The Traitors fans gobsmacked by Claudia Winkleman’s posh ‘1950’s voice’ in hilarious unearthed clip
Fans have been floored as they uncovered an old clip of Claudia Winkleman, in which she looks - and sounds - very different. At just 24 years old, the now-beloved presenter was making waves in a throwback clip from the BBC archives.
The host of acclaimed BBC hit The Traitors appeared on morning TV as a 'dating expert' and 'Chat up Connoisseur'. Before she became known for her signature fringe, Claudia had a swooped 90s hairstyle. In a 1996 segment from BBC One's Good Morning with Anne and Nick, a young Claudia shared her top "flirting tips". Co-hosts Nick Owen and Anne Diamond quizzed her on her dating life, to which Claudia admitted she "hardly ever" got approached by admirers but got "very excited" when it did happen.
She dished out advice on the importance of "eye contact" and its "real meaning", saying: "Eye contact. It's all eye contact but it can be terrifying." She humorously recounted how you could be "making eye contact for an hour and a half and then he'll leave." On whether girls like being pursued, Claudia thought they did, but suggested they often initiate the chase, joking: "If a girl comes up to a guy saying 'do you want a light? ', she's got four boxes of matches in her bag. She does not want a match, she wants something else.
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"Boys are so sweet and I don't think they realise. The fear of rejection is huge - they have to embrace it." The clip has seen a revival on social media, leaving fans stunned at how different Claudia both looked and sounded back then.
One person shared the clip on X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote: "I can't stop watching this 1996 interview with Claudia Winkleman that is 0% fringe and 100% posh phone voice." Another echoed the sentiment, saying: "This era of Claudia and Victoria Coren Mitchell were separated at birth and you can't convince me otherwise."
Someone else pointed out her posh voice, saying: "No why does she sound like a member of the royal family?" Another fan agreed, saying: "Claudia: The Princess Diana Years."
"Surely this clip is actually from the 1950s…she’s speaking like she’s just nipped out of the typing pool," someone else added.
Claudia returned to screens on New Year's Day as The Traitors series three aired on BBC One. After a year's hiatus, a fresh batch of contestants from diverse walks of life are heading to a Scottish Highlands castle, all eyeing the hefty £120,000 cash prize. As they step into the castle, some will be anointed as Traitors with a mission to covertly "murder" their fellow contestants without being exposed.
The others, known as the Faithful, will have the task of identifying the Traitors. At the edge-of-your-seat nightly round tables, the Faithful will aim to expel any Traitors before falling victim themselves. If a Traitor manages to stay undetected until the end, they snatch the entire prize pot. Overseeing the suspense over 12 episodes is Claudia Winkleman, who's keeping schtum about what's in store for the new series.
"I would love to tell you all about series three, but then I will get fired so I can tell you absolutely nothing," Claudia quips, "What I will say is that things are different this year. There are some really exciting things that have changed, which keeps everyone on the toes and feeds into the central premise of trust. I can’t wait for everyone to see."
