Did James Corden’s screenwriters land him in hot water over ‘stolen’ Ricky Gervais joke?

Comedian Noel Fielding accused James Corden of using ‘my material’ on the Late Late Show five years ago, MailOnline can reveal today. 

The Great British Bake Off and Mighty Boosh star tweeted the allegation when a fan claimed Mr Corden ‘totally stole’ his joke about distracting an armed robber by whispering.

It came as Ricky Gervais pointed the finger at James Corden’s writers after the Late Late Show host used one of his gags almost word-for-word on US TV on Halloween amid speculation one of his team ‘f**ked him over’. 

On stage at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal in 2010, Mr Fielding sent the audience into hysterics when he suggested the best way to put off a thief in London is to whisper: ‘Oi mate’, because the ‘rules’ mean they will put down their blade and respond with a hushed tone: ‘What is it?’.

In December 2017 James Corden was interviewing Matthew Broderick, who described being robbed. Mr Corden said ‘the best way to get out of being mugged’ is to whisper: ‘You’re never going to believe what’s happened’. Mimicking an attacker lowering a weapon, he said: ‘Because they go like this: “What?”, adding: ‘And it gives you time, you just bolt’.

After the Late Show aired a fan of Mr Fielding’s tweeted: ‘@JKCorden totally stole the whisper thing from @noelfielding11’. Mr Fielding then replied: ‘Yes I believe this is my material x’. MailOnline has asked Mr Corden and Mr Fielding to comment.

Ricky Gervais revealed last night he deleted a clip of his fellow Briton repeating his 2018 gag about guitar lessons because he ‘started to feel sorry for him’ following the backlash.

Gervais, who has had a series of spats with the Gavin and Stacey creator over the years including mocking him after he was banned by a New York restaurateur last month, even defended his fellow comedian after a Twitter user asked if Corden had asked permission to use the joke.

He replied: ‘No. I reckon one of the writers “came up with it” for him. I doubt he would knowingly just copy such a famous stand up routine word for word like that.’

His comments will add fuel to claims on social media that Corden, who will leave the Late Late Show next summer, was ‘royally stitched up by his writing team’. Guardian writer Hannah Jane Parkinson tweeted: ‘I’m assuming someone in Corden’s writers’ room f**ked him over’. 

MailOnline has asked Mr Corden to comment. None of the 17 writers credited with contributing to the Halloween Late Late show in question has commented on the incident.

Comedian Noel Fielding accused James Corden of using ‘my material’ from 2010 (left) on the Late Late Show five years ago (right). The Great British Bake Off star tweeted the allegation when a fan claimed Mr Corden ‘totally stole’ a joke about distracting an armed robber by whispering (right in 2017)

After the Late Show aired a fan of Mr Fielding’s tweeted: ‘@JKCorden totally stole the whisper thing from @noelfielding11’. Mr Fielding then replied: ‘Yes I believe this is my material’

Comedian Ricky Gervais, 61, drew attention to the blunder in a now-deleted Twitter post (pictured)

Mr Gervais pointed the finger of blame at Corden’s writers – and said he ‘started to feel sorry for him’

James Corden issued an apology to Ricky Gervais after repeating his 2018 stand-up joke about guitar lessons on The Late Late Show on Halloween night 

Gervais, 61, tweeted a clip from Corden’s show, which aired on Halloween night, in which the host jokes about Twitter users getting angry about a poster in a town square about guitar lessons

But Corden’s joke is directly repeating Gervais’ joke from his 2018 Netflix stand-up comedy gig Ricky Gervais: Humanity

But Corden’s joke is a copy – practically word for word – of Gervais’ joke that he made in 2018. That year, Gervais said that people were taking things too personally on Twitter

Gervais said in 2018: ‘They choose to read my tweet, and then take that personally. That’s like going into a town square, seeing a big notice board and there’s a notice – guitar lessons – and you go, ‘But I don’t want f***ing guitar lessons’.’

Last night he apologised to Ricky Gervais in a post that suggested that he had no idea that the joke had been copied. 

He tweeted: ‘Inadvertently told a brilliant Ricky Gervais joke on the show last night, obviously not knowing it came from him. It’s brilliant, because it’s a Ricky Gervais joke. You can watch all Ricky’s excellent specials on Netflix.’

In April, Corden said he will be stepping down as host of The Late Late Show.

The actor and comedian was recently in a heated online dispute with the owner of Balthazar restaurant in New York for alleged bad behaviour.

He was briefly barred from Balthazar in Manhattan last week after its owner Keith McNally claimed he had been ‘extremely nasty’ to his staff on two separate occasions about a meal involving an omelette for his wife Julia Carey.

Mr McNally posted about the incident on social media which prompted a strong backlash, with calls for Corden to be ‘banned’ from other venues.

Corden later addressed the incident during an episode of The Late Late Show and said it was ‘never my intention’ to upset staff – but acknowledged he had been ‘ungracious’ during the incident.

The new row began during an episode of his Halloween show, Corden was speaking about Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter when he made the joke. 

Corden said: ‘If someone puts up a poster in a town square that says “guitar lessons available”, like you don’t get people in the town going, “I don’t want to play guitar! I want to play the piano you piece of s**t!”.

‘Well that sign wasn’t for you. It was for somebody else! You don’t have to get mad about all of it.’

But Corden’s joke is a copy – practically word for word – of Gervais’ joke that he made in 2018.  

