English actor and comedian James Corden will be the new host of The Late Late Show on CBS. It’s a British Empire handover of sorts — he will replace Scottish-born Craig Ferguson, who ends his nearly 10-year run on Friday, December 19, when he goes out with a bang with special guest Jay Leno. Last night, a somewhat nervous Corden (an established star in Great Britain) appeared on the talk show with Ferguson, who playfully sized his younger replacement up, walking circles around him like a head schoolmaster. Corden announced his reign will begin March 23.
A Tony Award-winner for Best Actor in One Man, Two Guvnors and writer and co-star of the Hulu sitcom The Wrong Mans, Corden certainly has the chops and conversation skills for late-night television. Even if a guest was a no-show, Corden could pull off a saucy conversation with himself, as demonstrated in this video above — a solo knock-down, drag-out argument from One Man, Two Guvnors he performed in Great Performances — National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage.