Claudia Winkleman has repeatedly joked that she will be 'awful' at presenting her new chat show, which launches on Friday 13th. The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing host, 54, faces arguably the biggest week of her career as she steps into the 10.40pm Friday slot on BBC One, previously occupied by The Graham Norton Show.
Winkleman, now the highest-rating presenter on primetime TV, has deposed Ant and Dec after their 24-year reign. However, her eponymous show marks the first time her name is above the door. She has described the opportunity as 'a total privilege and also completely nerve-racking', citing Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and Chelsea Handler as influences.
The show's first guests include Jeff Goldblum, Vanessa Williams, Tom Allen and Jennifer Saunders. The set is described as more muted and clubby than rivals, with a green velvet sofa. Winkleman has said: 'I imagine I'll ask guests about their favourite biscuits and their dog, and people will actually fall asleep.'
Despite her self-deprecation, Winkleman comes off a strong warmup at Crufts, where her appearance helped Channel 4 achieve live ratings of 1.5 million. She has also been shooting the next series of The Piano. The chat show is produced by So Television, the company behind The Graham Norton Show.
