PASADENA, Calif. -- Is North America ready for another late night TV host from the U.K.?
First came Scotsman Craig Ferguson, who just walked away from CBS' "The Late Late Show" in December after an almost 10-year run.
It's been nearly a year since former "Daily Show" wit John Oliver began earning raves for his cheeky take on the news on HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."
Now 36-year-old London-native James Corden steps across the pond to take over from Ferguson. "The Late Late Show with James Corden" premieres Tuesday at 12:35 a.m. on CBS and CTV Two.
Ferguson was one of the first to call and offer congratulations. According to Corden -- who spoke to TV reporters in January in Pasadena -- Ferguson could not have been more gracious.
"It would be remiss of me to not give you as much advice as possible," Corden recalled Ferguson saying. "I'm here for you and if you need anything."
It's the kind of message Corden says he's been receiving from all the late night players in America.
Stephen Colbert, who takes over from David Letterman later this year, told Corden to call anytime with questions or if he needed help finding writers.
"Jimmy Fallon, I had a night in New York with him I'll never forget," says Corden. He also had praise for time slot rival Seth Meyers.
"These are wonderful, wonderful people."
It's a far cry from the old cut-throat world of late night described in "The Late Shift," a book by former New York Times columnist Bill Carter on the Letterman-Jay Leno feud.
The early '90s was a time of bitter rivalries and intense booking wars. That was back when late night TV hosts all seemed to come from the Midwest or New England.
Now they come from jolly old England.
Corden was hand-picked by CBS CEO Leslie Moonves to take over Ferguson's time slot. The powerful television executive had seen Corden's 2012 Broadway performance in "One Man, Two Guvnors." A hit in London the year before, the play won Corden a best actor Tony Award. Moonves, who has a famous nose for talent (he still keeps a hand in casting the network's prime-time shows), found Corden warm and funny and sensed he could bring fresh energy into the crowded late night field.
Before "One Man, Two Guvnors," Corden was a hit in England on a couple of sitcoms. More recently, he appeared in Disney's "Into the Woods." Still, Corden was as surprised as anybody that he landed the late night job.
"If I'd have told my 12-year-old self that that would happen," he told reporters, "my head would explode."
He brings friend and collaborator Ben Winston along as executive producer and showrunner. The two are preparing a show that sounds like a hybrid between the typical North American "Tonight Show"-style talk show and the kind found back home in England. For one thing, guests will linger on the couch after their segment ends.
Tom Hanks has been booked as Corden's first guest, with pop boy band One Direction filling the couch. Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart and Kerry Washington are other first week guests.
If his show does stumble out of the gate, Corden says he won't hesitate to call his late night talk show peers for help.
"I feel like I'm at the bottom of a mountain and I can't see the top. To know that there are a few guys along the way who would help me if I feel like I might fall is more than I could ever ask for."
