ITV could sign James Corden for chat show, PR experts say

So what next for James Corden? ITV could sign star for chat show to replace Jonathan Ross ‘because he would attract A-list talent’ but he must go on charm offensive first to win back the British public after string of negative headlines, PR experts say

• James Corden, 44, has said he is coming back to Great Britain for family reasons
• PR experts says the actor could find it difficult to regain his reputation in the UK

James Corden could be set for a big-money move to ITV and even replace rival Jonathan Ross as part of a charm offensive to ‘win back the British public’ after a slew of negative headlines while in the US, PR experts told MailOnline today.

The 44-year-old Brit is returning to the UK after finishing an eight-year stint as host of The Late Late Show, with an emotional final episode set to air tonight which shows him shedding tears in an episode of Carpool Karaoke with his friend Adele. 

The actor and presenter said he decided to quit the show insisting he wanted to spend more time with his family after a heartfelt conversation with his son, Max. 

But in recent months he has been beset with negative press about his off-screen antics, including a bust-up with the owner of a restaurant who publicly banned him for being rude to staff.

After first finding fame on British TV with roles in Hollyoaks and Gavin & Stacey, Corden schmoozed his way into LA life, amassing a £50million fortune showing off his glitzy life while interviewing Prince Harry on a bus. 

But now he is tearfully bidding farewell to the States, where his wife Julia has set up a global interior design business that counts the Beckhams and the Clooneys among its clientele.

Despite insisting he was not motivated by money, PR experts today told MailOnline the High Wycombe-native will waste no time attempting to regain favour among the British public.

Reputation gurus have suggested Corden could attempt to re-launch his career in the UK by returning to the stage, appearing on reality shows or even accepting a talk show gig with ITV – a move that could see him replace Jonathan Ross. 

Popular culture and brand expert Nick Ede told MailOnline today that Britain will be the hardest place for Corden to win back hearts and minds, and can only do this by ‘going back to basics’. 

The actor, pictured here with his wife Julia Carey, has previously said he’s quitting to spend more time with his family

The Late Late Show host has been friends with Prince Harry for more than a decade and interviewed the royal while in the US 

Corden first found fame in Gavin & Stacey, the sitcom he created with Ruth Jones. Pictured from left: Mathew Horne as Gavin, Corden as Smithy, Joanna Page as Stacey and Jones as Nessa 

Corden has become friends with superstars on both sides of the Atlantic, including Harry Styles

In a recent episode of The Late Late Show Corden had an emotional Carpool Karaoke with long-time friend Adele

Mr Ede said: ‘I think that James Corden coming back to the UK is going to be a difficult road for him to navigate. 

‘He has proved himself to be a big star but he needs to win back the British public by going back to basics, which he is doing by eyeing up and reprising his role in One Man Two Guvnors and more acting roles.

‘His persona as a host in the USA worked wonders but his off screen antics have proved problematic and he needs to charm his way back into the public to gain real popularity not notoriety’.

But he said there is still hope for him, with Mr Ede saying he thinks ‘the public can be won over by him’.

READ MORE HERE: Why is James Corden leaving the Late Late Show and who will replace him? 

He said: ‘He’s talented and he’s seen as a national treasure by many because of Gavin and Stacey. Going back to his roots and being humble will keep the fans happy – but he still has work to do to get there.’

This could involve a return to the stage, where he made a name for himself in The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors, and Corden himself previously told Variety he would ‘love’ to go back to Broadway shortly after announcing his decision to quit.

Corden who first became a household name after creating hit comedy Gavin & Stacey with Ruth Jones, could also go back to the screen.

Last year he starred in and produced black comedy series Mammals in 2022, while he also had roles in Cinderella and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway in 2021. However, as of yet, it doesn’t seem like he is attached to any upcoming projects.

He told the Sun that he had spoken to Jones at Christmas about Gavin & Stacey and that in a ‘disappointment’ for fans, ‘we didn’t talk about it in life-growing forms’, suggesting there will be no imminent return for the series.

PR guru Mark Borkowski told MailOnline that trying bring back Gavin & Stacey could be a mistake and that instead Corden could be snapped up by ITV either for a new reality show or chat show.

If the latter does come to pass for Corden, who can call on appearances from A-lister friends such as Adele and Prince Harry, it would be bad news for Jonathan Ross, according to Mr Borkowski.

He said: ‘Reviving classics are rarely a good idea. It’s a risk. However ITV would be able to give him an enormous platform. The big TV formats are very hard to develop, nevertheless he is a draw and with a winning format he’d be a huge asset.

‘Talk shows are a thing of the past because it’s so difficult to land A-listers. He might be able to attract the talent and that’s bad news for Jonathan Ross.

‘If he finds an authentic route to manage his public image and align to a good very good format he will be ubiquitous. Natural talents like Corden are thin on the ground.’

