is the line for this year.

[@gardenshed6043]

And the one year it wasn’t the Eiffel Tower in the back it was the Louvre in the back. So just a different part of Paris.

[@hviring7441]

The spitefulness comes from him not relating to something big and still standing up.

Wishing he made it live this year 😂

[@AnimeFanatic10121]

I guess we will never know where they were. My guess is Paris.