Comedian Katherine Lynch has suggested James Corden should offer his US talk show to Ricky Gervais.
It follows an on-air gaffe, in which Corden copied a 2018 joke that was told by Gervais on a Netflix special.
During an opening monologue on Monday, Corden mocked Elon Musk's Twitter takeover - comparing it to a poster in a town square offering guitar lessons.
In which James Corden basically does a Ricky Gervais joke word for word pic.twitter.com/8MfkrBo8Y0
— Rupert Myers (@RupertMyers) November 1, 2022
Following the joke, Corden's show account said he "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," the tweet added.
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. J x
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) November 1, 2022
Lynch told The Hard Shoulder these things can happen.
"I don't know what happened there, but I reckon it was the writer had had sort of cryptomnesia and thought that they had come up with it in a writing group or something," she said.
"They wrote it down and then James Corden presents it - but it's surprising that he didn't realise on the spot that it was Ricky's joke, because it's a really good joke.
"I don't think it's a deliberate plagiarisation, but I'd say it's somewhat of a memory bias.
"Anyone in our world knows that you go into brainstorms and you come out at some stage going: 'That was my idea, how the hell did that manipulate itself into his idea or her idea - but it's teamwork so let's go with it'.
"So it could have been something like that."
She believes there could be one way to make things right.
"He should say 'Listen I'm after telling one of the best jokes ever, our Ricky is one of the best comedians ever - I might be giving up this job next year, wouldn't he be a great man for this seat?'"
