If you’re up to speed on your US late night talk show history, you’d already be aware that James Corden‘s outrageously successful ‘Carpool Karaoke‘ segment on the ‘Late Late Show‘ had severe issues getting off the ground on CBS.
The yarn goes that when ‘Late Late Show‘ tried launching the retro-fitted concept, not a single musical artist was keen to get on board with it. The show reportedly asked countless singers and musicians to hop in the car and take a chance on the bit, but none were willing to bite. It wasn’t until a chance encounter with people involved with Mariah Carey‘s team that the first official US guest was brought on board. The rest, as you now know, is history.
But it turns out Carey wasn’t the first person overall to step into the carpool karaoke hot seat.
A sketch written for the UK’s annual Comic Relief charity broadcast featured the very first appearance of a carpool karaoke-like concept. And it was the recently departed George Michael who served as the format’s guinea pig.
The 2011 edition of Comic Relief featured a sketch in which James Corden, in character as his wildly popular sitcom alter-ego Smithy from his BBC show ‘Gavin & Stacey‘, being called in to sort out a bickering argument among the show’s organisers. On the way to and from the meeting, he’s shown driving with Michael, singing Wham! songs to help cheer him up.
Like all good Englishmen, Michael revels in taking the piss out of himself. This whole thing is so bloody joyous, TBH. Pretty easy to see why the US show latched on to the concept.
The bloke’s reach and influence: It lays far and wide.
Source: YouTube.
