James Corden prepares to take over CBS' 'Late Late Show'

LOS ANGELES – James who?

That's the reaction many viewers had when CBS announced last September that James Corden would replace Craig Ferguson as the host of "The Late Late Show."

Corden, who starts Monday, is a popular figure in England, where he created and co-starred in the BBC hit sitcom "Gavin & Stacey." He also earned a Tony Award in 2012 for his performance in the comedy "One Man, Two Guvnors." But for those who don't follow Broadway and missed his supporting role in the recent film musical "Into the Woods," he's pretty much coming out of left field.

That doesn't mean he can't succeed. Conan O'Brien was a behind-the-scenes comedy writer before he inherited "Late Night," and E! plucked Chelsea Handler out of relative obscurity.

Corden's credentials suggest he could copy the successful formula of current late-night king Jimmy Fallon, a multi-hyphenate who has helped redesign the role of a talk-show host by doing everything from singing duets with Bruce Springsteen to playing beer pong with Betty White.

"James is an actor, he's a writer, he's a performer, he's a singer, he's a dancer," said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler. "He's a combination of Jack Black and Fred Astaire. He's pretty magical."

In person, the London-born talent gives you every impression that he could score. He's quick, charming and self-deprecating.

He readily admits that a 2009 follow-up to "Gavin & Stacey," BBC Three's "Horne & Corden," deserved its bad reviews and cancellation after just one month.

"I absolutely wasn't putting the work in," he said. "It's a really mind-altering time, that first flash of fame, and you start to think that maybe you're more of a dude than you really are and that you don't need to work as hard. Actually, you have to work harder because you've set a precedent that you cannot fall below. The second you do, people are going to tell you."

Corden, 36, isn't flying solo, surrounding himself with veterans and acclaimed names. Rob Crabbe, who worked with Fallon for years, is one of the executive producers.

Reggie Watts, a frequent guest on "Conan," is leaving IFC's "Comedy Bang! Bang!" to serve as bandleader. "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams has shot the title sequence, with hitmaker Mark Ronson providing the theme song.

His first guests: Tom Hanks and Mila Kunis, with Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart and Kerry Washington popping by later in the week.

That's pretty standard in this new age of late night, however. And Corden has tough competition from NBC's Seth Meyers, who consistently topped Ferguson in the ratings, and, in the Twin Cities market, the second half of "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

It's a risk to enter that arena, especially when Corden is forging a decent career on stage and in film. He had to bow out of a planned stage revival of the musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" after nabbing the CBS gig. The rigors of a nightly talk show will make it almost impossible to take on meaty roles in any other format.

That's just fine, Corden said.

" 'Into the Woods' was the greatest filming experience I've ever had, but it's not like most filming experiences. Most of the time you're sitting in a trailer freezing cold and going to the bathroom on a very low toilet that you flush with your foot.

"The best thing about this show is we're going to wake up in the morning and so often say, 'What will we do tonight?' And that will become a scramble and a race to do something funny and then the audience comes in, we do it, and then it's gone and there's another one tomorrow. In terms of being creatively fulfilled, I don't know if there's a better thing I could ever do with my time."