Jonathan Ross returns to ITV for more chat

Ross is back this evening with a host of shining stars…

The Jonathan Ross Show is back for a brand-new series, and on tonight’s episode Jonathan is joined by stage and screen icon Brian Cox, award-winning Mad Men star Christina Hendricks, queen of the dancefloor and Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse, hilarious stand-up and reigning Strictly Come Dancing champion Chris McCausland, plus the multi chart-topping Snow Patrol will be performing live in the studio.

Jonathan speaks to stage and screen icon Brian Cox about his new play The Score currently showing at Theatre Royal Haymarket. Jonathan compliments Brian on looking trim who replies, “I know because…Ozempic. No, it’s true. I am a diabetic and Ozempic is for diabetics, it is not for fat people.”

Later, Brian reveals how he credits Laurence Olivier for saving his life. Brian says, “I was working at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. I had this appointment with him and I was supposed to fly down to London to see him. I was packed ready to go and I had a note from Olivier’s people saying that he couldn’t see me because he had other things he had to do so he needed to cancel the interview.

“It was those days when you could get late night flights from Edinburgh. I was sitting there and I thought I won’t go to London. I went home and the following morning I got up and there was a Sunday Post and it said in the back that ‘Edinburgh flight from Turnhouse crashes at Heathrow killing everyone on board’ and that’s the flight I would have been on. In a way, he saved my life. I was bowled over by it.”

Also, Jonathan is joined by award-winning Mad Men star Christina Hendricks ahead of the launch of her brand-new television series Small Town, Big Story. Jonathan asks Christina about her experience being a part of Mad Men and she says, “A very special decade. It was a dream. Our dysfunctional family but we all keep in touch, we’ve got text chains and check in on the holidays and things.” On saying goodbye to the series, Christina says “We always partied but we had a very grand wrap party – it went on all night long. We had a whole hotel and everyone stayed in different rooms. We didn’t want to say goodbye after that long.”

Jonathan chats with queen of the dancefloor Oti Mabuse about her role as a judge on the current series of Dancing on Ice plus her upcoming dance tour. Speaking about critiquing the contestants, Oti says “I try to be positive and then the red light comes on and it just comes out of my mouth. I’m trying to help, that’s how I see it. I’m trying to be as honest as I can and bring my latin and ballroom experience.”

Jonathan asks Oti if she misses being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing and she says, “It was a huge part of my life. I’m always grateful to Strictly but now I enjoy it as a fan and I choreograph on the show. I still dance, dance will always be a part of my life but now I’m watching Strictly with my baby girl and a glass of wine.”

Fresh from his Strictly Come Dancing win, Jonathan speaks to stand-up and reigning champion Chris McCausland. Chris reveals the toll the training takes on you physically and says, “You start like you’re an athlete and you’re not an athlete. It’s eight hours a day, six days a week – it’s relentless. The first few weeks you pick up injuries that relate to the dance you’re doing. The jive – you feel like you’ve been on a mule for a week. The first time you do a bit of ballroom – your knees take it because you’re not used to it. It’s amazing more people don’t get injured permanently on that show.”

Speaking about the moment he and Dianne were declared the winners, Chris says, “It was emotional Jonathan, it was so emotional. Me and Dianne were meant to link arms at the end of that and walk off. As we linked arms, she crumpled and then I crumpled and the two of us were in bits. It was a lot, you know.”

The Jonathan Ross Show, tonight at 9.35 pm on ITV1, STV, STV Player and ITVX