{"id":345911,"date":"2026-03-14T12:48:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/345911\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T12:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:48:14","slug":"it-feels-pretty-second-rate-claudia-winkleman-quit-strictly-to-launch-her-shiny-new-chat-show-but-as-it-kicks-off-insiders-tell-katie-hind-the-worried-whispers-backstage-and-why-theres-alrea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/345911\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It feels pretty second-rate’: Claudia Winkleman quit Strictly to launch her shiny new chat show… but as it kicks off, insiders tell KATIE HIND the worried whispers backstage – and why there’s already fears for its future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Excitement was high at Graham Norton<\/a>\u2019s \u00adproduction company this week as it geared up for the launch of its shiny new project, The Claudia Winkleman<\/a> Show.<\/p>\n

The highly anticipated programme, which aired its first episode last night on BBC1, has taken up a lot of So \u00adTelevision\u2019s time in recent months after it pulled off a hugely lucrative deal with the broadcaster to make it.<\/p>\n

It should be a dream, say those familiar with Claudia and the project. After all, she\u2019s Britain\u2019s most sought-after and, indeed, talented television presenter.<\/p>\n

Her glittering CV boasts Strictly and The Traitors<\/a> \u2013 two of the corporation\u2019s most popular entertainment shows. \u00adEarlier this month she also joined the Channel 4<\/a> presenting team at Crufts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But as the days counted down to the first episode, which was filmed a fortnight ago, some connected to the programme were starting to feel a little uneasy.<\/p>\n

Could we have reached \u2018Peak Claudia\u2019, they fretted. \u2018She\u2019s absolutely everywhere,\u2019 said one source. \u2018Will people begin to tire from her? Probably.\u2019<\/p>\n

And while last night\u2019s show was undoubtedly a \u2018good watch\u2019 \u2013 and the top brass at So Television, the BBC and Team Claudia are said to be \u2018thrilled\u2019 with it \u2013 there is a lingering criticism that she failed to attract the stardust Graham Norton does.<\/p>\n

Away from the cameras, Claudia has a brimming contacts book thanks to her networking skills and well-connected film producer husband Kris Thykier. I\u2019m told her new show even has the same celebrity booker as Norton.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"Her <\/p>\n

Her glittering CV boasts Strictly and The Traitors and earlier this month she also joined the Channel 4 presenting team at Crufts. Pictured with Clare Balding\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet eyebrows were raised at the calibre of stars on the billing.<\/p>\n

Her headline interviewee was Jeff Goldblum, star of films Jurassic Park, Wicked and Independence Day, and while he may be a huge tick in the \u2018A-list\u2019 box, Jeff has been somewhat overexposed since he arrived in the UK last month to promote his new jazz career. He was even at the Brit Awards a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n

Then there was Jennifer Saunders and Vanessa Williams, who currently stars in the West End theatre adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada which has been widely panned, plus comedian Tom Allen.<\/p>\n

It is, say sources in the industry, a slightly disappointing line-up when you compare it to the superstars Norton attracts. \u2018It is literally impossible to get a celebrity on to the Graham Norton show,\u2019 says my insider. \u2018Slots are booked up months in advance, they are so careful about getting the mix right so unless you are a Hollywood A-lister, it\u2019s very, very tough.<\/p>\n

\u2018There is no space for people who are just so. He has had Tom Hanks, Taylor Swift, Will Smith, Ryan Gosling, Idris Elba, you name a huge celebrity, they have been on his sofa with very little persuasion.<\/p>\n

\u2018The bar is very, very high. In comparison, I\u2019m afraid, Claudia\u2019s line up was lacklustre.<\/p>\n

\u2018It all feels pretty second-rate.\u2019<\/p>\n

Of course, the programme is currently aired in the same \u00adFriday night slot as Norton\u2019s while his show is off air.<\/p>\n

When I first revealed that Claudia was leaving Strictly to launch her own chat show (something she desperately tried to keep a secret while leaving the dance series), I was promised it would be wall-to-wall A-listers \u2013 and that money would be thrown at it to ensure she didn\u2019t join the list of cursed female chat show hosts, such as Davina McCall and Charlotte Church.<\/p>\n

To counteract this, Claudia\u2019s own production company Little Arrow has been involved from the start, making sure she has a say behind the scenes and also directly cashes in from the project.<\/p>\n

And to be fair to Claudia, she did put on a good show.<\/p>\n

In her typical self-deprecating style, she opened by walking to the front of the stage and telling her audience: \u2018I\u2019m so nervous I just need to touch people,\u2019 while shaking hands with audience members in the front row, to enormous applause.<\/p>\n

\"Claudia <\/p>\n

Claudia has a brimming contacts book thanks to her networking skills and well-connected film producer husband Kris Thykier<\/p>\n

\"Her <\/p>\n

Her headline interviewee was Jeff Goldblum. Then there was Jennifer Saunders and Vanessa Williams, plus comedian Tom Allen<\/p>\n

