Winkleman's chat show 'failure' points to wider issue with tired format

A-listers tend to be available only when they have something to plug

I was very interested to read the largely cool reviews of Claudia Winkleman's chat show. One article suggesting her 'hot streak' of success has come to an end. One of the main issues has been the timing, when the Hollywood red carpets are less well trodden and awards season means A listers have other distractions and commitments.

Last week's show had three actors I'd never heard of and Josh Widdicombe. When I heard the radio trailer for it - Widdicombe's name was the only one that they mentioned. Even if you love Josh, I am not sure he's a big draw for Friday night viewing. Especially when he's pretty ubiquitous.

There may well be other issues with the show and its production but I also think it points to a wider problem with this quite old fashioned format. You get the big names when they have something to plug. It's always been the way of the showbiz publicity cycle and it's why I have largely found these shows pointless. They are one big plug machine. Graham Norton's show works because it is entertaining and offers more than just shallow vacuous plugging.

When our content patterns have shifted so much and access to these stars is done daily, hourly, through social media, I wonder why we would wait to see them answer inane questions on a TV sofa. You also have podcasts offering these interviews all the time and often hosted by the celebrities themselves. Long gone are the days when we had to wait for these stars to appear on linear TV to find out more about them.

In one publication, the damning review of Winkleman's show was juxtaposed with a review of The Assembly, described itself as a 'chat show'. And although I wouldn't call it that, it's a perfect example of formats evolving and offering a different lens to people we can see everyday on our devices. For me that's the key, formats should evolve with our consumption and the traditional sofa chats with a bunch of A, B, C, D listers feel a little bit tired.