A Surprising Appearance on Claudia Winkleman’s Show
Claudia Winkleman’s show has been positioned as the BBC’s new hub for celebrities to promote their latest projects. However, during Friday’s episode, guests were in for an unexpected surprise when the iconic Mr Blobby made a sudden and hilarious appearance.
Dan Levy, who was a guest on the show, was left visibly shocked when the character burst onto the set in a comedic fashion. The moment came after Dan had been introduced to Mr Blobby by comedian Josh Widdecombe earlier in the episode. During a discussion about his pop culture podcast, Josh mentioned that he had dedicated an entire episode to Mr Blobby, which sparked a confused reaction from the Canadian actor.
Josh explained the origin of Mr Blobby, saying: “Bear in mind, this took four hours in the podcast, there was a man called Noel Edmonds who had a Saturday night TV show, and he used to prank people. And he thought a good way of doing that was to dress as a fake character so they made Mr Blobby, which was a seven-foot, rubber pink thing that went ‘Blobby, Blobby, Blobby’.”
As the image of Mr Blobby appeared on the screen, Dan recoiled in horror, declaring: “This is absolutely bone chilling, if this creature showed up at my house I’d call the police.”
Despite Dan’s initial fear, he thought he had avoided encountering the famous blob. However, Claudia later informed Dan, Cush Jumbo, Josh, and Phil Dunster that they would be taking questions from members of the audience. As she noted they had time for “one more,” Mr Blobby stormed onto the set, leaving all the stars stunned.
While Josh, Cush, and Dan were thrilled by the appearance, a terrified Dan leapt from his seat and moved behind the sofa. He exclaimed: “You people are f****g crazy!”
Taking a seat in the audience, Mr Blobby prepared to answer a question, with Phil declaring that Dan should “have some respect” for the pop culture icon. When asked a question in his famous “Blobby” language, Josh quickly responded with: “I think you should put the perfume bottle in something first.” The joke brought a hilarious end to the episode and marked the conclusion of the first series of Claudia’s chat show, which launched with much fanfare last month.
Ratings and Reviews
Although the program received mixed reviews, the first episode was watched by 2.5 million viewers within the first seven days, surpassing Graham Norton’s first episode, which attracted 2.3 million viewers.
The BBC is reportedly thrilled that the show’s overnight viewing figure increased by almost 50% when it was released on iPlayer. It has already been tipped for a second series.
A source told The Sun: “That’s a particular bonus for them because it shows that the younger, more online-friendly market are interested in the show. And that looks like she’s brought them across from her time fronting The Traitors, which had a very broad market. That kind of shift really matters to the execs as that’s where they see the future of telly lying. So it’s understood that Beeb chiefs are poised to rubber stamp another series if that’s what Claudia wants.”
Claudia has to film Celebrity Traitors and the civilian version, so if a second series was to be commissioned, it may have to take place in the autumn.
Critical Reception
While the show fell flat with some viewers, who claimed Claudia could “never replace” Graham Norton, there were mixed reactions from critics.
Nick Hilton of the Independent gave the show three stars, calling it a “classy, witty affair that has brilliant potential” but adding it “might need a few tweaks.”
Making clear they “love Claudia,” The Guardian‘s critic said Graham is just too difficult to replace before branding the chat show “a mess.”
Lucy Mangan gave the show a poor two stars, writing: “Claudia has been faster and wittier than at least three fifths of her guests.”
Carol Midgley for The Times wrote: “Claudia is not a comedian but she is funny (she made a joke about breastfeeding her dog). She should relax more and have the confidence to be herself. And, dare I say it, be a bit less nice. This is a job that is more difficult than it looks. Claudia, despite her self-mockery and nerves, put in a respectable first shift.”
Anita Singh at The Telegraph said the show was “quite random, reassuringly nice. A lovely way to end the week, but not yet appointment-to-view TV.”
Meanwhile, viewers claimed the chat show is “nowhere near as good as Graham Norton” — and even Claudia’s charisma can’t save it.
