BTS on Graham Norton

BTS on The Graham Norton Show.

by

Julia Hien

Still buzzing with leftover adrenaline from attending the BTS concert at the O2 Arena the night before, I didn’t want to overexert myself before the Graham Norton Show filming, so I managed to keep myself calm for most of the day. Surprisingly enough, everything that happened on the day also fell naturally into the arms of calm. I mean, it’s not like my mind registered that I was going to see Graham Norton, Whoopi Goldberg AND BTS all in the same room!

Source: @TheGNShow

I arrived with my friends and family between 3pm-3:30pm, and I noticed that there were two separate queues, one was for official ticket holders and the other was for guests on the waiting list. As time went on, the queues grew longer and longer with a mixture of eager ARMYs, fans of the other special guests and the show in general. All of the production team and security were firm but accommodating and kind to everyone. Ticket holders were given coloured wristbands/ numbers and went through security checks before forming one final queue outside the studio doors. I believe we had to wait another hour or so before the doors opened but again everything was still pretty exciting and relaxed. There was plenty of chatter happening, before certain number blocks were called out and we were escorted inside.

There were two separate stages - one for Graham Norton and the guests and one for the performance. The only worrying thing that got me at the time was that there were only 6 stools on the performance stage.

Once the audience was seated and everyone settled down we were greeted by a studio host who put in a tremendous effort to get us excited for the evening and kept our spirits high! We were also given some ground rules including switching our phones off and told where the fire exits were.

It was a relaxing atmosphere and the audience was very much engrossed throughout the filming of the guests’ interviews. I was happy that we paid a lot of respect to every single person, even if we may have been there for our own individual reasons. I was listening so intently to the discussions that I seemed to have forgotten that BTS had still yet to make an appearance! That’s when my adrenaline and slight nerves started to kick in, because I was sitting in third row from front and about to see arguably the biggest K-Pop group in person and up close!

There was a pause in filming, while the production crew moved camera positions, communicated with dancers as well as BTS having a very brief soundcheck behind the stage; that caused a some screaming to happen behind me! When the members walked onto the stage, they waved to the audience and sat down on the stools. I did a mental head count and was expecting Jungkook to have his own golden throne since I knew he was injured, but it was Jimin who unfortunately did not appear on stage. A silly part of me had hoped he’ll probably do a surprise in the performance and pop out dancing in the chorus, and if you’re seen the final version, that sadly does not come true.

Source: BBC - YouTube

Despite the missing of Jimin’s aura, the ‘IDOL’ performance was just as spectacular as they gave their all in that one performance. They looked incredibly handsome too, glowing in their traditional hanbok outfits and it almost felt like they weren’t real! I questioned so many times if I was in a dream! Was that really BTS performing in front of me?

BTS and their interaction with the audience was also amazing. I felt that the members made everyone in the room, whether they knew who BTS were or not, feel like the performance was just for them. While their concert echoed a movie/party like vibe, the TV filming gave off a closer, family-like and cosy feeling. There may have not been fan chants (which in this case is not necessarily an issue or bad thing); the cheers and singing along was very evident during their performance.

There was another pause, where a final stance shot was taken on the stage and then filming commenced again when Graham invited the members onto the sofa with the other guests. Their overall interview was very pleasant and informative enough to give an idea of who BTS are and what they’ve accomplished so far in their career. I personally believe that it is a huge deal when a Korean artist is given a chance to talk about their achievements and work on British television. I also really appreciated that they were not asked questions that made them uncomfortable or were inappropriate/unnecessary. Graham’s research team did a fantastic job and Graham made it very clear to acknowledge each member, including Jimin; Namjoon explained his absence during the interview, and while Graham did make a joke, it was not out of spite and the members laughed along. I didn't sense any kind of uncertainty or awkwardness throughout the filming either.

Source: BBC - YouTube

One thing that I can take from the recording was that I loved how the members all had their own individual colour and characteristic. I had an inkling about their personalities, however it had been a long time since I touched base with BTS before this happened. I adored how extra Seokjin went with his introduction, I loved how much confidence oozed out of Hoseok, how effortlessly cool Yoongi was, I respected Namjoon as a leader and his way of words and the way Taehyung and Jungkook responded immediately and positively to Whoopi Goldberg’s personal gift to them. They were all so humble and I cannot fault them for that, because it just made me love them more.

I thought once the interview was finished, that the recording was over but oh boy, was I wrong! They still had to film an introduction to the show and Whoopi alongside BTS were chosen to stay on production grounds. My constant joking throughout the week about me being on TV came back to haunt me, because the positioning of these two mega stars and the camera were right in front of me! Not only did I have to deal with my childhood meeting my adulthood, I had to also make sure that I did not look gormless or silly behind them! They did the run through twice and recorded on the second time before turning to the audience and saying their final goodbyes, walking backstage. I managed to have a tiny bit of waving interaction with Hoseok, Namjoon and Taehyung so those are definitely moments that I will always cherish!

Source: @whoopigoldberg

Watching the show back on TV I saw that most of the filming was broadcast and there wasn’t much really much left out apart from a few snippets of the first lot of interviews, the red chair segments, Graham’s joke about Jimin’s absence and V explaining the rest of their European tour stops. I can only imagine that that particular part was cut out due to the different volumes in both Taehyung’s talking and the audience’s excitement.

Overall, I personally had a very positive experience! There was no mistreatment of the members, there was a high level of respect and professionalism between BTS, the guests, Graham and the production crew (the crew made sure to always notify BTS and their translator during the breaks in between recording) and Graham showed his gratitude and thanked the audience, especially ARMYs for showing a lot of support and love to the other guests. The ARMYs who were able to be a part of it were also endearing and cute, saying their thanks to Graham and the staff. I was very lucky to be a part of this experience, and can wholeheartedly say that through this, it made me really understand why BTS are at a high calibre of skill, popularity and musicianship, and why they have such a strong, loyal following in fans.

Note: I must warn you lovely readers that if such an opportunity arises again in the future & although tickets are free and signing up to attend is fairly easy; tickets are often over-subscribed. You may have a ticket but there is not a guarantee that you will get into the recording studio and you need to make sure that you have government issued ID (photocopies and pictures on your phone are not acceptable). The tickets cannot be resold (so don’t fall for that dodgy trick) and it is under YOUR name and whoever is attending with you as the production company/staff have the original names you registered with but will give you plenty of time/notice to change your mind before the production day.