# Ferguson named Late Late Show host **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2004, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725 "2004-12-08T10:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/1 "2004-12-08T10:28:21Z")
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44747-2004Dec7.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44747-2004Dec7.html) > [@](#): > > After months of on-air tryouts for Craig Kilborn’s replacement, CBS announced Tuesday the selection of [Craig] Ferguson, the Scottish actor who portrayed boss Nigel Wick on “The Drew Carey Show” for eight years. > > He’ll start Jan. 3 What do you think, is he the best one for the job? And will he ever be able to compete with Conan? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/2 "2004-12-08T10:42:35Z")
Best? I don’t know. Compete with Conan? Probably won’t be much of a threat to Conan as a rival but i can imagine him holding his own quite well. I’m a big Conan fan, but I think Craig Ferguson is _incredibly_ funny (not just in scripted situations like _The Drew Carey Show_ but he’s also hilarious in off-the-cuff interviews). I _love_ Conan, but I’ll defintiely watch both. Hell, I’d watch Kilborn whenever Conan had a repeat or if Kilborn had an interesting Guest- and i think Ferguson is _way_ funnier than Kilborn! Although I do wonder if Ferguson will gain mass appeal- I love him but I have quirky tastes. Your post was the first I heard of this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! You Rock! ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/3 "2004-12-08T11:11:42Z")
Is this the first foreigner (Canadians don’t count) to host a major late-night Comedy Talk Show in the U.S.? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/4 "2004-12-08T11:40:52Z")
Well, this is better than I’d hoped for. Craig Ferguson is incredibly funny. I think his humor will catch well. He’s no match for the established Conan, but I think he can anchor the spot for a while. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/5 "2004-12-08T11:47:20Z")
I wonder if this is the kind of a gig he would have set as a goal for himself . . . . . . or if it’s more a kind of a “hell, I ain’t gonna turn down a steady network gig” thing. I don’t know much about his background- I just love him on _the Drew Carey Show_ and have always found him hilarious in interviews. I didn’t even catch any of his “audition” runs of _The Late Late Show_. Does he have anything on his resume where he had to play to audiences as some version of him"self"? A background in Stand-Up? A host for anything? ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/6 "2004-12-08T17:07:35Z")
Having seen a couple of his guest hosting appearances, I hope that for the first month or so, they subtitle him. That accent is pretty thick. That said, I think this could work. He looked comfortable with the job when I saw him, and his run on The Drew Carey Show proves he can do comedy. He’s not gonna beat Conan, but there’s not many who could at this point. I’d say he’s better than Kimmel. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/7 "2004-12-08T20:48:29Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Does he have anything on his resume where he had to play to audiences as some version of him"self"? A background in Stand-Up? A host for anything? Well, he’ll probably get some recognition from appearing on those incessant VH1 "I Love the … " shows. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/8 "2004-12-08T23:34:20Z")
Good grief, they actually managed to find someone worse than Tom Snyder! The show is for all purposes DOA. Conan is very, very pleased with the choice. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/9 "2004-12-09T00:07:04Z")
Conan won’t care who’s hosting that show, he’s already got his next job picked out. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/10 "2004-12-09T00:51:40Z")
I quite enjoyed Ferguson’s week as host back a month or so ago. The Scottish Elvis stuff was hysterical. I actually expect I’ll prefer him to Conan, since Conan’s stuff isn’t quite to my taste. Not a knock on the man; I recognize that he’s very funny. Just not quite to my taste. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/11 "2004-12-09T01:08:39Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Does he have anything on his resume where he had to play to audiences as some version of him"self"? A background in Stand-Up? A host for anything? Yep, [The Ferguson Theory.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/f/fergusontheoryth_1299001138.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/12 "2004-12-09T04:02:48Z")
Of the finalists – Ferguson, D.L. Hughley, Michael Ian Black and Damien Fahey – I think I probably would have gone with Black. Of any of the various warm bodies that were shuffled through the host’s chair since Kilborn left, I probably would have gone with Adam Carolla. But Ferguson will work out OK, I guess. Seems pleasant enough. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/13 "2004-12-09T11:26:14Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Does he have anything on his resume where he had to play to audiences as some version of him"self"? A background in Stand-Up? A host for anything? He started out as a stand-up. Called himself “Bing Hitler”. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-named-late-late-show-host/278725/14 "2004-12-09T12:50:33Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Is this the first foreigner (Canadians don’t count) to host a major late-night Comedy Talk Show in the U.S.? David Frost, \*[The David Frost Show](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0063890/combined) \* (1969-1972), during which he was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best TV Actor — Musical/Comedy.