Upon returning to the UK Corden will have to decide what to do with his Oxfordshire home, which has been boarded up for some time, with plans in the works to demolish it

James Corden, pictured here with Mila Kunis on The Late Late Show, will host the programme for the last time on Thursday night

Corden and his wife Julia, pictured together, have three children and are set to move back to the UK

 Corden has become close friends with Hollywood’s A-listers during his time in America, including singer Harry Styles

Corden even got Prince Harry to take part in the show, taking the Duke of Sussex on an open-top bus tour of LA 

James and his wife Julia have made friends with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including George and Amal Clooney, who they are pictured here speaking to at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

It’s a far cry from when the presenter first got his break as an actor on British dramas such as Hollyoaks and Fat Friends.

His career really took off when he teamed up with Ruth Jones to create hit BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey, propelling him to a household name in the UK.

This coincided with a hit run in the film and stage show The History Boys, which featured co-star and flatmate Dominic Cooper.

However, it wasn’t until he took a role in the National Theatre’s comedy One Man, Two Guvnors that he cracked America, with the Broadway production becoming a huge success.

Presenting gigs for the Brit Awards followed, as did film roles in movies such as The Three Musketeers and Into the Woods.

THE TRAPPINGS OF AN LA LIFE 

When he was still a jobbing actor, known mainly for his role in the Alan Bennett play The History Boys, Corden shared a flat above a London doughnut shop with Dominic Cooper (now star of hit TV show Preacher).

Corden joked that there was no furniture and only one piece of cutlery, a spatula, and that the fridge contained only ‘half a vitamin water and a Lindt chocolate bunny’.

In LA he shares a £7.3 million mansion in Brentwood, an upmarket suburb, with Julia and their three children.

There are five bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a pool, plus such typically Hollywood features as a wood-panelled library, cinema room and gym.

It also has its own spa and an office complete with high-tech film editing facilities.

While he stays in LA, Corden rents out the family’s £3 million London home in leafy Belsize Park for about £15,000 a month.

His neighbours in Brentwood –just a 20-minute drive from the CBS studios where his chat show is filmed – include Gwyneth Paltrow, Cindy Crawford, Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg.

‘The children are happy and healthy and love their circle of friends,’ says the source. ‘James is a devoted dad and spends a lot of time with the kids. His weekends are sacrosanct.

‘James knows none of this success would mean anything without Julia’s love and support. His family means everything to him.’

Out on the town, Corden favours the luxurious Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, where phone calls and photos are banned. Jennifer Aniston held her 50th birthday party there in February. Corden’s tipple? Don Julio 1492 tequila at £120 a bottle.

‘The best parties are at his house,’ says the source. ‘He’ll hire a team of private chefs and you never know who will be there, from the heads of TV networks to stars like Emily Blunt.’

When he took the role of host of The Late Late Show from Craig Ferguson it seemed he had the world at his feet, and his move to the US took his career to the next level.

Roles in films such as Peter Rabbit, Ocean’s 8, Yesterday and Cinderella, as well as a part in the critically panned adaptation of Cats.

In his day job for CBS Corden got some of the biggest names in showbusiness to appear, with the likes of George Clooney, Harry Styles, Adele and Mariah Carey all taking part in his show.

He even got Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to make an appearance, making the most of a decade-long friendship with the Duke of Sussex – a relationship which saw Corden and his wife attend their royal wedding. 

However, in recent months the star has seen negative headlines about his behaviour off camera.

Keith McNally, the owner of New York restaurant Balthazar, announced he had banned Corden from the premises after he was ‘extremely nasty’ to staff.

The Late Late Show host denied he had shouted at staff, but did admit on his programme that he has been ‘ungracious’. 

This was followed by online rumours of alleged rude behaviour towards members of the public and off-screen talent who had worked with him, with one director calling him ‘the most difficult and obnoxious presenter’ he’d ever worked with.

Before he comes back to the UK, Corden has filmed his final episode of The Late Late Show, which will be two hours long and feature interviews with Harry Styles and Will Ferrell when it airs on CBS tonight.

Speaking yesterday to Zoe Ball on Radio 2, Corden said he’d never ‘felt like this before’.

He explained: ‘It’s a strange one, I haven’t really felt like this before. I remember when we did last episode of Gavin and Stacey, I remember sitting with Ruth Jones and crying, but that was done in blocks, we’d film it, go off and then come again. 

‘But the Late Late show has been a pretty consistent, it’s been 8 years, tomorrow will be 100th show – crazy!’

The TV personality went on to share the pivotal catalyst behind his decision to leave before admitting that he didn’t want to spend the day sobbing about the end but to instead take the time to ‘cherish’ the journey he’d been on. 

He said: ‘I feel good about it, I know in my core its right thing to do for so many personal and professional reasons. 

‘We’re gonna go out with a bang, there’s been a great atmosphere on set, tomorrow is gonna be great. I wanna cherish it and not spend the whole day crying, I wanna feel the pride and gratitude for it all.’

