Claudia Winkleman to replace Graham Norton as BBC Radio 2 host
Strictly Come Dancing co-host will take over on the popular Saturday morning show
Claudia Winkleman will replace Graham Norton as the host of BBC Radio 2’s Saturday morning show.
The Strictly Come Dancing co-host, 48, will take over the slot, which broadcasts from Wogan House in London, from February 2021.
Winkleman, who earned about £365,000 in 2019/20, appeared on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show for the announcement on Monday.
She told Ball she had initially assumed the appointment was “just a massive practical joke” and that she was “really terrified” because there were “enormous shoes to fill”.
Norton is joining Virgin Radio as a weekend host next year, following in the footsteps of ex-Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans.
In a statement, Winkleman, who is Jewish, added: “I’m not often speechless but the chance to be with the wonderful Radio 2 listeners every Saturday has left me, quite frankly, gobsmacked.
“I hope my voice comes back in time for the first show as I can no longer simply rely on a fake tan and a fringe.
“There’s nobody I’d rather be with at the weekend, it’s a privilege and an honour.”
Chat show host Norton, 57, will present his final Saturday programme on Radio 2 on December 19, 10 years after his first Saturday morning show for the station.
Winkleman joined Radio 2 in spring 2008, hosting a comedy quiz series called Hot Gossip before moving to Friday nights to host the Claudia Winkleman Arts Show.
Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “As Claudia is one of the UK’s best-loved entertainers and a firm favourite with our listeners, I’m over the moon that she’ll be bringing her enormous warmth and wit to Saturday mornings on Radio 2.”
The Radio 2 Saturday morning show airs from 10am to 1pm.
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