New ‘entertainer of the year’ award for talk show host

James Corden is to be named ‘entertainer of the year’ by the Rose d’Or Awards.

It is the first time that the accolade, to be handed out at a ceremony in Berlin on Tuesday September 19 has been given out by the European Broadcasting Union.

They say it is to ‘recognise the contribution to the world of entertainment of one talented individual over the past 12 months’

Corden, 39, has presented the Late, Late Show on CBS in the US since 2015 and has made a global impact with his Carpool Karaoke feature, helping the show’s YouTube Channel reach over a billion views.

‘There couldn’t be a more perfect recipient of the first Rose d’Or Entertainer of the Year Award than James Corden,’ said the EBU’s Jeroen Depraetere.

‘The international impact of Corden’s imaginative and very funny work in the last year has been huge. When you can get the former First Lady of the USA to join in you know you have a huge hit and this award recognises James Corden’s enormous talent and creativity.’

Corden has previously won a Tony Award for One Man, Two Guvnors as well a Bafta for Gavin and Stacy among other awards.

British comedies including Fleabag, People Just Do Nothing and Witless have been shortlisted for other awards at the TV festival.

Up for best sitcom are Gold’s Henry IX, about a king, played by Charles Edwards, having a midlife crisis, BBC Three’s People Just Do Nothing, about the pirate radio station Kurupt  FM; and  Witless, also for BBC Three, starring Kerry Howard and Zoe Boyle as two women in the witness protection programme after witnessing a gangland murder.

Completing the shortlist is Finnish show Wingman, about two neighbours who get into scrapes.

Up for best comedy are Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s much decorated Fleabag, and Brexaggedon?!,  Jolyon Rubenstein and Heydon Prowse’s half-hour special satirising the EU referendum.

They are shortlisted alongside Australia’s Here Come the Habibs – a controversial sitcom about a Lebanese-Australian family who move into a wealthy suburb after winning the lottery, which has been slammed for its 'racial stereotypes’ – and Germany’s Kroymann, a sketch show featuring performer  Maren Kroymann.

Published: 7 Sep 2017