The Claudia Winkleman Show has finally made its debut – and the first reviews from fans are generally positive. Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Saunders, Vanessa Williams and Tom Allen joined the presenter for the first episode of her new chat series, which aired tonight.
From the makers of The Graham Norton Show, and enjoying that programme’s late Friday timeslot on BBC One, the new venture appears to have gotten off to a promising start, according to fans at home.
“Early days but this is promising. Having Jeff Goldblum as a guest on the 1st show is a blessing,” one wrote on social networking site X, while another remarked that the studio looked “divine”.
Photographer://BBC
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“First thoughts about The Claudia Winkleman Show, not that much different from The Graham Norton Show really but I love her anyway,” said another, while a fourth noted: “Getting RTE Late Late Show vibes, and I’m absolutely all in for it.”
Another happy viewer summarised: “This is the return of classic late night talk shows. The walk round the audience greeting everyone. The genuine conversations. Just saying whatever. KEEP THIS ON MY SCREEN FOREVER.”
Claudia will be joined next week by comedians Joanne McNally and Guz Khan, stage and screen star Rachel Zegler and singer-songwriter Niall Horan. The third episode will boast Jimmy Carr, alongside actors Chase Infiniti and Lisa Kudrow.
Photographer://BBC
Speaking ahead of the debut, the host of The Traitors and former Strictly Come Dancing frontwoman called the new project “really scary”.
“I know my job is to make sure the guests have a great time and feel relaxed – I imagine I’ll ask them about their favourite biscuits and their dog and people will actually fall asleep,” she joked. “We’ll soon find out how it goes…”
The Claudia Winkleman Show airs Friday nights on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online; specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who’ll listen.