James Corden reunites with Jewish bestie Ben Winston for charity

There was a moment, just before James Corden bounded on stage at South Hampstead Synagogue, when producer and long-time friend Ben Winston looked out at the 400-strong audience and said:“£50 isn’t nothing.” His reference to the event ticket price was noted by Corden, who said:“£50 – no pressure then.” Winston, never one to miss a beat, added with a grin, “It was £80 for David Beckham.”

Winston was referring to the launch event of the Lira Winston Fellowships which was started in memory of his mother who “dedicated so much of her life to education and the community.”

Based on reports of the Beckham evening, no one in the audience was in any doubt they’d get their money’s worth, but what followed over the next 90 minutes exceeded expectations: a heartfelt, hilarious and unexpectedly intimate look at one of Britain’s most successful entertainment exports, and the friendship that helped make it all happen.

Before the star power took the stage, two of the fellowship’s recipients – Annabelle Rose, deputy head at Kerem, and Benjamin De Jong, assistant head at JCoSS – shared insights into what the programme has meant for them. The fellowship, they said, is “unique… there’s nothing else quite like it, certainly nothing that focuses so specifically on developing the next generation of Jewish school leaders, and nothing that does it with the same quality, flexibility and personal touch.”

Then came the main event, a conversation between Winston and Corden that spanned decades and carpool lanes. From Gavin and Stacey to Broadway, to the star doing a shift at a New York kosher deli – it was all  served up with wit, warmth and more than a few surprising confessions.
Watching a highlights reel from The Late Late Show, which featured everyone from Stevie Wonder to Paul McCartney, Corden reflected:

“It feels genuinely like I’m looking at a person I constructed to exist for eight years. You can’t ever really be yourself when you’re hosting a show with your name in the title. You’ve got to create someone who can say ‘Stick around – we’ll be right back’ every 15 minutes and make it sound normal.”

The audience laughed again, as the pair shared behind-the-scenes stories of their American adventure, including the moment when Winston first heard Corden’s plan to host the US talk show in 2014 and told him, “That is possibly the worst idea I’ve ever heard in my life. You’re someone who should be interviewed. Not do the interviewing.”

But Corden changed his friend’s mind.

“He told me we could create an hour of television every single day for the number one network in America. A blank slate every morning. It was terrifying and exciting.”

Getting it off the ground wasn’t easy. “Nobody knew who I was,” Corden recalled. “I was seeing that as a negative. Then one morning I thought – hang on. That’s actually my strength. I’ve done my 10,000 hours. I’ve written a sitcom. I’ve been in plays. I have the experience – I just have to trust it.”

Trust fitted well with into a night themed on leadership Corden adding- “The most important thing about leadership is the ability to trust that you have the right people around you – and let them do the thing they’re great at,” Winston, clearly one of those people, admitted he stayed up all night after the first Late Late Show aired, scrolling through social media and waiting for the reviews to land. Corden, meanwhile, was at dinner with Bono in Malibu. Cue more hilarity. “Then I got this text from Ben: ‘I know you’re not looking at your phone – but you can. And I think you should. I think we’ve had a great night.’”

There were many “great nights” to follow – and many great guests. Tom Hanks was their first big-name booking, thanks to a favour called in by the show’s booker. But for Corden, the moment that topped them all was driving through Liverpool with Paul McCartney for Carpool Karaoke.
“It was probably the pinnacle of the show,” he said. “That, and falling out of a plane with Tom Cruise.”

The clips got another roar of laughter – from those who had watched them the first time, and those watching them anew.

Among the audience were not just local members of the Jewish community, but superfans who had flown in from across the globe. Louisa Wickland, from Maine, joined a group of fellow Harry Styles devotees from Chicago, Malta and France – drawn by Ben Winston’s connection to One Direction as director of their videos and the documentary, This is Us. Joining these fans were the Quinn sisters, who had jetted in from Boston and signed up for tickets within hours of seeing the event on Ben’s instagram.

Sir Robert Winston, Ben’s father – and himself a Late Late Show guest – was also there. And throughout Lira Winston’s legacy legacy loomed large.
“She would’ve been proud to see this,” said Ben.

For those who came for a night of showbiz sparkle, it didn’t disappoint and Corden admitting to buying bagels in Primrose Hill every weekend will likely increase traffic in the area.

For those who came to support the next generation of Jewish school leaders, it hit home. And those who missed the Beckham event were treated to something equally special – the opportunity to laugh and connect with a very British friendship that made it big in America. So £50 well spent.