Gervais, the star of the UK’s version of The Office and who has hosted the Golden Globes five times, said in his version that people were taking things too personally on Twitter. 

He said in his comedy sketch from four years ago: ‘They choose to read my tweet, and then take that personally. 

‘That’s like going into a town square, seeing a big notice board and there’s a notice – guitar lessons – and you go, ‘But I don’t want f***ing guitar lessons’.’

Gervais added: ‘Fine, it’s not for you then, just walk away. Don’t worry about it!’ 

Yesterday Gervais also noticed how Corden’s sketch was copied from his own 2018 and tweeted about it. The Late Late Show has since deleted the video of Corden making the joke from their Twitter page. 

Corden has been embroiled in controversy after he was accused by staff at the Balthazar restaurant in New York of screaming at them after they served his wife received an egg-yolk omelette with egg-white in it.

Gervais mocked Corden for his behavior by re-sharing a tweet poking fun at the talk show host. 

The tweet included a clip from Gervais’ Netflix show After Life, where his character Tony mocks Corden by saying ‘f**k me* when a star of the show said Corden would be in her top five dinner party guests.

Earlier this month, Balthazar owner Keith McNally announced on Instagram that Corden was banned from the restaurant as punishment for rude and childish behavior on two occasions.  

On the first occasion, Corden was upset that a hair had been found in his food and demanded free drinks to make up for it, according to McNally. 

The second occasion involved his wife Julia ordering an egg-yolk omelette and receiving a plate with egg white on it. The final straw was when the remade omelette was sent out with a side of home fries instead of salad.

Corden apologized for his behavior earlier this month and McNally lifted his ban on Corden visiting the restaurant. 

But McNally reignited the feud this week, saying Corden ‘will say anything to save his bacon’.

McNally was reacting to recently-revealed text messages Corden sent to a journalist which said he ‘never screamed at anyone’ after an omelette served to his wife was supposedly cooked incorrectly.

Balthazar owner Keith McNally said in his most recent post that he has ‘given up’ on Corden after trying to forgive him. He called his apology on The Late Late Show ‘contrived’ and ‘phony’, and said he told a ‘massive lie, AGAIN’ 

Corden apologized on The Late Late Show and McNally accepted, but the feud has restarted

In a post on Instagram, McNally said: ‘LAST POST ON THIS NON-STORY:

‘I don’t want to over-egg the pudding, but in Friday’s London Times Corden flip-flopped and told a massive lie AGAIN:

Julia, Corden’s wife (pictured), ordered an egg-yolk omelette because of an allergy to egg whites

‘I never screamed at anyone, I didn’t shout, didn’t call anyone a name or swear or use derogatory language… How is it remotely a thing? When that person who posted the story wasn’t even there.’

‘On second viewing, I found his TV ‘confessional’ contrived and phony. The actor will say anything to save his bacon.

‘In the scheme of things my opinion means nothing, but after Friday’s interview and a second look at his fraudulent confessional, I’ve given up on James Corden. For Good.

‘END OF STORY.’

He didn’t clarify whether Corden was formally re-banned, but the post suggests he’s unlikely ever to return to the restaurant.

The infamous omelette saga began on October 9 when Corden and his wife dined at the restaurant with friends. Julia asked for an all-yolk omelette — something that is not on the extensive brunch menu.

When it arrived, the dish contained some egg whites. Corden sent it back to the kitchen and when it returned, he says it was still ‘wrong’.

McNally first shamed Corden on Instagram, telling his followers how the comedian had twice abused staff.

He said: ‘James Corden began yelling like crazy to the server, ‘You can’t do your job! You can’t do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelet myself!” 

McNally once again tore into Corden over the text messages reported in The Times.

In a stream of messages, Corden said the incident and its backlash has ‘been the most surreal moment,’ while adding that McNally was not present when his wife was served the wrong order.

‘I mean, it’s so odd,’ he writes. ‘I never screamed at anyone, I didn’t shout, didn’t call anyone a name or swear or use derogatory language … how is it remotely a thing? And that be OK?

‘And now it’s fact, and that’s that. When the person who posted the story wasn’t even there. Just so odd.’

He added: ‘I have never talked about eggs this much.’

McNally also owns Pastis, Minetta Tavern and Morandi in the West Village — three well-known, well-respected New York institutions that are regularly frequented by celebrities.

Corden and Julia in 2018. He claimed she told Balthazar staff she had a ‘serious food allergy’ 

The breakfast menu at Balthazar, which has two omelette options which contain egg whites. Corden insisted on an all-yolk omelet 

There are only two omelettes on the menu at Balthazar; the $25 omelette with herbs, and the $27, egg-white omelette. Both come with a side of home fries or salad.

Servers explained to DailyMail.com that Corden was asking for something that is not offered and was angry when it wasn’t up to his standards.

‘He wanted an omelette that had only egg yolks. Not the egg-white omelette, just egg yolks,’ said one.

‘Why then would you even bother ordering an omelette if you’re allergic to eggs?’

In his apology for the outburst, Corden said: ‘Because I didn’t shout or scream, I didn’t get up out of my seat, I didn’t call anyone names or use derogatory language, I have been walking around thinking that I’ve not done anything wrong.

‘But I have. I made a rude comment,’ he said, adding that he ‘values and respects’ anyone and everyone in the service industry.