Claudia Winkleman Lands BBC Chat Show Following ‘Strictly’ Exit
The BBC has confirmed that television personality Claudia Winkleman will host her own chat show, slated to premiere in 2026. This announcement comes swiftly after Winkleman’s departure from her long-held role as co-host of the popular dance competition, Strictly Come Dancing, alongside Tess Daley.
Winkleman, 53, first showcased her aptitude for the talk show format while guest-hosting The Graham Norton Show during Norton’s absence. The production company behind Norton’s successful program, So Television, will also be producing Winkleman’s new venture.
The Claudia Winkleman Show is set to air on both BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the spring, promising a lineup of prominent guests from the realms of television, film, music, and beyond. Winkleman herself expressed her excitement, stating, “I can’t quite believe it and I’m incredibly grateful to the BBC for this amazing opportunity.” She added with characteristic self-deprecation, “I’m obviously going to be awful, that goes without saying, but I’m over the moon they’re letting me try.”
The opportunity arose after Winkleman impressed audiences during her February stint filling in for Norton while he was on a stand-up comedy tour in Australia. During that appearance, she welcomed guests including Chris Pratt, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Toby Jones, and Rob Beckett, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback and sparking calls for her to receive her own show. As she introduced the show, Winkleman playfully lamented Norton’s absence, saying, “I am so sorry Graham isn’t here. To be honest nobody is more livid than me. That is the horrendous news. The brilliant news is that we have excellent guests.”
Graham Stuart, Director of So Television and Executive Producer, acknowledged the challenge of following Norton’s established success. “Graham Norton has made the Friday night talk show slot a dazzling appointment to view,” he said. “How can you possibly follow that? By booking a host equally as brilliant. So we have.”
While the specific time slot for The Claudia Winkleman Show remains unconfirmed, it is expected to mirror the format of The Graham Norton Show, featuring a sofa-based interview setup with a live studio audience. The question of whether Winkleman’s show will directly compete with Norton’s remains open for debate, given Norton’s 17-year run and consistent success since 2007, having interviewed stars such as Will Smith, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, and Olivia Colman, and earning six Bafta Television awards.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at the BBC, voiced confidence in Winkleman’s abilities. “She has an extraordinary ability to put people at ease and bring out the very best in them, whether they’re global superstars or members of the audience,” Patel-Knight stated. “It’s very exciting that she will be fronting her very own show on the BBC, and we can’t wait for viewers to join Claudia and her sofa full of stars.”
Viewers can catch The Graham Norton Show on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from 10:30pm on Friday, December 31st.
