Graham Norton gave us the red sofa, Jonathan Ross opted for purple – and now, Claudia Winkleman is going green as she shares a first look at her upcoming chat show.
The TV presenter, who left Strictly Come Dancing with co-host Tess Daly last year, will debut The Claudia Winkleman Show on Friday (13 March) – taking over the Friday night slot from Graham Norton.
However, in a new teaser trailer for the BBC show, Winkleman warned viewers in her typical self-deprecating manner that it might be “excruciating”.
Showing off her new green set, complete with white and burgundy wall paper, the presenter said: “They’ve given me a talk show. Agreed. An error.
“Here’s some information. There is an audience. They’re lovely. There are brilliant guests. It might be excruciating.”
The camera then panned to her very first celebrity guests: Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum, actors Vanessa Williams and Jennifer Saunders, and comedian Tom Allen.
The BBC announced in December that the Traitors host, 53, would be fronting her own chat show, filmed weekly with a live studio audience.
It makes Winkleman the only woman to currently have a late night talk show on British TV, with The Graham Norton Show, The Jonathan Ross Show and The Last Leg all hosted by men. One of the last British late night chat shows to be presented by a woman was The Mrs Merton Show – Caroline Aherne’s mock late night show which aired for four series from 1993 until 1998.
Davina McCall hosted her own BBC One chat show in 2006, however it aired for just eight episodes before being cancelled due to low ratings.
Winkleman admitted earlier in March that launching her own series was both a “total privilege and also completely nerve-racking”.
She added: “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.”
As for taking over from Norton – who will return in September with The Graham Norton Show – Winkleman said that it’s “an enormous honour”.
“He is the king, the best of the best. He’s incredibly generous and charming and easy to talk to and that’s why he always has the best guests.”
Winkleman began her presenting career as the co-presenter of BBC One’s Holiday before taking on reporter roles on This Morning, Liquid News and Comic Relief Does Fame Academy.
She joined the Strictly Come Dancing family as the It Takes Two host in 2004, before graduating to the main show as a host in 2010.
After 15 years on the BBC hit, Winkleman stepped down as its presenter alongside Tess Daly, telling fans: “We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.”
She still has plenty in the works however, as the face of The Traitors and its celebrity spin-off, Channel 4’s The Piano and a role in the broadcaster’s Crufts coverage this year.
The Claudia Winkleman Show will air on Friday 13 March at 10:40pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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