Claudia Winkleman to lead seven-episode show in BBC’s Norton time slot

Collider reports the BBC has confirmed the second annual season of The Graham Norton Show will return with Claudia Winkleman hosting a standalone programme, fronted by her own set for an initial seven-episode run. The Graham Norton Show has been Britain’s flagship chat show since 2007, running across 33 seasons with a format that brings all guests out together.

Graham Norton currently presents one annual season from September to March with 21 episodes after previously hosting two seasons per year before 2021. Winkleman, a long-serving BBC presenter who recently completed a 15-year run on Strictly Come Dancing and hosts The Traitors, guest-hosted an episode in February 2025 while Norton toured Australia interviewing Chris Pratt.

BBC Television managing director Graham Stuart said Winkleman matched Norton’s ability to make the “Friday night talk show slot” a “dazzling appointment to view,” and the initial seven-episode commission signals confidence in the new programme; Winkleman said she was “obviously going to be awful” but “over the moon” to be given the chance.

Key Topics

Culture, Claudia Winkleman, Graham Norton, Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors, Late-night Television