Claudia Winkleman will not bring back her BBC talk show for a second season. The host announced she is walking away from The Claudia Winkleman Show after one season, with Variety reporting it was her decision not to return.
The show launched in February of this year and ran for seven episodes. It was a sit-down chat format, with Winkleman interviewing celebrities on a sofa. The series was designed to fill a gap left by Graham Norton, whose long-running Friday night show was on hiatus between seasons. Like Norton's program, Winkleman's aired on Friday nights, and Norton's own production company, So Television, served as a co-producer.
The debut episode drew notable guests including Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Saunders, Vanessa Williams, and Tom Allen. But reviews were lukewarm and ratings were inconsistent, mostly falling short of Norton's audience of more than 1.1 million viewers. The penultimate episode featured Mr Blobby, and the final episode was a compilation show.
In a statement, Winkleman said the experience taught her something about herself. "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," she said. "Sometimes you have to try something to see how it fits, and I realised I was just 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."
Winkleman is best known for hosting The Traitors U.K. and Strictly Come Dancing, the British version of Dancing with the Stars. A second season of The Claudia Winkleman Show had been rumored to be under consideration, with reports suggesting the decision rested with Winkleman. She has now confirmed she will not return.
The BBC's director of entertainment, Ed Havard, said the network respected her choice. "Claudia's warmth and quick wit made 'The Claudia Winkleman Show' an absolute joy," Havard said. "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."
Winkleman's next BBC appearance will come when The Celebrity Traitors returns later this year.
