Claudia Winkleman confirms BBC chat show exit after one series

Claudia Winkleman’s Friday night sofa has been packed away

The BBC chat show, which launched in February, was created as a Friday night companion to The Graham Norton Show while Norton was between series. 

Much like Norton’s programme, the format saw Winkleman, known for hosting The Traitors UK and Strictly Come Dancing, chatting to famous faces from a sofa, with Norton’s own production company, So Television, also involved behind the scenes.

Despite bringing in some big-name guests, including Friends star Lisa Kudrow, Jeff Goldblum, Niall Horan and Rachel Zegler, the show only lasted seven episodes before Winkleman confirmed she would be stepping away.

In a statement, the presenter thanked the BBC, the guests who joined her and the production team, calling the experience a “wonderful opportunity”. 

However, she admitted that hosting her own talk show was more stressful than she expected, saying: “Sometimes you have to try something to see how it fits, and I realised I was just too nervous to enjoy it.”

While Winkleman hinted that she could potentially give the show another try, she explained that she already has the “best jobs in the world” and loves the shows she’s doing.