Claudia Winkleman has stepped in for Graham Norton (Image: PA Media)
BBC fans have given a mixed reaction to on social media as she stepped in as a guest host on . The 53-year-old temporarily replaced Graham for one episode that aired on Friday, 28 February.
Those who tuned in to watch the programme gave Claudia plenty of feedback as she spoke to Chris Pratt, Toby Jones, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, and Rob Beckett on the red sofa.
One person reacted on X: “Can Claudia Winkleman just give us a little bit of energy during her opening piece .” But one delighted fan commented: “Claudia time!! .”
Another person chimed in, “What happened to Graham Norton’s show? Where is he gone?” Another person typed, “Graham Norton without Graham Norton is weird .” Whilst another praised: “Great to see you Claudia n missing Graham.”
It was announced last month that Graham would take a one-week break from his hosting duties while on tour in Australia. He is only being temporarily replaced by Claudia for a one-off episode.
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Claudia spoke to Chris Pratt, Toby Jones, Rob Beckett and Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Image: PA )
During the show, actor Toby Jones called Sir Alan Bates a “proper hero.” The 58-year-old actor played the leading campaigner for victims of the British Post Office Horizon IT scandal in the drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office last year and found it an “extraordinary honour” to bring the man to life on the big screen.
Speaking to Claudia, he said: “It was an extraordinary honour to play a proper hero.
“It is a great thing he has been knighted because he shows humility, determination, and resourcefulness. The challenge was playing a man who was not interested in promoting himself. He is a phenomenal guy.”
Elsewhere, Chris Pratt recalled to Claudia that he had contracted a lung infection after the births of three of his children because of a celebratory ritual with father-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star – who has 12-year-old Jack with first wife Anna Faris and Lyla, four, Eloise, two, and three-month-old Ford with spouse Katherine Schwarzenegger – suffers from asthma but, despite the health implications, has felt “pressure” to join the ‘Terminator’ legend in smoking a cigar after welcoming a new child into the world.
Graham Norton took a one-week break from hosting duties (Image: PA )
He said to Claudia: “[Arnold] is a big cigar smoker – he’s always smoking one on set, in his car, and in my living room.
“When we have a baby, he shows up with a Cuban cigar. I have asthma, so I should not ever smoke cigars, but I do because I feel pressure from Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“So, every time I have a child, I have a cigar and about a week later I have a lung infection. It’s a nice little ritual we have.”
You can watch the interview with Chris and Toby on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ on One on Friday (28.02.25) night or on iPlayer.