AxmTYklsjo190QW AxmTYklsjo190QW Home News US Home Sport UK Showbiz US Showbiz Australia Home Femail Health Sci & Tech Video Money Travel Login | Join now Desktop Site TV&Showbiz Baffled by his accent and left cold by his jokes... Is THIS why James Corden fea rs U.S. meltdown? By Caroline Graham In Los Angeles For The Mail On Sunday 22:16 14 Mar 2015, upda ted 08:44 15 Mar 2015 +8 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Click to open Pinterest Google Plus Reddit Stumble Upon Digg it LinkedIn Email Click to close 115 shares 1.3k comments Corden due to make his debut as anchor of The Late, Late Show this month But secret dress rehearsal to gauge reception has revealed problems Audience members complain British actor's accent is hard to understand Others said it was 'boring', with nothing to make it stand out from the rest Corden and his young family relocated to LA so he can host the CBS show But 36-year-old has admitted the job is 'the biggest gamble of his life' He admits it is the biggest gamble of his life and is terrified that his latest te levision venture will be a flop. And it would seem comedian James Corden, who makes his debut this month as ancho r of The Late, Late Show one of Americas top talk shows is right to be concerned. Corden and his new employers, CBS, are so worried that American audiences wont ge t his British brand of humour that they have staged a secret dress rehearsal to ga uge reaction and ensure he is word perfect for his first live show on March 23, when Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks will be a guest. Response: James Corden is to make his debut as anchor of The Late, Late Show lat er this month - but CBS bosses are worried about how he will be received, so a s ecret dress rehearsal was held this week +8 Response: James Corden is to make his debut as anchor of The Late, Late Show lat er this month - but CBS bosses are worried about how he will be received, so a s ecret dress rehearsal was held this week A source on the programme revealed they needed to iron out the glitches and find out what works, adding: The US audience is totally different to anything James has experienced before. Its been a real rollercoaster of highs and lows. The Mail on Sunday gained exclusive access to Cordens rehearsal last week, and wh ile some of the 200 invited audience many of them professional actors paid to fil l seats seemed charmed by his laid-back delivery, most complained that they were b affled by his sense of humour and found his estuary accent difficult to understan d. Though he told interviewers last week that he intends to shake up late-night TV in the US, the new show is surprisingly formulaic. More... Playful Kelly Brook pokes fun at 'shameless' Brits as she posts cheeky nude photos of herself and James Corden on Instagram Welcome to your new night time host! James Corden bares his bottom in nothin g but an apron as he prepares for hosting job on The Late Late Show Look at this guy! James Corden posts his own billboard in Los Angeles to pro mote his upcoming Late Late Show hosting debut Corden, 36, sits behind a desk topped with an old-fashioned rotary phone, while guests sit on a blue sofa in front of a fake backdrop of Los Angeles. There is a small bar set up in the corner of the studio, staffed by barman Ian, and a hous e band led by wild-haired musician Reggie Watts. The comic opened the show with a monologue of jokes, including one about last weeks scandal over US Secret Service members who crashed into a White House barrier a fter a drunken party. Theyve got a new motto to protect and serve me another, he to ld his audience. Guest Susan Wittan, from Rockville, Maryland, who attended Thursdays rehearsal sa id: Id never heard of James Corden until today. 'He seems to be a very friendly, nice guy but I didnt get some of his jokes and I found him a bit hard to understand at times. He speaks quite quickly and used B ritish words like mate. I enjoyed some of the humour but Im not sure how well he will go down in America. One Direction star in new teaser for James Corden chat show Revolutionary: Despite Corden - seen here interviewing Whitney Cummings, of sitc om 2 Broke Girls, and Eric Christian Olsen, from crime show NCIS: Los Angeles - promising the shake up the tried-and-tested format, some audience members compla ined there was little to differentiate it from other talk shows +8 Revolutionary: Despite Corden - seen here interviewing Whitney Cummings, of sitc om 2 Broke Girls, and Eric Christian Olsen, from crime show NCIS: Los Angeles - promising the shake up the tried-and-tested format, some audience members compla ined there was little to differentiate it from other talk shows Another woman, Christine, who revealed she was being paid as a seat filler said: I dont think enough people know who he is. I didnt enjoy the show much. It was borin g. The dress rehearsal came amid increasing concerns that Corden, who has lost 6st in the run-up to the shows launch, has been under tremendous stress, doubtless mi ndful that many other Britons, such as Ant and Dec, and Russell Brand, tried and failed to crack the American audience. While friends and family insist his new, slimline image is the result of a consc ious effort to look svelte for his big launch, others close to the show say his fear of failure is the real reason that he has lost so much weight. +8 In recent weeks he has displayed obvious signs of anxiety. There have been a few heated moments, the source said. There was one day when he lo cked himself in his office. There have been a few raised voices. But that can be normal for any new show. You cant blame him for being stressed and nervous. His entire professional future is on the line. Corden, who relocated to LA at Christmas with wife Julia and their children Max, three, and 14-week-old Carey, is on a reported £1.5 million-a-year deal. He admits CBS has taken a huge gamble bringing him to the United States, saying: I dont know if Im making a huge mistake. But Id rather regret doing something than no t doing something. Its madness really. When I got the job Id never even been on an American talk show. Before Thursday nights rehearsal began Corden, clearly on edge, spoke to the audi ence. He told them: This is a dream come true for me. If youd told the 12-year-old me th at I would be doing this I would never have believed it. He also spoke about his children, saying: When you have one kid its like having a pet. When you have two its like getting the whole zoo. But he appeared distracted at times, with one onlooker commenting: He seemed like he had a lot on his mind. There were times during the moments by himself when h e looked stressed and worried. He interviewed comedian Whitney Cummings, of sitcom 2 Broke Girls, and actor Eri c Christian Olsen, from crime show NCIS: Los Angeles. Both are CBS shows. When Cummings joked about Britain being a nation of alcoholics Corden replied: I wo uld refute that although I am aware that Im the only late-night host with a bar i n his studio. David Letterman blasts James Corden calling him 'chubby' Family man: Corden told the audience about his newly expanded brood, saying: When you have one kid its like having a pet. When you have two its like getting the wh ole zoo. +8 Family man: Corden told the audience about his newly expanded brood, saying: When you have one kid its like having a pet. When you have two its like getting the wh ole zoo. Unknown?: Some said they thought Corden was not well-known enough to do well as a talk show host in the States - but CBS have been doing a lot of promotion to s pread his name around, like this billboard stunt +8 Unknown?: Some said they thought Corden was not well-known enough to do well as a talk show host in the States - but CBS have been doing a lot of promotion to s pread his name around, like this billboard stunt Afterwards one British audience member said: The show was pretty predictable. The main difference between this one and the other American late-night shows is tha t the guests walked out and sat on the sofa together. Its more like Graham Nortons show in format. There were skits and jokes and a house band. He made the effort to engage the aud ience and invited everyone up on to the stage at the end to dance. 'But theres nothing revolutionary about it. Hes likeable but wont win any originali ty awards. He was trying very hard, though. The tone of the show is sweet. Amelia Darwin, who also watched the show, added: James Corden worked really hard and is a likeable man. But Im not sure hes got what it takes to be a huge success here. The show is too similar to everything else out there.