Claudia Winkleman has announced she is quitting her BBC Radio 2 show after 15 years on air and Romesh Ranganathan will take over.
The 51-year-old presenter shared the news with her listeners during Saturday’s show and admitted she would like to spend more time with her children.
She shares Jake, 19, Matilda, 15, and Arthur, 10, with her film producer Kris Thykier, 50, whom she married in 2000.
Claudia’s final show will air in March, after which she will be replaced by Romesh from April.
The media personality explained that it was an “absolute privilege” to host the show and thanked her listeners.
Claudia Winkleman, 51, has announced she is quitting her BBC Radio 2 show after 15 years on air and Romesh Ranganathan will take over
The presenter shared the news with her listeners during Saturday’s show and admitted she would like to spend more time with her daughter (pictured in 2017).
She began: “I would like to share my opinion. Firstly, I’m going to say it loud and with verve: I love Radio 2.”
“It’s an absolute privilege to be here every Saturday, chatting to amazing guests, hanging out with Sally and most of all reading your fantastic messages.”
“But here’s the thing and it’s such a boring cliché so I apologize.” Time passes too quickly. My daughter is getting ready to leave the house and she was 3 years old about 5 minutes ago.
“I still have a small child who wants to be with me.” I don’t know how long this will last and I just need to be home more.
“So my news at 10 o’clock is that I’m leaving – but I have two extraordinary pieces of news.” First – the person taking over is one of the funniest and smartest people in the world.
“We will love listening to him every Saturday at 10am. Consider this an early Christmas present, if you will.”
“The one and only Romesh Ranganathan will be here from April and he is majestic.”
“Number two, the second piece of good news, is that before I left in March the bosses said I could play and I make no apologies for that, an obscene amount of it.”
She then performed the Oasis hit You Gotta Roll With it.
In a press release, Claudia added: “I absolutely love Radio 2 and it has been a privilege to host the Saturday morning show for three years. “I will miss our amazing guests, our brilliant listeners and the one and only Sally Traffic.
She shares Jake, 19, Matilda, 15, and Arthur, 10, with her film producer Kris Thykier, 50, whom she married in 2000 (Matilda and Kris pictured in 2013).
As well as her Radio 2 show, Claudia has also shown her talents on television, with her successful stint as co-host of Strictly Come Dancing alongside Tess Daly
“The truth is that my children are growing up too quickly, so I decided to accompany them at home before they leave for good.”
“I am incredibly grateful to everyone working on the show. I will continue to visit them with poorly baked cookies and pester the bosses to present one special or another.”
“I couldn’t be happier that Romesh is taking over Saturday mornings at Radio 2. He laughs incredibly loudly and funny, and I will listen every week when my children beg me to leave them alone.”
Following the news of Claudia’s departure, friends and famous faces sent her messages, with presenter Rylan Clark commenting on Radio 2’s Instagram post: “I’ll miss you Claud”, while podcaster and actress Giovanna Fletcher hailed her as a “legend”.
Claudia’s exit is the latest in a series of high-profile presenters to leave or move their slots on BBC Radio, including Ken Bruce, who left Radio 2 in March after presenting its morning program for more than three decades, and a new show on Greatest started Appearing on the radio in April – his popular music quiz PopMaster is included.
Romesh said of his new role: “During my many years as a math teacher, I thought, ‘What would happen if I gave this up’? I never thought I would be sandwiched between Dermot O’Leary and Steve Wright on the UK’s most popular radio station every Saturday morning.
“I am grateful to Claude for wanting to spend more time with her children and allowing me to spend less time with mine, and I look forward to finding out what the nation is up to at this time and speaking to some. “familiar faces. It will be fun. Probably.’
Romesh currently hosts For The Love of Hip-Hop on BBC Radio 2, for which he won Best Music Show at the Radio Academy Aria Awards this year. He will continue to host the show and succeed Claudia.
The comedian has also appeared in a number of series including The Misadventures Of Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation, A League Of Their Own and quiz show The Weakest Link.
Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “I would like to thank Claudia for entertaining her millions of listeners every Saturday morning with such sparkling wit and great warmth.”
“Radio 2 listeners can rest assured as we are working on a plan for some special programs in the future, so watch this space.”
“I’m delighted to welcome Romesh to his new Saturday morning show on Radio 2.”
“Judging by the audience reaction to him at Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester this year, he is already a firm favorite with our listeners.”
“Like Claude before him, he will guarantee that your Saturday morning continues to be a listening appointment.”
Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, thanked Winkleman for “all the laughs” she has given listeners over the last three years, describing her as one of the broadcaster’s “most popular presenters”.
Claudia has long been a familiar face on Strictly, but she also recently found great success as a presenter on BBC’s The Traitors
When the series first aired last year, it became an instant favorite and went on to win two trophies at the BAFTA TV Awards
Claudia held back tears after securing the award in the Entertainment Performance category, while the entire team secured the top spot for the Reality and Constructed Factual show
She added: “Romesh is hugely popular with BBC audiences, so I’m delighted he will be bringing his own unique sense of humor to Radio 2 on Saturday mornings. I can’t wait to hear his new show.”
Claudia joined BBC Radio 2 in 2008 to present the comedy quiz series Hot Gossip, before moving to present the Claudia Winkleman Arts Show on Friday nights.
In 2016, she began hosting Claudia On Sunday and moved to her Saturday morning slot in February 2021, replacing Irish broadcaster Graham Norton, who moved to host a show on Virgin Radio.
In addition to her jobs at Radio 2, Claudia has also taken her talents to television, with her successful stint as co-host of Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly and hosting hit reality shows The Traitors and The Piano.
She has long been a familiar face on Strictly, but has also recently achieved great success in her presenting career on BBC’s The Traitors.
When the series first aired last year, it became an instant favorite and won two trophies at the BAFTA TV Awards, moving Claudia to tears.
Claudia took home the award in the Entertainment Performance category, while the larger team secured the top spot for Reality and Constructed Factual Show.
During her final speech, the Strictly star said: “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say. “I know it’s ridiculous, I can’t get emotional because I’m wearing so much eyeliner… Thank you very much.”
‘Thank you. I can’t believe it,” she continued, vowing to be “forever grateful.”
The first season of The Traitors, set in a Scottish castle, aired in November 2022 and featured 22 strangers competing to win £120,000 by deceiving and lying to each other.
The first season also attracted an average of 5.4 million viewers and was so popular that a second season was quickly commissioned in February.
Last month, fans went wild when the first trailer for season two was released and Claudia once again took over the reins of the show.
In the trailer, Claudia could be seen wearing the traitor’s cloak along with two other hooded figures, holding a finger to her lips as she said, “The traitors.” Coming soon” flashed on the screen.
Earlier this year she also brought her star power to another new series when she hosted Channel 4’s heartwarming reality TV show The Piano (pictured with judges Mika and Lang Lang).
Premise: The show features amateur musicians performing at train stations across the country while secretly being watched by singer Mika and pianist Lang Lang
She also brought her star power to another brand new series earlier this year when she hosted Channel 4’s heartwarming reality TV show The Piano.
The show featured amateur musicians performing at train stations across the country while secretly watched by singer Mika and pianist Lang Lang.
The top four performers were then selected to perform at the Royal Festival Hall and viewers were left in tears at some of the moving performances throughout the series.
The series was won by 13-year-old Lucy from Halifax, who stunned audiences with her performance of Debussy’s Arabesque No.1 at the Royal Festival Hall.
According to reports, The Piano has now been renewed for a second season and will consist of seven episodes instead of five, with Mika and Lang Lang returning as judges.
Claudia was not on the BBC’s highest earners list this year because her salary includes compensation for her role on Strictly Come Dancing, a BBC Studios production that runs outside the BBC.
Claudia juggles her busy hosting career alongside motherhood and said in September that her husband Kris was a better parent to their three children.
Although she loves being at home with her family, the star admitted it’s a delicate balancing act alongside her duties at work.
“Luckily my husband is a better parent than me,” she joked to the Daily Mirror.
While she’s found success as the host of three of television’s biggest shows, Claudia remains humble and insists it’s all down to luck.
She said: “The Traitors and Strictly and The Piano are so strong that anyone could host them.” We all know it. But I’m lucky to be there. That’s the truth.
“That doesn’t mean I’m not incredibly grateful, but it’s just a coincidence that I fell for her.”
Claudia also hilariously admitted her children had asked her to quit her “embarrassing” job as a presenter on Strictly Come Dancing.
When Claudia accepted an Outstanding Achievement Award at the Edinburgh TV Festival in September, she was interviewed by her friend Kirsty Young and admitted that her son Jake had asked her to quit Strictly.
Back in September, Claudia admitted that her husband Kris is a better parent to their three children than she is as she juggles hosting duties (pictured in March 2022)
Claudia recently admitted that her son Jake (pictured with husband Kris in September 2021) had hilariously asked her to quit her “embarrassing” job as a presenter on Strictly Come Dancing
Speaking about her son, she said: “He said to me, ‘Mom, you really need to stop doing this, it’s so embarrassing and my teacher mentioned it.’
“I was like, ‘See those sneakers, Jake?'” He said, “Okay, sorry!”
Claudia also revealed that she spends her TV-free time being “a very annoying person” to her three children.
The TV personality hilariously confessed that her children beg her to give them some space during the ten months of the year when she is not busy presenting Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking exclusively to Web at the No7 Pro Derm Scan launch party, she blamed her former mother, newspaper editor Eve Pollard, 76, for the “terrible” habit.
She began: “I hear the subway all the time, but never in my life have I been recognized, never in my life. “I go there four times a day with my children…”
“Sometimes I’m on TV, but only two months a year, and the rest of the time I’m flitting around.” The rest of the year I lick the children.
“I follow them and I’m a very annoying person for them.” They say, “Mom, give us some space,” and I say, “No.” I’m terrible. It comes from my own mother.’