Claudia Winkleman ‘over the moon’ as new BBC chat show announced

Former Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman will front her own chat show next year, the BBC has announced.

The 53-year-old, who is currently the host of hit BBC show The Traitors, will present a new talk show – The Claudia Winkleman Show – which will see her host a “sofa full of stars” when it airs in spring 2026.

The format will see the Bafta-winning presenter interview celebrities in front of a studio audience.

Winkleman said: “I can’t quite believe it and I’m incredibly grateful to the BBC for this amazing opportunity.

“I’m obviously going to be awful, that goes without saying, but I’m over the moon they’re letting me try.”

It comes after Winkleman and her Strictly Come Dancing co-host Tess Daly announced their exit from the BBC dancing show in a joint statement shared on Instagram in October this year.

The pair fronted the series together since 2014, and their last appearance presenting the show was during its pre-recorded festive episode, which aired on Christmas Day.

Winkleman’s new show will be produced by So Television, the company behind the award-winning The Graham Norton Show, which currently holds the Friday night talk show slot on BBC One.

Earlier this year, Winkleman filled in for Norton hosting his show while he was in Australia.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, said: “Claudia is a true national treasure – warm, witty and endlessly entertaining.

“She has an extraordinary ability to put people at ease and bring out the very best in them, whether they’re global superstars or members of the audience.

“It’s very exciting that she will be fronting her very own show on the BBC, and we can’t wait for viewers to join Claudia and her sofa full of stars.”

Graham Stuart, managing director of So Television and executive producer, said: “Graham Norton has made the Friday night talk show slot a dazzling appointment to view. How can you possibly follow that? By booking a host equally as brilliant. So we have.”

In October, it was announced that the BBC has agreed a three-year deal with Norton and So Television, which will see them produce three more series of The Graham Norton Show. The three-series deal starts with the 34th series which airs in 2026.

Winkleman began her career as a TV and radio presenter for a range of BBC shows including Comic Relief and The Great British Sewing Bee.

In 2004, she joined BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, presenting its weekday companion show It Takes Two until she passed it to broadcaster Zoe Ball, with her taking on the Sunday night results show alongside Daly.

The presenter joined Daly for the main show every Saturday from 2014, and in 2024 the pair took home the best entertainment programme gong at the Bafta TV Awards.

Winkleman also took the best entertainment performance award at the Bafta TV Awards in 2023, for her role hosting hugely successful competition show The Traitors.

She still currently hosts the hit BBC show, as well as its spin off The Celebrity Traitors.

She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) this year in the King’s Birthday Honours, for services to broadcasting.

The Claudia Winkleman Show will be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, and will air in spring 2026.

Celebrity guests and broadcast details are yet to be announced.