The Graham Norton Show 'struggling to sign stars' amid Hollywood strike

The Graham Norton Show has reportedly been thrown into chaos as show bosses are believed to be struggling to secure big names amid the Sag-Aftra strikes.

In early July Hollywood officially went on strike after US union the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists voted unanimously to walk out, following weeks of unsuccessful negotiations.

The decision came after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – who represent studios including Disney, Warner Brothers and Netflix – failed to produce new contracts.

Members have been seeking better pay and increased safeguarding around AI rights among their demands.

Due to this, popular talk shows such as The Graham Norton Show are finding it difficult to secure A-listers who have been showing full solidarity for the writers. 

A source told The Mirror: ‘The BBC is in crisis as the Hollywood strikes are causing its flagship chat show an absolute headache for its next run later this year.’

The insider added that even British stars have refused publicity and promotion ‘out of solidarity.’

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists represents 160,000 television and movie actors, with the strike halting current and upcoming projects.

New seasons of The White Lotus, Emily in Paris, House of the Dragon and Industry could be impacted, while films including Beetlejuice 2, Paddington in Peru and the Gladiator sequel may also be paused.

Just before the strike was confirmed, the cast of Oppenheimer appeared on the red carpet in London for the UK premiere of the film.

The WGA has also raised issues with the rise of streaming and Artificial Intelligence (AI) threatening the jobs of writers.

The last time there was a writer’s strike was in 2007 when work stopped for 100 days and had massive effects on the economy, costing California alone $2.1 billion (£1.6 billion).

Many famous faces have thrown their support behind the strikes, including Tom Hanks, Pete Davidson, Drew Barrymore, and US President Joe Biden.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to BBC for comment.

The Graham Norton Show is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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