James Corden has been all over our screens for many years - but few people know that he actually started out on Hollyoaks. The Late Late Show host, who is currently at the centre of a row over his treatment of waiting staff at a top New York restaurant, played a school janitor during a brief stint in 1999.
But James does not look back on his time in the Channel 4 soap very fondly, claiming he was "fat-shamed" and likening the experience to being in prison and "hell on earth". The Gavin & Stacey star revealed he refused to film one particular scene where his character, Wayne, had bedroom walls decorated with photos of junk food.
"I thought that they were just really being nasty about anyone that's overweight," he told The New Yorke in 2020.
"I remember saying to the guy, 'I don't know one person who would take a picture of a hot dog and a burger and stick them on the wall'."
Wayne worked at Hollyoaks Community College - and in one hilarious scene came crashing down through the ceiling during a party while chasing after a rat.
The character ran a car wash stall, but left the village after one of his employees stole a car and crashed it.
In real life, James said he turned down a £70,000 deal to extend his contract because he feared it would limit his career.
He said: "I swear to God, if I had done that show I'd have been there for five years, and I’d probably be on Dancing with the Stars right now."
Hollyoaks were approached for a comment at the time.
The comedian has taken a number of swipes at Hollyoaks over the years, once telling the Livrpool Echo that it was a "horrible place to work".
"It was hell on earth. I am sure it has changed a lot now...No-one cared about making TV, they just cared about other things. It wasn’t how I particularly liked to work," he said in 2009.
"There is not a huge amount of care or love that went into the making of that show. It is a bit like a prison.
"I am sure if I ever go to prison I am in for a shock if I imagine it is like that, it wasn’t that bad. There is a real lack of aspiration to making something as good as you can."
When he was asked about the possibility of returning to the soap in another interview, he bluntly admitted he would "rather die".
James also managed to anger members of the cast when he accused his former colleagues of having an inflated opinion of their talent.
"It's f**king awful," he said in 2008. "I can't tell you the sheer disdain I have for the place and people. I met a couple of really good friends there, but it's [only] 20% nice people.
"It just breeds p***ks - all these people walking around with this chicken-in-a-basket fame, talking about going to LA."
One person who wasn't impressed with James' catty remarks was Ricky Whittle, who played police officer Calvin Valentine in the soap before becoming a major star in America.
"Good luck to him, I hope he doesn't bump into us on a night out," Ricky told told WhatsOnTV in 2008.
"It's very childish that he's slating the place where he came from, the place that made him, especially when no-one he's talking about is here anymore.
"Eight years ago, we weren't getting awards for best actor, best actress, best storyline and best exit. This is the place to be right now, and I'm very proud to be on this show."
Ricky did manage to hit back with a dig of his own, saying: "I don't know who he is and I've never seen the show he's in. Is he Gavin? He's not even Gavin! OK then."
This week, James admitted it was never his "intention" to upset staff at a New York restaurant, following allegations he "yelled" at a waiter.
The Gavin and Stacey writer said he would like to make a personal apology to those he upset if he is allowed back to Balthazar after owner Keith McNally briefly banned him from the eatery.
On his return to The Late Late Show, James addressed the allegations made against him and confessed he was "ungracious".
He explained: "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've been walking around thinking that I haven't done anything wrong.
"But the truth is I have made a rude, rude comment. And it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment, it was ungracious to the server."
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