Clearly enjoying the adoration, Claudia mouthed: \u2018Stop, stop!\u2019<\/p>\n

She then welcomed Jeff, 73, Vanessa, 62, Jennifer, 67, and Tom, 42, to the sofa with her trademark faux modesty: \u2018I can\u2019t believe it, thank you for coming on the first and possibly last show.\u2019<\/p>\n

There were good moments: Jeff chatted with an audience member from Wolverhampton about where to eat and drink locally while he is on tour there \u2013 including the nearest Nando\u2019s. Jennifer revealed she and Dawn French once bought an ecstasy tablet planning to take half each \u2013 and kept it on Dawn\u2019s mantelpiece for six months until it disappeared.<\/p>\n

A cockapoo called Percy also made an appearance on stage, prompting Claudia to be asked if she has a dog herself.<\/p>\n

\u2018Of course I have a dog, I breastfeed him,\u2019 she replied.<\/p>\n

The show was chaotic, the atmosphere playful.<\/p>\n

Indeed, comedian Tom Allen summed up the format by saying: \u2018I think that\u2019s what this show is about, it\u2019s like Question Time but for drunk celebrities.\u2019 That, say friends of Claudia, will delight her. \u2018She loves people to think she\u2019s scatty when she most certainly is not,\u2019 says one pal.<\/p>\n

\u2018She is very, very clever. It\u2019s all part of the shtick. The problem is that the British public are starting to rumble that.\u2019<\/p>\n

This is something that Claudia, who insists she suffers imposter syndrome, refuses to recognise.<\/p>\n

Sources close to her say she has been working on the show for \u2018many, many months\u2019 as it is said to be her \u2018dream project\u2019.<\/p>\n

Friends agree she is \u2018brave\u2019 to launch a chat show. Even the loquacious Davina McCall couldn\u2019t make it work when she tried back in 2006.<\/p>\n

But with 11 years at the helm of Strictly and four series of The Traitors under her belt, Claudia felt \u2018it was time\u2019.<\/p>\n

Those watching last night would have noticed that what aired on their screens seemed somewhat familiar.<\/p>\n

Dressed by her long-serving stylist Sinead McKeefry, Claudia wore one of her signature tailored dark trouser suits \u2013 similar to her Traitors wardrobe.<\/p>\n

The set also had echoes of her previous hit show, including a dark teal sofa, matching armchair and round table in the middle. One source tells me \u2018the whole set-up is very reminiscent of the plush furniture inside Ardross Castle\u2019.<\/p>\n

And while her new role will certainly catapult Claudia into the realms of a television interviewer, it will also net her and her husband Kris a pretty penny.<\/p>\n

They are already said to be worth around \u00a330million courtesy of her highly paid television shows and a very lucrative deal with Marks & Spencer where she is the face of its Jaeger clothing line.<\/p>\n

She and Kris, who have three children, have properties in both central London and the Cotswolds.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Claudia left celebrity talent agency YMU \u2013 home to the likes of Ant and Dec \u2013 to be \u00adrepresented by her husband Kris\u2019s new talent agency.<\/p>\n

Therefore, there will be no agents\u2019 or other fees; the BBC refuse to divulge how much a production company gets paid to make their programmes as they deem it commercially sensitive.<\/p>\n

\u2018Claudia is a very clever woman, especially when it comes to money,\u2019 says a source who is familiar with the project. \u2018She will be making sure she gets what she deserves from this.\u2019<\/p>\n

Back to last night\u2019s show, which Claudia wrapped up by asking the guests: \u2018Right that is it, I just want to check. Do you feel like you\u2019ve covered everything? Is there anything you want to sell a bit harder?<\/p>\n

\u2018Well thank you all, we are so grateful. We are off to eat salami.\u2019<\/p>\n

On to next week and sadly the guest list looks to be even more underwhelming.<\/p>\n

She will welcome Irish comedian Joanne McNally, Guz Khan \u2013 another comic \u2013 and One Direction singer Niall Horan.<\/p>\n

\u2018There might be a 1D star but he\u2019s the boring one,\u2019 muses a television insider. \u2018But the other two, well it\u2019s fair to say that most people may have to Google them to find out who they are.\u2019<\/p>\n

But \u2018Team Claudia\u2019 remains optimistic. \u2018Everyone who loved Claudia really hopes it works,\u2019 says a source close to her.<\/p>\n

\u2018Claudia doesn\u2019t fail, everything she touches turns to gold, she is a trailblazer in so many ways and she is very hands on. If anyone has the qualifications to do it, it\u2019s Claud.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Excitement was high at Graham Norton\u2019s \u00adproduction company this week as it geared up for the launch of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345912,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[1578,321,539,93,30387,61,60,1489],"class_list":["post-345911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-bbc","tag-celebrities","tag-dailymail","tag-entertainment","tag-graham-norton","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-tvshowbiz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}