Graham Norton and his guests want to know more when actor Ambika Mod reveals that she finds it hard to close her eyes fully, and sleeps with them open.

    Among the guests on Graham’s sofa is knight of the stage and screen Ian McKellen, taking the role of Falstaff in Player Kings, a new version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays.

    Also, award-winning actor Michael Sheen, talking about his new Welsh BBC drama series The Way, which he also directed, Ambika Mod, starring in the Netflix version of David Nicholls’ romantic bestseller One Day, and top comic Josh Widdicombe.

    With music from chart-topper Gabrielle, who performs her single ‘A Place in Your Heart’.

    #GrahamNorton #TheGrahamNortonShow #iPlayer #AmbikaMod #SirIanMcKellen #MichaelSheen #JoshWiddicombe

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    Whenever I tell this story, I say that I was in bed and my eyes popped open, but I sleep with my eyes open, so they just sort of widened slightly. Sorry. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the bus. Woah, why have we done the rest of the show

    And not started with this bit? I sleep with my eyes open. – Really? Yeah. Not like, not like Gandalf. Not like. ‘Cause Gandalf sleeps with his eyes open. Do you know that? Of course he does! Of course he does! Leave him alone! He’s 85. Is he doing it at this moment?

    But. Yeah. – No, no. We need to know more about this! I don’t know what else there is to say. I sleep with my eyes open! Not, not like, mostly, it’s not fully. It’s usually just like, Oh so it’s nothing weird then! Have you always slept with your eyes open?

    Yeah. Yeah, since I was a baby. – Because as a kid… I mean, I’ve got 2 small kids. If I went in the room and they were just sleeping like that looking at me… – Yeah – I’d be doing an exorcism. – My mum says I used to do it as a baby,

    And she was a bit freaked out by it, but she just sort of, you know, she was like… It’s probably fine. – So is it easier? Do we have to try and shut our eyes? Yeah. I actually find it really hard to close my eyes fully.

    I feel like my eyelids aren’t big enough for my eyeballs, so, like, if I do that, I’m like really actively thinking about it. Like, if I’m just relaxed, I’m sort of like, I have really dry eyes. What are we doing here? We should be making a Channel 5 documentary. Yeah.

    The woman who doesn’t blink! Sorry. Do you have very lively dreams? Uhm, I don’t remember my dreams Ian, actually. – Too busy looking at a bedroom ceiling! – Yeah. “That needs painting!” Uhm, if someone did that… If you say, fell asleep on a train. Would you like?

    I wouldn’t, no, I wouldn’t see anything. Like, my vision is… my vision is still impaired when I’m sleeping, but I… I actually have very little information for you about this condition. – It’s quite a… it’s quite a short documentary. – Yeah. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised here

    Tonight, please call Graham Norton. That is fascinating though… – Yeah, yeah.

    23 Comments

    1. She’s got nocturnal lagophthalmos & yes, her eyes would be extremely dry because of exposure. Convetional treatment is using eye gel before bed and taping the eyelids.

    2. I do this too lmao, glad I'm not the only one. But basically, she's right. Our eyes are too big for our eyelids, so when we shut them, it takes some effort and we aren't relaxing. I remember as a kid I had to actively close my eyes fully shut when the teacher was playing a game with the students that required closing our eyes, it was annoying but if I didn't do it some kids in my class would freak out and start crying 💀

    3. I have the same thing, my eyelids don't cover my eyes fully when I sleep but there's only a small gap of white, my eyeballs aren't as visible as Ambika's.

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