James Corden

Audio: Stop being a 'prat', pals told Corden

Comedian James Corden admits becoming famous was intoxicating and sent him off the rails as he found himself out drinking with strangers every night, until friends and family helped him see he was looking like "a bit of a prat".

He described how advice from friend Rob Brydon and a hug from his father, which reduced him to tears, helped him turn things round and become the husband and dad he is today.

James Corden was speaking to Kirsty Young on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on Sunday 12 Feb at 11:15 GMT, repeated Friday 17 Feb at 09:00 GMT. Listen online or browse the extensive Desert Island Discs archive.

James Corden comedy wins Critics' Circle prize

West End hit One Man, Two Guvnors, starring James Corden, has won best new play at the Critics' Circle awards.

If you were miffed when Ruth Jones stopped writing Gavin & Stacey with James Corden, don't worry - it freed her up to create this charming comedy.

Ruth plays the title character, a 42-year-old mum juggling her washing and ironing job with raising two of her kids, and visiting the third in jail.

She's the kind of character who could have easily become a caricature but in Jones's hands, she is nothing short of superb.

All of the other characters are brilliantly drawn, too. We especially like Stella's best friend Paula (Elizabeth Berrington), a fully functional alcoholic and a funeral director. The visual and verbal humour is sharp, but it is also subtle so you need to give the show your full attention.

You might, however, want to close your eyes when star turn Gillian McKeith appears. She's playing a Lizzie Webb-type version of herself. Gillian, lycra and a Swiss ball - we're going to have nightmares for years.

Since James Corden pissed his claim to be a talented comic writer up the wall with Horne & Corden, it's easy to give all the credit for Gavin & Stacey to Ruth Jones. But although she created and wrote this tale of a single mum in small-town Wales - and the geographical parallels are obvious - Stella is far more comedy drama than sitcom. Gavin... was played largely for laughs with the heartwarming stuff as a backdrop, but here the laughter is secondary to the emphasis on Jones's relationships with her ex, her kids and the barren wasteland of her sex life. Jones puts in a predictably impeccable performance but - on the evidence of this first episode - this doesn't sparkle as much as you might have hoped. The jury's out for now.

Jones's cosy, retro talk show works well at Christmas. Not all seasonal programmes are festive, and not all chat shows are actually chatty, but this is both.

Bounding onto the colourful set are comedian Micky Flanagan and Lulu, no doubt full of gossip from her neck-cricking stint dancing with Brendan Cole[ on Strictly. But the best banter is sure to come from James Corden, Jones's friend and Gavin & Stacey collaborator. Since the end of their sitcom, he's had a baby and a big stage hit with One Man, Two Guvnors; she's created Stella, a G&S-ish comedy drama coming to Sky1 in the New Year. Plenty to talk about, then, and they're always good value together.

The music's not bad, either: following the release of their singles collection National Treasures, Manic Street Preachers are in the studio.

Ruth Jones proved herself a far less capable interviewer than actress when her lacklustre chat show debuted at the end of last year. Perhaps inviting gobby Gavin & Stacey collaborator James Corden onto the couch will spice up this seasonal special. Feisty singer Lulu, comedian Mickey Flanagan and Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers will feature.

John Bishop has his feet firmly on the ground

"Some people think I'll be spending Christmas day with James Corden and Jamie Redknapp, round their house ­playing the Wii," jokes comedian John Bishop.

We're all laughing with James Corden in the West End

Why do we seem to be in the middle of a comedy boom? It must be a sign of the gloomy economic times.

Infinitely more lovable than Jonathan Ross, a shiny-suited Norton welcomes another four guests to his boisterous Friday night chat show. Gavin and Stacey's James Corden will be insisting we take him seriously following the stellar run of One Man, Two Guvnors at the National. Expect a torrent of jokes as fellow comedian Sarah Millican and Bradley Cooper of The Hangover Part II will also be vying for attention on the red sofa, while rock star Lenny Kravitz performs.

James Corden: Drink, self-delusion, one-night stands

Drink, self-delusion, one-night stands and how the West End's new darling James Corden was saved by his Salvation Army father...