Claudia Winkleman quits chat show after one series

Claudia Winkleman has announced she is quitting the BBC chat show she launched earlier this year after one series.

The TV presenter, who stepped down from Strictly Come Dancing last year and also hosts The Traitors, fronted seven episodes of the chat show, which was made by Graham Norton’s production company.

In a statement, Winkleman said she was “incredibly grateful to the BBC” for commissioning the programme, but had ultimately been “too nervous to enjoy it”.

“Maybe one day I will give it another try, but for now I already have the best jobs in the world and absolutely love the shows I’m doing,” she added.

During its seven-week run in the spring, Winkleman interviewed guests such as Lisa Kudrow, Jeff Goldblum, Niall Horan and Rachel Zegler.

Ralph Fiennes, James McAvoy, Jamie Dornan, Vanessa Williams and incoming Strictly co-host Josh Widdicombe were among the other guests on the sofa.

In her statement, Winkleman said: “I’m incredibly grateful to the BBC for giving me the opportunity, to the guests who agreed to come and chat to me, and the production team who were simply excellent.

“Sometimes you have to try something to see how it fits, and I realised I was just too nervous to enjoy it.”

Most episodes of The Claudia Winkleman Show attracted an average combined audience of between 1.5m and 2m viewers.

But the series split critics, with some describing it as entertaining and “full of banter”, but others suggesting it was “messy” and “a bit of a bore”.

Winkleman’s chat show was produce by So Television, the production company co-founded by Graham Norton, which also makes his talk series.

In 2022, Norton reduced the number of episodes he makes of the chat show every year, dropping the spring run in favour of a shorter series which airs over the autumn and winter.

The absence of his show between March and May made room for Winkleman’s show to launch earlier this year in the same Friday night slot on BBC One that Norton previously occupied.

Ed Havard, Director of Entertainment at the BBC said: “Claudia’s warmth and quick wit made The Claudia Winkleman Show an absolute joy.

“Whilst we loved the show, we fully respect her decision and would like to thank Claudia and the brilliant team at So Television for bringing the series to screen on the BBC.

“As the host of the country’s most-watched show, Claudia will be back on the BBC very soon when The Celebrity Traitors returns later this year, and we can’t wait to see what she has in store for the new band of celebs.”