Late Show UK

The host of the Late Late Show - Craig Ferguson - is rumoured to be top of the list to replace David Letterman on the Late Show when he retires from the CBS talk show in a few years. The Late Late Show - which airs directly after the Late Show With David Letterman on CBS in America and is produced by Letterman’s own production company Worldwide Pants Inc - has been a favourite with late night TV viewers and he recently - briefly - overtook Conan O’Brien in the ratings, beating Late Night With Conan O’Brien’s viewing figures.

Craig Ferguson recently ‘gigged’ at a George W. Bush press event & dinner, which he impressed 3000 people at what The Times say is “the toughest dinner-club comedy gig in the world”. The Times also say “it has put Ferguson… into the front row of contenders to take over the chat show hosted by his CBS stablemate Letterman when the veteran compere bows out gracefully over the next few years”. Scotsman Craig started out as a standup comedian under his alter ego of ‘Bing Hitler’ before he got the Late Late Show gig.

Times Online - “Craig Ferguson ‘may be next Letterman’”

CBS have really been on the ball since these shows returned - they have regularly been uploading the Late Show and Late Late Show monologues to their YouTube channel, which is nice for us UK viewers - especially Craig Ferguson clips, as we don’t get to see the Late Late Show on UK TV. CBS’s videos of the monologues from Friday’s US shows are embedded below for your enjoyment.

Last updated 16:05

The first new episode in about 2 months last night in the US - the Late Show is back. Reports of the show (I have not seen it yet) reveal Letterman came out onto the stage “through a chorus line of dancers holding signs that read, “Writers Guild of America on Strike”, and sporting a full beard he grew during his eight-week break”. Dave looks very different with a beard - as far as I can tell, Dave (and Conan too) has grown a beard as a sign of unity for the WGA strike.

See a picture of Dave with the beard here (KansasCity.com)
A video of Conan sporting his new beard is available at Late Night Underground

Letterman joked about being glad to get out of rehab and “show or no show I really enjoy drinking in the morning”. Dave told everyone he’s the only show to be back with union-backed writers. Before the show titles, Hillary Clinton popped up to welcome us back to the Late Show. Donald Trump wasn’t on the first show back, as was previously thought - Robin Williams was instead. Watch Dave’s monologue here, check out the Top Ten list and see Bill Scheft’s message to the Late Show audience.

BBC News have a report on the return of the chat shows, including some clips from Letterman, Leno and Craig Ferguson. Head on over to the BBC News article to read more and the news report video is available here.

Jay Leno returned with new episodes of The Tonight Show last night - but without his writers. The Kansas City website (TV Barn) said “Leno’s monologue was remarkably ordinary” and that Leno “was trying to pretend like it was business as usual”. Late Night With Conan O’Brien was back - but without his writers. Conan - sporting a new beard - returned last night. The Kansas City website says “O’Brien is better positioned than Leno to stick out a long strike, thanks to stronger interviewing skills”. Craig Ferguson was also back with new episodes of the Late Late Show. Craig had his writing staff with him - as this was covered in the Letterman deal - and started off the first show back with “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted”. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report remain off air, will be returning with new shows starting from the 7th January.

Late Show UK - “Return of the Late Night shows” (By James)
ABC News - “Bearded Letterman back after two months”
KansasCity.com (TV Barn) - “Who won late night? It’s a close shave”
Late Night Underground - “An Important Message From Conan O’Brien”
Late Show UK - Guest Listings
BBC News - “US TV’s talk show titans return”

David Letterman’s planned deal with the Writers Guild of America has been rejected, meaning the originally proposed return in January is in doubt. It was hoped they would reach a deal to allow Letterman and his writing staff to return to work, and to produce new episodes of the Late Show. The Associated Press says “absent a deal, the CBS show’s goal of returning to the air with live episodes on Jan. 2 is still up in the air” and “Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Worldwide Pants, didn’t say much more”. Without the Letterman deal, it would also mean continued reruns for Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. All the other chat shows are still expected to return, as planned, on the 7th January.

The Associated Press - “No Deal for Letterman and TV Writers”

Media website Digital Spy say Donald Trump will be appearing on the first Late Show back. They say “were an agreement to be reached, it would give CBS a competitive edge over NBC, where Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien will be returning with new episodes of their respective programmes also on January 2 but without monologue-creating writers”. Watch this space.

