Claudia Winkleman has announced she is stepping down from her BBC talk show after just one series, prompting fans to call for the return of Alan Carr's Chatty Man. The television presenter, who left Strictly Come Dancing last year, hosted seven episodes of The Claudia Winkleman Show but has revealed she has no plans to return.
Fan Reaction on Social Media
In the wake of the announcement, fans flocked to social media to speculate which programme might fill the chat show void in the BBC's schedule, with one name appearing particularly popular. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan wrote: "Now get Alan Carr in and BBC redo Chatty Man!" Another added: "It needs to be Alan Carr." A third person said: "Yess bring Chatty Man back!" Someone else agreed: "I miss Chatty Man sooo much."
History of Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man aired for 181 episodes between 2009 and 2016 on Channel 4. The debut episode attracted 2.15 million viewers. Over its run, the programme delivered 16 series, with the eleventh series comprising 18 episodes — the longest run in the show's history. Chatty Man was succeeded by the derivative programme Alan Carr's Happy Hour, which launched in December 2016 and was intended to mirror Chatty Man but without celebrity interviews or alcoholic beverages, as Channel 4 sought to appeal to a younger demographic. Happy Hour spanned three episodes across consecutive weeks, with guest appearances from Rebel Wilson, Honey G, Michelle Keegan, Lady Gaga, Amanda Holden and John Legend.
Carr's Comments on a Comeback
Alan triumphed in the inaugural series of Celebrity Traitors last year, presented by Claudia, and he has disclosed that there are presently no plans for Chatty Man to make a comeback. Speaking on Lennie and Jessie Ware's Table Manners podcast, the funnyman said: "It would be nice to do a chat show. I don't know. I read about it and thought, 'Oooh Chatty Man's come back', but no one's approached me or anything."
Winkleman's Statement
In a statement confirming her exit from The Claudia Winkleman Show, the mother of three said: "I'm incredibly grateful to the BBC for giving me the opportunity, to the guests who agreed to come and chat to me, and the production team who were simply excellent. Sometimes you have to try something to see how it fits, and I realised I was just too nervous to enjoy it. Maybe one day I will give it another try, but for now I already have the best jobs in the world and absolutely love the shows I'm doing."
Guests on Winkleman's Show
Throughout its seven-week stint, the presenter welcomed a string of high-profile guests including Lisa Kudrow, Jeff Goldblum, Niall Horan and Rachel Zegler. Ralph Fiennes, James McAvoy, Jamie Dornan, Vanessa Williams and new Strictly Come Dancing co-host Josh Widdicombe also graced her sofa. The Claudia Winkleman Show is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
