International chat show host Graham Norton has said sorry for his constant jibes at Croydon.

It was no coincidence that the award-winning celebrity was hoping to sell some books on his visit to WH Smith in the Whitgift Centre last Thursday to sign copies of his autobiography, So Me.

Graham was unsure what kind of reception he would receive after making Croydon the butt of many of his jokes on his chat show.

But shoppers, despite Graham being half-an-hour late, gave the Irish funnyman an extremely warm welcome.

Graham said: "Despite my horrible jokes, the good people of Croydon were really nice to me tonight. I take it all back!"

Graham's tendency towards insulting Croydon, albeit jokingly, began in the early 1990s when he was involved in an Edinburgh Festival preview show at Croydon's Warehouse Theatre. He recalls: "I just remember being here once and I asked someone Croydon must have been very badly bombed in the war'. He surprisingly said, No, it wasn't'"

Even more surprisingly, Graham says he finds it much more daunting meeting his adoring public than he does mingling with his celebrity pals.

"It's always quite terrifying doing these kinds of things because basically you are just hoping that someone will be there. Luckily, tonight I was given a lovely reception."

Graham, who had also been to a book signing in Watford that day, said jokingly: "The people in Croydon were a lot nicer than those in Watford, a lot more normal!"

Graham also commented on Croydon's car parks.

He said: "I was in a rush, but the car park Whitgift Centre car park did seem to be very full and didn't smell in any way which is a good thing."

He added: "It was good to see the good people of Croydon out in force tonight. I know I have been horrible about Croydon in the past but the people were very friendly and nice and they didn't smell or hurt me."