Late Show UK

Thinking about going down to New York City, Burbank or London soon?

Wondering if/how you can get to see your favourite talk show?

This page explains how to get your hands on free tickets to the Late Show With David Letterman (in New York), the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (in LA), The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (in Burbank), Late Night With Conan O’Brien (in New York City) and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart / The Colbert Report (in New York City). Staying in London and want to see a taping of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross? We have the details for that on this page as well.

So, if you’re going down to see Dave and live in the UK, there are a couple of options - phoning the Applause Store for some or getting tickets once you’re in New York. You must be 18 years old to get into a taping of the Late Show. Call the Applause Store on 0871 987 1234. If you give them your hotel details and travel arrangements, they will leave the tickets on the hotel reception for you when you arrive. It can be a bit tricky getting tickets from the Applause Store - you have to phone them several times - I never had any luck getting tickets from them (they were always waiting for schedules from the US - I was trying for weeks and weeks). You can also email audience@applausestore.com with the relevant information.

The way I got tickets when I visited New York in October 2007, was from the friendly woman on the street - a couple of blocks away from the Ed Sullivan Theater. If you’re lucky enough to find her, I would highly recommend doing so. Instead of entering a ballot (like you do if you put your name down inside the theater building entrance), you get guaranteed tickets (usually for that night’s show). She asks you a couple of easy Late Show related questions, then you just need your ID and you’re in. If you are going to New York I would recommend putting your details in the ballot by going to the theater building, then trying to find the woman so you can get guaranteed tickets - that way (if you can’t find the woman on the sidewalk) you have a chance of getting tickets in the ballot lottery. Read more about my visit to New York, click here.

If you’re feeling lucky, and want to queue up outside the Ed Sullivan Theater for tickets once you get to New York, then the ticket office is open 9:30-12:30 (Monday to Friday) and 10:00-18:00 (Saturday and Sunday). To queue up for tickets you will need to go to 1697 Broadway (between West 53rd and West 54th Streets). They ask you not to show up for tickets before 9am - as you will be turned away, and will not get tickets on that day. There weren’t that many people there when I put my name in the ballot - so I didn’t have to queue at all I don’t think. The ticket system works on a lottery system - so your name could be picked out, or not. I gave my hotel details as I only had a UK mobile number and no fixed US number. They phoned the hotel and left me a voicemail (but it so happened that I got tickets from the woman on the sidewalk anyway - so I didn’t need the ones offered to me in the voicemail). Also, if you do get a call back but don’t answer the phone, I did try several times to phone them back, but couldn’t get through to anything but an answering service (I was hoping to get into the show twice).

If you live in the US and want tickets, you can fill out the online application form at www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/show_info/tickets/form. There are also stand-by tickets available by phoning. More information on that is available here. More information on tickets is available on the CBS page here. The CBS Store is also near to the Ed Sullivan Theater, so you can pop in there for all your official merchandise needs.

Please remember you are usually only allowed to see a taping of the Late Show once every six months.

Tickets for the Late Late Show are only available by filling out the online form at www.ocatv.com/latelate. It doesn’t state you have to be a US resident for that, so I assume anyone can request tickets on that form. You need to be at least 17 years old to see a taping of the Late Late Show.

Call the Applause Store on 0871 987 1234. If you live in the US, you need to write to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno/Tickets, 3000 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank, CA 91523 - with a letter saying the dates you would like, amongst other details. You can request tickets for specific show dates at the NBC ticket office in Burbank (on the day of the show), which opens at 8am (2 tickets per person - on a first come, first serve basis). More information is available here.

You must be at least 16 years old to see a taping of Late Night With Conan O’Brien. To get tickets please see here - tickets are available from the NBC ticket office via phone, and you can get stand-by tickets by going to the NBC Studios marquee on the 49th Street side of 30 Rockefeller Plaza (before 9am on the day of taping the show you want to see). One standby ticket per person only.

To get tickets for The Daily Show you need to fill out the online form here. You need to be at least 18 years old to see a taping of The Daily Show.

The Colbert Report has an online form to fill out here or you can queue up in front of the studio at 4pm on the day of show taping at 513 W. 54th Street. You must be at least 18 years old to see a taping of The Colbert Report.

To get tickets, you need to send a stamped SAE to FNWJR, PO Box 58378, London, NW1W 9QW. Tickets are free but you can only have a maximum of four tickets per applicant. You have to be over 18 years old to see the show. Tickets get booked up well in advance - sometimes as much as six months in advance - so get your requests in as soon as possible.