Claudia Winkleman's chat show ended after one series
- can anyone replace Graham Norton?
----------------------------------------------------
When Lisa Kudrow appeared on The Claudia Winkleman Show earlier
this year, she was visibly delighted to meet Linda from
The Traitors.

The Friends actress, probably the most famous guest the
programme had during its seven-week run, said it was "thrilling"
to meet one of the reality show's breakout stars, who she
revealed had even inspired one of her own recent performances.

As host of The Traitors, Winkleman was ideally placed to
introduce the pair, resulting in the kind of wonderfully bizarre
meeting of minds normally seen on The Graham Norton Show.

But Winkleman's own chat show did not last long enough for any
more unusual guest combinations on its teal sofa. The presenter
quit last week after just one series, saying she was simply
"too nervous to enjoy it".

It had made sense for the BBC to commission The Claudia Winkleman
Show, given the presenter's popularity on programmes such as
Strictly.

There's a different level of pressure, however, hosting a show
with your own name above the door.

"Everyone thought she could pull it off because she's smart and
funny, but a chat show with multiple guests is very difficult to
handle," the Telegraph's arts and entertainment editor, Anita
Singh, tells BBC News.

"You have to marshall the conversation, give each guest equal
time, help them to plug whatever they're plugging, then cue in
whatever anecdote they've agreed beforehand with the researchers.
Graham Norton makes that look deceptively easy."

She adds: "I think if Claudia had done a couple more series she
would have become better at it. But she's at her best when she's
being spontaneous, and the format allows very little space for
that."

Winkleman's decision to quit surprised many. The viewing figures
were lower than Norton's, but still respectable. The reviews from
critics were mixed, rather than universally bad.

The BBC confirmed it was Winkleman's decision to stop, and implied
that they would've happily commissioned a second series - and
possibly already had.

"My understanding is they had made a deal beyond one season," says
Deadline's Jake Kanter, who has reported on the talk show
throughout. "How formal that was, I don't know. But there was an
intention for it to continue."

He adds: "I wholeheartedly believe her that this perhaps didn't
work out because of her own concerns and anxiety around the
hosting."


Long article continues at <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1m1rz7n0pzo>



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