Digital Spy - “Trump booked for first new ‘Late Show’”

It has been confirmed The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will be both be returning to the air with new shows on Comedy Central from the 7th January. The Los Angeles Times says “After a previously scheduled two-week hiatus, “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” will resume production Jan. 7, Comedy Central said in a statement released late Thursday afternoon” but “Stewart and Colbert said they wished they could return to work with their writers”. I also noticed yesterday that More 4 in the UK have started airing The Daily Show again - last night’s rerun on there featured the Barack Obama interview.

The article on the Los Angeles Times website also states Letterman’s production company (Worldwide Pants Inc) will be “meeting with Writers Guild of America officials today in an effort to make an interim deal that would allow the shows to go back on the air with their writing staffs”. The Associated Press says “Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel have all said they would resume their programs on Jan. 2 without their writing staffs” and “Letterman is also aiming for a Jan. 2 return”. If the deal with Worldwide Pants goes through, this would also mean the return of the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.

Los Angeles Times - “Stewart, Colbert to return to air in January”
The Associated Press - “Letterman’s Company to Meet With Writers”

The Broadcasting & Cable website is now reporting there’s a likely return date for the Late Show With David Letterman. The writers strike continues, but most of the late night US chat shows are to return to the air whilst it rolls on. We reported yesterday that Leno and Conan were planning on coming back with new shows on NBC starting from the 2nd January (without writers), and that Letterman would be back as well, but a date was not known for certain. Now it seems Letterman will be returning with new episodes on the 2nd January as well (but he’s hoping to have his writers back as well). In addition to this, the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson is expected to return on the same night.

No news has been revealed about when to expect new episodes of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report, but it’s thought they won’t return until the writers strike is over (Multichannel News website article here). I hope The Tony Mendez Show returns to CBS.com when the Late Show comes back in January - I would assume it will return at the same time (although Tony may be on the picket lines, so perhaps not). The Broadcasting & Cable website says “David Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, targeted Jan. 2 for the return of its two late-night shows, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. But while late-night hosts Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel plan to resurface the same night, sans writers, Letterman’s shows plan to return with their writing staffs intact”. Digital Spy also has some news on “reaching agreements with individual producers”.

The return of the Late Show is not a moment too soon - here’s a message from Late Show Videotape Operator Tom Catusi (from the Late Show Writers On Strike YouTube channel) - it looks like it’s been snowing in New York;

B&C - “WGA STRIKE UPDATE: Letterman, Ferguson Target Jan. 2 Return”
Multichannel News - “Comedy Central: No Call Yet On Stewart, Colbert Returns”
Late Show Writers On Strike - Official Website
YouTube - Late Show Writers On Strike
Digital Spy - “WGA seeks to bypass AMPTP”

David Letterman looks very close to accepting a deal with the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) - according to The Money Times “David Letterman is currently in the middle of negotiating a deal with the union that would allow his late night show to go on air again from the beginning of January”. The deal would allow Letterman to use writers’ material - and should also mean the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson returns at the same time - because the deal would be with Worldwide Pants who produce both the Late Show and the Late Late Show. The Money Times also reports Jon Stewart is close to working out a similar deal.

The Money Times - “David Letterman Looks to Break WGA Strike Deadlock”

The Hollywood Reporter is also talking about David Letterman’s new proposed deal - “The deal would allow the late-night show to come back on the air with its entire staff, including scribes, intact” - and also says “Worldwide Pants’ individual talks with the WGA might also be a precursor to a new direction in the WGA’s negotiation strategy. The guild has decided to begin approaching AMPTP companies and try to negotiate with them individually”.

The Hollywood Reporter - “Worldwide Pants fit for deal with WGA”

Reuters say “A spokesman for Letterman’s company, WorldWide Pants, noted the company is an independent producer and can sign an interim deal outside the talks between the writers guild and the producers alliance. The company also produces “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” on CBS”.

Reuters - “Hollywood moguls show their unity in strike”

Another website - TV By The Numbers - thinks “that’s great for Dave, great for Dave’s writers, great for Dave’s non-writing staff (assuming that Dave might eventually stop paying them as he has since the beginning of the strike), but very bad for the WGA as a whole”.

TV By The Numbers - “A Separate Letterman Deal is Bad For the WGA”

BBC News - “Letterman’s company, Worldwide Pants - which also makes Scottish comic Craig Ferguson’s US talk show - said that, as an independent producer, it could negotiate with the Writers Guild separately from the AMPTP”.

BBC News - “Studios ‘united’ in Hollywood row”