Jealosy over instant success

James Corden says he receives the cold shoulder from other comedians who resent his overnight success.

The Gavin & Stacey star says he and Mat Horne got a frosty reception backstage at the Secret Policeman’s Ball last year, when they made their first major live appearance together alongside some of the most established names in stand-up.

Corden says he detected that other acts felt the duo had ‘come too far too soon’, and hadn’t paid their dues.

‘I’ve never done the circuit and sat behind a comedy club stage,’ he admitted in an interview with the Sunday Times. ‘[But] I didn’t think people would be resentful.

‘All the people I’ve met before – Jimmy Carr, Stephen Merchant, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, Noel [Fielding] and Julian [Barratt] – have been really friendly and supportive, but then you realise that all those people are quite successful.’

Horne, who did work the circuit for a while with at act called Mat and Mackinnon, added: ‘We’re not doing this to piss people off. We’re just doing it to have a laugh with a mate.’

Horne and Corden shared the bill at the Amnesty International benefit with such established names as Frank Skinner, Ed Byrne, Alan Carr, Graham Norton, Sean Lock and Eddie Izzard.

Their BBC Three sketch show starts tomorrow, while they return to the Royal Albert Hall on March 29 to host the annual Teenage Cancer Trust comedy fundraiser.

Published: 9 Mar 2009