The fate of Claudia Winkleman’s BBC talk show ‘rests in her hands’

Claudia Winkleman’s new chat show is poised to get a second series if The Traitors star ‘wants it’.

The BBC series has so far earned mixed reviews from audiences and critics, who have argued that the former Strictly presenter ‘slid into the background’.

This came after the 54-year-old branded her own show as ‘awful’ during a radio interview with Amanda Holden after receiving backlash from viewers.

Now, however, according to a TV insider, the future of her talk show is said to be in her hands.

Discussing how the show’s overnight viewing figures were boosted by almost 50 per cent when it went on iPlayer, an insider told The Sun: ‘That’s a particular bonus for them because it shows that the younger, more online-friendly market are interested in the show.

‘And that looks like she’s brought them across from her time fronting The Traitors which had a very broad market.

‘That kind of shift really matters to the execs as that’s where they see the future of telly lying.

‘So it’s understood that Beeb chiefs are poised to rubber stamp another series — if that’s what Claudia wants.’

Following the release of the second episode, which featured comedian Joanne McNally, actor Guz Khan, Rachel Zegler and former One Direction member Niall Horan, viewers argued that there was a noticeable ‘step up’.

Taking to Reddit, one fan claimed that it was ‘much better’, writing: ‘Everyone just seemed up for a laugh and they kept the audience interaction to a minimum.’

Meanwhile, another argued that it needs to ‘find its feet’ before a judgement can be made.

The first episode in the BBC series had 2.5million views in the first seven days, in comparison to the most recent series of Graham Norton’s show which received 2.3million.

Last week saw a peak of 1.4million tune in, which was up from 1.3million the week prior.

So far, three episodes have aired, with the fourth on tomorrow night featuring actors James McAvoy, Rita Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and comedian Russell Howard.

Following that, there will be two more recorded episodes before Claudia heads north to film the latest series of The Celebrity Traitors, which is expected to drop later this year.

The Claudia Winkelman Show airs tonight on BBC One at 10pm.

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