Graham Norton kicked off his New Year's Eve special with a sharp-tongued year-in-review - and quickly turned his attention to Donald Trump. Revisiting Trump and Melania Trump's visit to the UK to meet the Royal Family, Graham flashed up a photo of Melania wearing a wide-brimmed purple hat and joked she looked like "a lamp". He then quipped that the statement headwear may have been worn to stop her husband from leaning in for a kiss - setting the tone for a night of trademark digs just minutes into the show.

The jokes kept coming as Graham doubled down on the moment, telling viewers: "He was hosted by the King and Queen, who were more than happy to be seen with him, although Melania... less pleased." As the camera cut back to Melania's oversized purple hat, Graham quipped: "I'm just a lamp. Just ignore me I'm just a lamp," before adding: "Just ignore me," while mimicking her accent.

But he didn't stop there. Turning the gag darker, Graham added: "Actually there is a security reason why Melania always wears a hat.

"A nice wide brim can literally save her from a fate worse than death," before showing footage of Donald Trump attempting to kiss her on the cheek - only to be blocked by the hat.

The savage swipe came just minutes into the BAFTA-winning chat show's traditional New Year's Eve special on BBC One and iPlayer, as Graham kicked off his annual review of 2025's biggest moments.

Ringing in the New Year on the sofa were Tom Hiddleston, Laura Dern and Will Arnett, alongside Owen Cooper, Carey Mulligan and Tim Key, with Alison Limerick providing the night's music by performing her dance classic Where Love Lives.

The New Year's Eve special was pre-recorded ahead of its BBC One and iPlayer broadcast, airing at 10.30pm on December 31, following the same format as previous years rather than going out live.

The festive episode landed at a high point for the long-running chat show, which was earlier this year confirmed to have been recommissioned for three more series.

The BBC said the programme remains one of its biggest entertainment successes, averaging 2.9 million viewers per episode across its most recent run and continuing to pull in huge numbers across social platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

The new deal will take the show through to 2026, with Graham previously admitting he was delighted to be staying put.

He said hosting the programme remained both "a pleasure" and a "privilege", teasing that the team were already looking ahead to welcoming more global stars onto the sofa.

This year's New Year's Eve line-up reflected that star power, with Hollywood names, British comedy favourites and breakout TV stars all joining Graham to look back on 2025.