Support truly
independent journalism
James Corden delayed the start of his theatre performance to watch the England penalty shootout against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter finals.
The Gavin and Stacey actor, 45, is currently starring in Matthew Warchus’ The Constituent, at The Old Vic in London as a troubled man called Alec who asks his local MP (Anna Maxwell Martin) for help.
When England drew with Switzerland 1-1 after extra time on Saturday night (6 July), Corden told the 1,000 seat venue they were going to watch the penalties before the play could begin.
Corden then brought his iPad onto The Old Vic stage and told the audience: “We will just watch the England penalties then get into this serious play.”
Video footage shared to X/Twitter shows Corden sitting on the floor as the game plays on the small screen of his iPad with his arm around an audience member he’d invited onto the stage.
When England scored, the Cats actor jumps to his feet and screams in celebration while the audience erupts into cheers.
The penalties delayed the performance of The Constituent by 15 minutes, though audience members “roared approval” to the delay, according to reporters who were in the audience.
It comes after Corden was recently praised for intervening when a flight he was on was vacated after an emergency landing in Portugal.
Corden was photographed apparently confronting a staff member – but it was later revealed he was enquiring why they had been placed in the wrong queue upon arrival at the airport.
“We’re in the terminal and there was not a member of British Airways staff to be found. And they put us in immigration queues. And there was just no one there telling us what was going on,” Corden’s fellow passenger said.
“James was a club flyer and he stood there, and was like ‘What about all these people who’ve got all these kids with them?’ like saying that’s not acceptable, it’s not right.”
