News Digest

James Corden ‘nails it’ in his Late Late Show debut in America

James Corden has been given the thumbs-up by an American audience after the British star made his eagerly anticipated debut as host of a late-night US chat show. The 36-year-old actor (pictured) and writer has taken over at the helm of The Late Late Show on CBS - succeeding Scottish comic Craig Ferguson - and has admitted the move is a huge career gamble. And, after weeks of rehearsals and a blitz of publicity in the U.S., Tom Hanks and Mila Kunis joined Corden for the recording of the first show in front of a live audience in Los Angeles.

Believe me, however shocked you are about me doing this job, you’ll never be as shocked as I am. You probably don’t know who I am, rather like the rest of America.

James Corden arrived on stage to a raucous reception for the first night of his new show

Kunis delivered an exclusive for the debut show by - almost - confirming that she and partner Ashton Kutcher had got married. The biggest change for U.S. viewers is that Corden has insisted all of the guests stay on stage together throughout the show. Corden says the biggest challenge for his new show, which is shown after midnight every night, is keeping viewers awake. From the summer, it will follow the new-look Late Show featuring David Letterman’s replacement Stephen Colbert. Debra Birnbaum, executive editor at Variety magazine, is convinced that Corden will succeed. She told Sky News: “People know him from his success on Broadway and in the movie he just did, so let’s see what he can do for us.”

It was really amazing and really funny. He was adorable and wonderful and just really fun and he just seemed like a kid in a candy store having the greatest time of his life.

One group, who had travelled from Orange County to be in the audience, told Sky News that Corden had “nailed it”