Who could be the next Graham Norton, and does the BBC even need one?

The Telegraph’s arts and entertainment editor Anita Singh told the BBC: “Everyone thought she could pull it off because she’s smart and funny, but a chat show with so many guests is really hard to handle.”

“You have to run the conversation, give equal time to each guest, help pin everyone, then hint at whatever story you’ve already agreed with the researchers. Graham Norton makes that deceptively easy.”

She added: “I think Claudia would have been better in this if she’d done two series. But she’s great when she’s spontaneous, and the format allows very little room for that.”

Winkleman’s decision to resign came as a surprise to many. Viewing figures were lower than Norton’s, but still respectable. Reviews from critics were mixed rather than universally favorable.

The BBC has confirmed that it was Winkleman’s decision to quit, and it has been suggested that they would happily commission a second series – and possibly already.

“My understanding is that they have a deal for more than one season,” Jake Kanter of Deadline reported on the talk show. “How formal that was, I don’t know. But it was an idea to continue.”

He added: “I believe wholeheartedly that this is probably because of her own fears and anxieties about hosting.”