The BBC has confirmed that beloved presenter Claudia Winkleman will be given her very own primetime chat show in 2026. The Claudia Winkleman Show will see the broadcaster interview a lineup of celebrity guests in front of a studio audience, filling her famous sofa with stars.
A New Chapter After Strictly
This exciting new venture comes shortly after Winkleman, 53, and her co-host Tess Daly announced their departure from Strictly Come Dancing in October 2025. The pair had fronted the main show together since 2014, with their final appearance being the pre-recorded Christmas Day special. Winkleman expressed her delight at the new opportunity, stating she was "over the moon" the BBC was letting her try, while humorously adding she was "obviously going to be awful".
Her broadcasting prowess suggests otherwise. Winkleman is a Bafta TV Awards winner, having taken home the Best Entertainment Performance prize in 2023 for hosting the smash-hit series The Traitors, which she continues to front. She and Daly also won the Bafta for Best Entertainment Programme for Strictly in 2024.
Produced by Talk Show Specialists
The new programme will be produced by So Television, the company behind the legendary The Graham Norton Show. Interestingly, Winkleman filled in for Norton on his show earlier in 2025 while he was in Australia. So Television's managing director, Graham Stuart, said following Norton's "dazzling" show required a host "equally as brilliant", confirming they had found one in Winkleman.
This announcement does not signal the end for Norton's show, however. The BBC has agreed a three-year deal with Norton and So Television for three more series, starting with series 34 in 2026.
A Celebrated Broadcasting Career
Claudia Winkleman's career with the BBC spans decades, from early roles on Comic Relief to hosting The Great British Sewing Bee. She joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, initially presenting the companion show It Takes Two before moving to the main show. In 2025, her services to broadcasting were recognised with an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, the BBC's head of entertainment commissioning, praised Winkleman as a "true national treasure" with a warm and witty ability to connect with both superstars and audience members.
The Claudia Winkleman Show is scheduled to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in spring 2026. Further details regarding celebrity guests and specific broadcast dates are expected to be announced in the coming months.
