Claudia Winkleman 'in talks' for popular series reboot in first move from BBC to ITV in 17 years
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Claudia Winkleman is reportedly in talks to front a major ITV reboot that would see her leave the BBC for the channel for the first time in 17 years.
Best known for hosting Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors and even her own talk show on the BBC, the 54-year-old presenter was also the host back in 2009 of Hell’s Kitchen, ITV’s cooking competition series.
The show saw chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and the late Gary Rhodes teaching a group of celebrities how to cook, with Winkleman taking over as host from Angus Deayton on its fourth and final series.
The programme spawned a long-running US spin-off, which Ramsay remains at the helm of, with the celebrity chef last year revealing plans for the original UK series to return.
And now, reports have claimed that Winkleman is ITV’s favourite to front the rebooted series, with her original run on Hell’s Kitchen marking the last time she hosted a format on the channel.
Since then, Winkleman has almost exclusively presented across the BBC, with Channel 4’s musical competition series The Piano remaining her only non-BBC project.
A source told The Sun: “It’s early days but Claudia is top of the producers’ hit list to present the show. They put out the feelers earlier this summer and she is keen to explore what it will look like.
”Claudia is one of the biggest stars in the UK now, so securing her won’t be as easy as in 2009. But everyone feels she is the right person for the job. The schedule isn’t set yet so bosses are willing to move things about to fit in with her diary.”
The Standard has contacted Winkleman’s representatives and ITV for comment.
Rumours of Hell’s Kitchen returning first emerged last year, when it was reported that Ramsay, 59, was not only planning to bring the show back but had trademarked the brand name in the UK with the aim of opening restaurants under the same name.
The first Hell’s Kitchen in the UK opened in London earlier this year within The Cumberland Hotel, when it received a one-star review from The Standard’s food critic David Ellis.
The TV show’s return was confirmed by Ramsay in June, when he told The Sun: ”I think we’re gonna come back to the UK with Hell’s Kitchen live next year”.
”And it’s about time, because everywhere I go across the UK it’s, ‘please bring it back,’” he added.