Cumberbatch, Radcliffe, McAvoy, Depp: 9 things we learned from the ultimate Graham Norton sofa

Armed with sneak peek quotes, here's what we learned when Norton chatted to this whopping crop of guests...

1. Cumberbatch is really enjoying fatherhood

“I’ve become a father and a husband, and in the right order – just! I might go for a Cumber-batch of boys!” Asked if it is nice to get out of the house once in a while now he has a young child, he said, “I’m always in a rush to get back. It’s everything. I have a new life form that needs his father’s help in the world and his mother needs a little help once in a while. It’s what being a parent is about so it’s not an excuse to get away from what I am doing, it’s what I ought to be doing and after three and half hours of Hamlet I think that’s okay.”

2. The Sherlock star hasn't seen the Christmas special

“It’s great, it’s fantastic, but I haven’t actually seen it yet," Cumberbatch admitted. "It’s set in Victorian London – the original Conan Doyle setting, fog and all. I think I’m allowed to say it’s a stand alone story, but not without any relation to the series… you’ll just have to wait and see.”

3. Radcliffe hasn't done his reading

Talking about his upcoming role with McAvoy in Victor Frankenstein, Radcliffe admitted: “I probably shouldn’t confess to this, but I haven’t read the book and I’ve seen very few of the films, but actually kind of knew the story. This film is a mad re-telling of all the myths.”

4. The former Harry Potter star is totally up for his own stunts

“I actually really enjoy those king of scenes. I grew up on Harry Potter doing a lot of action fight stuff and in the films I have done since there hasn’t been very much so I am always quite up for it. I really like all that physical stuff and it’s good to get stuck into.”

5. Depp wants a knighthood

“I end up here quite a lot,” he said of London. “I’m after the ‘Sir’ thing.” Asked if he has come face-to-face with any royalty, he said: “I met Prince Charles. He came to the premiere of Finding Neverland. I shook his hand but I didn’t understand a word he said and I don’t think he understood a word I said so it wasn’t very meaningful necessarily, but he seemed nice!”

6. The Pirates of the Caribbean star adores dressing up as Jack Sparrow for hospital visits

“For me it’s a gift. They give me the gift. When my daughter was ill in Great Ormond Street it was the darkest period of my life. I’d always done these visits but after that experience the visits became more and more important. The kids are so courageous but to be able to bring a smile or a giggle to the parents means everything in the world to me.”

7. McAvoy is really allergic to horses

“I’ve had to turn down so many nice jobs because I can’t go near them for too long – it’s a real shame," he admitted. "I look like I’ve insulted Mike Tyson and my eyes swell up like golf balls."

It can also ruin the romance sometimes. “I once tried to take Anne-Marie my wife on a romantic ride around Central Park in a carriage and we were in the back and it was freezing so we were given blanket – a blanket that had been used on the horses all day – and I started sneezing and my wife is allergic too so we started wheezing and coughing. It was the most unromantic night of our lives where we were incapable of walking let alone anything else!”

8. The X-Men star reveals how Professor X really goes bald

“We couldn’t have a superhero just lose his hair so he goes through something so horrible and painful that he literally half pulls his hair out and the rest falls out," McAvoy explained. Asked if he should have told the audience that he admitted: “I know, Fox Studios that owns me might be angry with me!”

9. McAvoy gets sassy with his fans

“I was at the premiere of Suffragette and one woman was screaming my name so I went over and she said, ‘I am a really big fan of some of your work,’ and I thought, ‘Thank you, I’ll sign some of your posters!’ People try and be nice but sometimes it’s a bit backhanded.”

See The Graham Norton Show Friday at 10:35pm on BBC1