“Everyone thought she could pull it off because she’s smart and funny, but a chat show with multiple guests is very difficult to handle,” the Telegraph’s arts and entertainment editor, Anita Singh, tells BBC News.
“You have to marshall the conversation, give each guest equal time, help them to plug whatever they’re plugging, then cue in whatever anecdote they’ve agreed beforehand with the researchers. Graham Norton makes that look deceptively easy.”
She adds: “I think if Claudia had done a couple more series she would have become better at it. But she’s at her best when she’s being spontaneous, and the format allows very little space for that.”
Winkleman’s decision to quit surprised many. The viewing figures were lower than Norton’s, but still respectable. The reviews from critics were mixed, rather than universally bad.
The BBC confirmed it was Winkleman’s decision to stop, and implied that they would’ve happily commissioned a second series – and possibly already had.
“My understanding is they had made a deal beyond one season,” says Deadline’s Jake Kanter, who has reported on the talk show throughout. “How formal that was, I don’t know. But there was an intention for it to continue.”
He adds: “I wholeheartedly believe her that this perhaps didn’t work out because of her own concerns and anxiety around the hosting.”
