Cork comedian Graham Norton has added to a fast-growing list of accolades by winning an International Emmy award for his Channel 4 chat show.
The 38-year-old star of So Graham Norton took the prize in the popular arts category at a ceremony in New York. The award, for an episode in which he interviewed Elton John, caps a series of triumphs for the camp presenter.
Earlier this year, he won two British Academy awards (BAFTAs) for the same programme, and he also won the best entertainment performance BAFTA last year.
Now establishing a reputation in the US, Norton beat another Channel 4 show, Spaced, to pick up the Emmy. The award was presented by Absolutely Fabulous stars Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. The son of a Guinness employee, Norton lived in Kilkenny, Tramore, and Waterford before finally settling in Bandon, Co Cork. He studied at UCC and later at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Thinking briefly about a career in journalism, Norton instead became a comedian.
In 1997, he was shortlisted for the Perrier award at the Edinburgh Festival. His television breakthrough came in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.
He debuted as a solo presenter on Carnal Knowledge, a lewd version of Blind Date, also on Channel 4, before winning a British Comedy Award for his work on Channel 5's Jack Docherty Show.
But it was with his own Friday night chat show - a risque mixture of "glamorous guests, outrageous audience revelations and bizarre phone calls" - that he has achieved his biggest success to date, combining cult appeal with huge audiences.
British programmes also honoured at the 29th lnternational Emmys included the ITV drama Dirty Tricks, which was named best drama, beating another UK nominee, Cold Feet.
Channel 4 had further success with The Miles Davis Story - an exploration of the jazz trumpeter's life and work - taking the arts documentary title. A filmed version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Superstar, whose cast featured Rik Mayall, was the winner of the performing arts section.
