The Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors host is set to be the focus of a new show
Claudia Winkleman has been hailed as “one of the most important broadcasters of her generation” as her burst of fame in her 40s is set to be explored in a new show.
The 53-year-old presenter is the focus of a new Channel 5 documentary, Claudia Winkleman: Beyond the Fringe, which will chart her rise in the TV business, and commissioning editor Greg Barnett has heaped praise on the Traitors host.
He told The Sun newspaper: “Claudia Winkleman is quite simply one of the most important broadcasters of her generation. She has an extraordinary ability to connect with audiences in a way that feels both completely natural and utterly unique.”
Claudia landed her first TV job for Central Weekend when she was 19. But it was a gig hosting BBC Three’s Liquid News that led to her fronting Strictly spin-off, It Takes Two, and later the main show, from 2014, with Tess Daly.
Executive producer Emma Clarke has also offered an insight into the upcoming documentary. She said: “This documentary allows us to look beyond the fringe and explore not just her incredible career, but the personality and values that have made her such a defining figure in British television. We want this to feel like the ultimate tribute from her many fans, collaborators and friends.”
It comes after Claudia and her co-host Tess recently left their roles as the co-hosts of Strictly Come Dancing. The duo actually announced their decision to quit Strictly via a joint statement in October, before they hosted their last live show, the 2025 series final, on December 20.
They said of their decision: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day.
“We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
Sarah James, the executive producer of Strictly Come Dancing, also paid a glowing tribute to the co-hosts. She said: “Tess and Claudia are quite simply the best duo of presenters in the business and we are so lucky to have had them as our Strictly anchors for so many years.
“They have championed countless celebrities on the dancefloor, led us all through two series during the pandemic but more importantly they have a deep and genuine bond with the show and every single member of the team. The Strictly Family is often referred to and these women are the matriarchs of that family.”
