In his 14-year chat show career he’s pretty much talked to everyone. His big ambition was to get Madonna on his sofa, which he did in the last series.
Was she a diva? ‘Actually she wasn’t. She didn’t make any demands. She came on, and within a few minutes she was on the floor on her hands and knees. She was on a charm offensive.’
And how nervous was he? ‘Terribly. I was worried it wouldn’t happen. But oddly enough, as soon as she came up the little steps, that was it. I felt it didn’t actually matter what happened after that, because she was on the show. Afterwards we went out for dinner and got really drunk – not Madonna; me and my friends – and the atmosphere all day was incredible. It was like a royal visit.’
If only they were all memorable for the right reasons. One big disappointment was Kylie Minogue, who turned out to be a damp squib.
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I failed with Kylie. I’ve seen her on other shows since, and met her myself and she was lovely, but it just didn’t work. I wonder if it was because it was the first series [it started on Channel 4 in 1998] and she thought I was out to get her.
'That was a problem in the early days. People were on their guard, sitting there braced to be made a fool of. I had that reputation, which wasn’t deserved. Yes the show looked edgy, and crazy things happened, but the guests were safe as houses.’ Who else? ‘Lindsay Wagner.
'We flew her into London, but in hindsight she just wanted a free trip here to see her friends. On the show she was monosyllabic.’
The best guests, he says, are the big Hollywood names who you think are going to be quite precious – but turn out to be a blast. ‘Someone like Dustin Hoffman or Glenn Close – those actors you think are going to be very serious and actor-ey but who actually love to show they have a fun side.’
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Queen Minogue remains unbothered. 
