James Corden was understandably nervous ahead of his debut as host of The Late, Late Show, but it seems he had little to worry about as his first show has been well received by critics and audiences alike. The British comedian was joined by A-List guests Mila Kunis and Tom Hanks for Monday night's debut, in which he thanked viewers for the honour of being selected for the coveted position.
Celebrities including Eddie Redmayne, Meryl Streep and Simon Cowell all lent their support to James by starring in pre-recorded sketches, while Jay Leno also made an appearance in a skit training him for his new role as a late night talk show host.
James also won over the audience by giving a special mention to his parents Margaret and Malcom, who had travelled from High Wycombe to watch his inaugural show from the audience. The 36-year-old was noticeably choked as he thanked them for making the trans-Atlantic journey to support him.
James Corden made his debut on The Late, Late Show with Mila Kunis and Tom Hanks
Within minutes of the CBS show airing, viewers took to Twitter to give their verdict on James' performance, with many praising the Gavin and Stacey star.
"The new @LateLateShow is awesome! James Corden is hilarious!" one viewer wrote, while another said: "The first Late Late show with James Corden was amazing!! Here's to many more incredible years. Congrats!!"
Analysis of 41,000 tweets by TheySay detected that 88% of tweets about the show were positive, with 95% displaying happy emotions.
Dr Karo Moilanen, visiting academic at the University of Oxford and TheySay co-founder, said: "There was an overwhelmingly positive reaction in social media following Corden's first show. He proved his doubters wrong, offered something fresh, and broke the mould in 21st century late night TV."
James Corden previously admitted he was nervous about his debut
The star's hosting duties were well received by critics too, with Tim Goodman for The Hollywood Reporter writing: "He's different… Corden doesn’t put a layer of cool between him and the viewer (or his guests). It's a welcome trait, one that should put guests at ease."
However he did point out that it may not always be as easy when he doesn't have guests of such a high calibre as Mila Kunis and Tom Hanks.
The praise did not go unnoticed by 36-year-old James, who tweeted his thanks to fans on Tuesday morning.
"Well so many truly lovely messages about the show tonight.im blown away, thank you," he wrote.
The positive reaction is no doubt a relief to James, who admitted to The Guardian that he was apprehensive about how the show would be received.
"These shows are bred on familiarity. It's going to take a really long time to get anybody to watch it," he said. "To judge it on a night or a month or six months, it's the equivalent of trying a soufflé after it's been in the oven for ten minutes."
