Craig Ferguson Passes 'The Late Late Show' Torch to James Corden

By
ETONLINE

Craig Ferguson's The Late Late Show successor James Corden was thrown into the hot seat on the talk show Wednesday night, giving many viewers their first real glimpse at the British comedian.

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"Even this is making my chest very tight!" Corden joked while facing a barrage of questions from Ferguson.

For those unfamiliar with Corden, he is a 36-year-old actor/writer/producer/singer, who is co-starring in Disney's Into the Woods, out Christmas Day.

Born in the U.K., Corden became a star on British television in 2000 when he starred in the U.K. series Fat Friends until 2005.

At the 2008 BAFTAs, Corden took home the award for Best Male Comedy Performance for his co-starring role on his own BBC Three sitcom Gavin & Stacey, and he won a Tony for his role as Francis Henshall in One Man, Two Guvnors in 2012.

If his resume doesn't impress, he also comes with dynamite references. His Into the Woods co-star Meryl Streep gave him her stamp of approval, telling ET, "He's really, really funny."

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"There's no reason for me to be there," Corden told ET of his time on set with the Oscar winner. "I'm talking to Meryl Streep like this is anything remotely normal!"

Corden is so revered in Great Britain that he was able to get David Beckham into bed with him for a hilarious BBC spoof shot in 2012.

The Late Late Show With James Corden makes its debut on March 23 on CBS, while Ferguson's final episode airs Friday with former The Tonight Show host Jay Leno as his last guest.