Claudia Winkleman's chat show ended after one series - can anyone replace Graham Norton?

BySteven McIntosh

Entertainment reporter

When Lisa Kudrow appeared connected The Claudia Winkleman Show earlier this year, she was visibly delighted to conscionable Linda from The Traitors.

The Friends actress, astir apt the astir celebrated impermanent the programme had during its seven-week run, said it was "thrilling" to conscionable 1 of the world show's breakout stars, who she revealed had adjacent inspired 1 of her ain caller performances.

As big of The Traitors, Winkleman was ideally placed to present the pair, resulting the benignant of wonderfully bizarre gathering of minds usually seen connected The Graham Norton Show.

But Winkleman's ain chat amusement did not past agelong capable for immoderate much antithetic impermanent combinations connected its teal sofa. The presenter discontinue past week aft conscionable 1 series, saying she was simply "too tense to bask it".

It had made consciousness for the BBC to committee The Claudia Winkleman Show, fixed the presenter's popularity connected programmes specified arsenic Strictly.

There's a antithetic level of pressure, however, hosting a amusement with your ain sanction supra the door.

"Everyone thought she could propulsion it disconnected due to the fact that she's astute and funny, but a chat amusement with aggregate guests is precise hard to handle," the Telegraph's arts and amusement editor, Anita Singh, tells BBC News.

"You person to marshall the conversation, springiness each impermanent adjacent time, assistance them to plug immoderate they're plugging, past cue successful immoderate anecdote they've agreed beforehand with the researchers. Graham Norton makes that look deceptively easy."

She adds: "I deliberation if Claudia had done a mates much bid she would person go amended astatine it. But she's astatine her champion erstwhile she's being spontaneous, and the format allows precise small abstraction for that."

Winkleman's determination to discontinue amazed many. The viewing figures were little than Norton's, but inactive respectable. The reviews from critics were mixed, alternatively than universally bad.

The BBC confirmed it was Winkleman's determination to stop, and implied that they would've happily commissioned a 2nd bid - and perchance already had.

"My knowing is they had made a woody beyond 1 season," says Deadline's Jake Kanter, who has reported connected the speech amusement throughout. "How ceremonial that was, I don't know. But determination was an volition for it to continue."

He adds: "I wholeheartedly judge her that this possibly didn't enactment retired due to the fact that of her ain concerns and anxiousness astir the hosting."

Former BBC One controller Peter Fincham, who hosts the TV podcast Insiders, likens it to the Davina McCall chat amusement helium commissioned successful 2006, which besides ended aft 1 series.

"You person to remember, peculiarly chat shows wherever the presenter's sanction is successful the title, it's precise exposing for them," helium tells BBC News.

"Had Claudia Winkleman wanted to transportation connected with her chat show, it could person been a dilatory burn," helium reflects.

"But what she's done is rare, actually, for idiosyncratic to say, 'hmm, didn't truly bask that, don't deliberation I'll bash it again'.

"That says thing precise affirmative astir her that you don't often spot among presenters."

Many considered Winkleman, 54, to beryllium chat amusement emperor Graham Norton's presumptive successor - not slightest due to the fact that helium seemed to beryllium ushering her done himself.

So Television, which Norton co-owns, besides produced Winkleman's show, and it could person been a neat mode for the institution to clasp enactment erstwhile Norton does yet quit.

Admittedly, Norton's amusement is not vanishing immoderate clip soon - he signed a caller three-year deal with the BBC successful 2025. He has besides taken connected respective caller projects, including a podcast, much novels, and a short-lived ITV crippled show, The Neighbourhood.

But Norton, 63, has besides spoken openly successful caller years astir moving less. He reduced the fig of chat amusement episodes helium presents successful 2022, and besides stepped down from his Virgin Radio amusement 2 years later.

The abbreviated beingness of The Claudia Winkleman Show could marque the Norton succession program a cardinal contented for the BBC's incoming amusement chief, Ed Havard.

"This does permission the BBC with a occupation if and erstwhile Graham decides to retire, due to the fact that if Claudia can't bash it, I don't cognize who can," says Singh.

"Graham doesn't privation to bash 52 weeks a year," Fincham notes, "so I'm definite the BBC would person been delighted to person different long-running chat amusement that you tin equilibrium with his, and they whitethorn person different try."

Dozens of presenters would emotion the gig and galore would beryllium perfectly susceptible - Jack Whitehall did a coagulated occupation erstwhile helium stood successful for Norton previously, oregon Alan Carr could astir apt beryllium tempted to instrumentality to his Chatty Man days.

But the TV scenery is besides littered with examples of cancelled chat shows. As good arsenic Winkleman and McCall, Lily Allen and Charlotte Church besides hosted bid which didn't past long.

A cynic mightiness accidental that the abbreviated beingness of Winkleman's bid volition person shown some her and the BBC that launching a caller chat amusement is harder than it looks.

But Kanter has a much nuanced interpretation, reflecting: "My instinct is that this was ever a spot of an experiment.

"Clearly it was thing that Claudia wanted to do, and erstwhile you person a presenter astatine the highest of her powers, I deliberation it's conscionable bully endowment absorption to effort and enactment unneurotic with that presenter connected their imagination project."

He adds: "I'm definite each sides volition locomotion distant with their heads held high, and it was worthy giving it a crack, I think."

Personalities aside, there's the much existential question of whether the BBC adjacent needs a caller speech series, erstwhile determination are present hundreds of different platforms wherever celebrities tin spell to beforehand their product.

Stars tin conscionable arsenic easy look connected YouTube strands specified arsenic Snack Wars oregon Hot Ones arsenic a TV chat show, oregon walk arsenic overmuch clip astatine property junkets being interviewed by TikTokers arsenic bequest media outlets.

Talent agents cognize that seeing Hollywood stars talking to a lovable and sweary East London pensioner, external known arsenic Grime Gran, or playing a crippled of Would You Rather, external with LadBible, is conscionable arsenic apt to make publicity arsenic accepted interviews.

Singh highlights that clips from programmes specified arsenic Norton's often spell viral too, but adds: "I don't deliberation the nationalist is craving different TV chat show.

"Think backmost to the astir memorable encounters from the heyday of chat shows," she says. "They were one-on-one: Parkinson with Muhammad Ali; Wogan with George Best oregon David Icke.

"Those long-form interviews person moved to podcasts now, wherever celebrities find it casual to beryllium unfastened and fundamentally dainty them arsenic an extended therapy session.

"And the astir entertaining personage interviews astir are connected Amelia Dimoldenberg's Chicken Shop Date. Compared to contented similar that, a chat amusement successful a TV workplace seems rather old-fashioned."

Norton's amusement intelligibly inactive delivers immense worth for the BBC, and Kanter says the the "chat amusement format remains strong" and is simply a "really important portion of the BBC One schedule".

"It sprinkles a spot of stardust, it's assignment to view, I deliberation radical bask that it's a Friday nighttime and they tin tune successful for immoderate entertainment, it performs good online, it's an motor for clips and viral moments, and that's thing that's to beryllium valued successful this attraction economy," helium notes.

And, speaking from experience, Fincham concludes helium is "not a large instrumentality of succession plans" anyway.

"I ran BBC One betwixt 2005 and 2007," helium recalls, "and astatine that time, a regular speech was 'What's the succession program for David Attenborough?'

"That was 20 years ago, and I can't assistance noticing he's inactive presenting programmes today. So beware of the presumption that a succession program is needed.

"And Graham Norton, if helium chooses to continue, has got plentifulness much successful the tank."