In a major career shift, beloved television presenter Claudia Winkleman has officially been confirmed as the host of a brand-new BBC1 chat show. This move comes after she strategically cleared her schedule by stepping down from two of her most prominent roles.
Making Room for a New Chapter
Claudia Winkleman has bid farewell to her weekend Radio 2 programme and, most notably, her position as co-host of Strictly Come Dancing. She had been a fixture on the Saturday night dance show for an impressive 11 years. This decisive clearing of her diary has paved the way for her to finally take on a project that was first piloted back in 2022 but was previously shelved due to her overwhelming commitments.
The new series, which will be produced by So Television – the same company behind Graham Norton's successful show – will launch with a seven-week run in the spring of 2026. Winkleman will welcome A-list guests from film, television, and music for lively conversations in front of a studio audience.
Sharing the Friday Night Spotlight
In a significant scheduling move, Winkleman's show will share the coveted Friday night slot with veteran host Graham Norton. Norton recently signed a new three-year deal with the BBC, taking his long-running chat show through to 2028. His programme continues to draw around 3 million viewers, maintaining its status as the market leader.
This appointment makes Winkleman the first female chat show host on BBC1 since Davina McCall's brief stint in 2006. BBC entertainment commissioning chief Kalpna Patel-Knight hailed Winkleman as a "true national treasure," praising her warm, witty, and engaging style which puts guests and audiences at ease.
A Full Slate of Future Projects
Despite this new flagship role, Claudia Winkleman is not slowing down. She will continue to front the massively popular reality series The Traitors, along with The Celebrity Traitors and Channel 4's heartwarming talent show, The Piano, which is returning for a fourth series.
Expressing her delight about the new chat show, Winkleman said: "I can’t quite believe it and I’m incredibly grateful to the BBC for this amazing opportunity. I'm obviously going to be awful, that goes without saying, but I’m over the moon they’re letting me try." Graham Stuart, Managing Director of So Television, confidently stated they were following Norton's act by "booking a host equally as brilliant."