The actor had previously confirmed on the Drew Barrymore Show that a conversation with his then-10-year-old son, Max, sparked the decision to quit.

‘I was filming on a Sunday and I came downstairs, it was about six a.m. and my son, who was ten at the time, was sat on the stairs and he said, ‘Are you working today?’ and I said, ‘I am.’

‘He said, ‘I thought, well it’s Sunday,’ and I said, ‘I know buddy but this schedule’s just all over the place.

‘We just got to get it done because we only have a tiny amount of time before we have to go back and do the show,’ and his face just kind of dropped,’ Corden said.

‘I got in the car and I called my wife Jules and I said, ‘I’ve realized, best case scenario we have six more summers where Max is like, even remotely wants to be around us and I cannot waste another one,” Corden explained.

At the beginning of his career Corden took a small role as a janitor in Channel 3 soap Hollyoaks 

He also appeared in ITV drama Fat Friends, which explored the lives of a number of fictional slimming club members. Pictured from left: His future Gavin & Stacey star Ruth Jones as Kelly, Lisa Riley as Rebecca, Richard Ridings as Alan, Alison Steadman as Betty, Corden as Jamie, Gaynor Faye as Lauren and Kathryn Hunt as Val

‘So, really the choice was to go, ‘Well if I really want to do this other work, that cannot be at the expensive of our children, our family,’ and that is really all it comes down to,’ Corden added.

Corden has three children, Max, 11, Carey, eight, and Charlotte, five, with his wife Julia.

READ MORE HERE:  Director slams James Corden as the ‘most difficult and obnoxious presenter’ he’s ever worked with

James and Julia have been married since 2012, with the TV host describing it a ‘miracle’ that he met her.

Speaking about how he met his wife Julia, 46, he gushed: ‘I absolutely knew minute one that I couldn’t do any better than this. When I met Jules… It’s a miracle.

‘Every day she must just look at me… ‘What did I do? It’s a huge mistake!’

Julia co-founded global interior design firm Charles & Co – which counts celebrities including George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Emma Stone and Ashton Kutcher among its clients.

She created the firm with Vicky Charles, who served as Head of Design for the exclusive private members club Soho House.

The pair were introduced by Soho House CEO Nick Jones and set up the business while Julia was taking time off to have her children.

She handles the business side of Charles & Co, recently telling The Telegraph her role is ‘to allow Vicky to be as creative as possible.’

In his conversation with Zoe Ball on the eve of his last show, Corden said it had been a ‘glorious ride’ to host the programme. 

He said: ‘It’s been extraordinary the response to the show; online, internationally. I wasn’t always certain it was gonna work. 

‘I don’t look like I should host an American late night talk show, I’m from High Wycombe! It’s a road less travelled. It’s been a glorious ride.’

Fans were recently treated to a clip of James final ever Carpool Karaoke with his close pal Adele, whom James had no idea was taking part.

James and Julia, pictured together at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2017, will be leaving behind a glitzy life in the United States to come back to Britain 

Corden described meeting his wife Julia, pictured together in December last year, as a ‘miracle’

The TV presenter is said to be looking to sell his $10million LA mansion as he moved back to Britain

READ MORE HERE:  Balthazar owner Keith McNally REIGNITES feud with James Corden after actor said he ‘never screamed at anyone’ 

Sharing his joy and gratitude that the Hello singer filmed this with him, he shared: ‘We have the show with Adele’s carpool, which is a carpool that I didn’t know would happen. I watched it and it felt so lovely, I can’t believe she did that for us.

‘It’s crazy because we’ve known each other so long, we moved here [to LA] 5 days apart, our families are intertwined. I can’t believe she did it, I can’t believe she showed up for us.’

It comes after James dished the dirt on returning to his home turf this week as he prepares to step away from the US – admitting that it’s a ‘very strange’ feeling.

The actor will be spending time more time with his family, but has admitted that stepping down leaves him in unknown territory.

He admitted to The Sun: ‘Right now, there are a lot of unknowns. It just feels very strange — knowing everything is going to change but trying to hang on to the fact that change is fundamentally a good thing.’

While James also shared his hopes that he hasn’t taken his wildly successful stint on the late night chat show ‘for granted’.

Reflecting on the last nine seasons on the show, James described it as an ‘incredible run’ while sharing his pride over not just the show – but all of his career milestones.

Unsure what the future holds, he explained: ‘I think I have to spend a little bit of time letting this all go. It has been a noisy eight years, and right now I am going to try and focus on having a little bit of silence.’

The Late Late Show, which films out of Los Angeles, first premiered in 1995 with host Tom Snyder. Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson followed as host until James Corden came along in 2015.

The last Late Late Show will air Thursday April 27 at 10pm, before the final episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden airs at 12:37am ET/PT. 

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