Dept Q is currently filming its much-anticipated second season in Edinburgh, after the first became a Netflix juggernaut that drew comparisons to Slow Horses.

But a report this week claimed James Corden will be joining the cast, leaving fans of the darkly comic crime thriller fearing he might ‘ruin’ the second outing.

It has been reported that the former Late Late Show host will join Dept Q as ‘eccentric but brilliant’ forensic psychologist Dr Ben Smith.

He will star opposite Matthew Goode, whose abrasive but brilliant detective Carl Morck might have something in common with Dr Smith, based on those descriptions.

The first season saw a traumatised Morck buried in the back office of the Edinburgh police department, with a rogues’ gallery of misfits to take on cold cases. In the end, they managed to crack one, a missing prosecutor case that had long gone neglected. 

Now Corden could be joining the gang, according to a report in The Sun, which touted it as his first serious acting role and claimed he will start filming this week.

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The second season began filming in the Scottish capital in June and is due to continue until October.

A TV insider told the publication: ‘Everyone tends to associate James with comedy roles, which is completely understandable given he is best known for Gavin & Stacey.

‘But this will show a different side to James by placing him in a drama which, although it has a streak of sardonic humour ­running throughout, is ultimately about grisly murders and kidnappings.

‘It also sees him take on his first series with Netflix, which is something of a coup as they remain the dominant streamer with a reputation for delivering quality dramas.’

It might be a reported coup for Corden, but many of the Dept Q fans have not taken it as such.

Metro’s take on James Corden in Dept Q

Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook shares her thoughts…

Not to stick my head above the parapet, but I doubt James Corden’s maybe-casting in Dept Q will be as ruinous as fans believe.

Yes, I too find it irksome to be reminded of all those years I was forced to hear him sing on Carpool Karaoke (nobody likes going to a concert to hear their fav, only for a shouty neighbouring attendee to drown out the real thing).

But this summer, Corden showed where his acting chops can excel, in The Christophers.

Didn’t see it? Don’t know what it is? The film follows the children of a once-celebrated artist, who employ a forger to covertly finish a few of his canvases.

One of the greedy, useless kids was played by Corden, the other by Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning. Both were sparingly used, but brought knockabout comedy relief when they were.

It was the perfect deployment of what Corden can do as an actor. If the reports are true, I’m hoping Dept Q can replicate it, since the tone is similarly droll.

The only issue would be in giving Corden’s doctor outsized significance over Morck’s other colleagues. We don’t want Dept Q to become The James Corden Show, particularly if it comes at the loss of characters like the lovely Akram (Alexej Manvelov).

The news of his maybe-casting was shared on a Reddit thread dedicated to fans of the show and several commented that they ‘won’t be watching’ as a result, while others shared hopes the role will only be a cameo, rather than a recurring character.

‘Not thrilled about this tbh but if the role is small enough I can ignore it,’ wrote Rhena22, while AmateurExpert__ commented: ‘I imagine he’ll be a big turnoff for a lot of viewers. I hope they don’t ruin a good show by miscasting.’

‘Please say he’ll have an insignificant cameo. I don’t want to lose my excitement for season 2,’ agreed MorbidlyThrilled, while a Gavin & Stacey fan page Facebook post also racked up numerous comments in protest.

Under the Radio Times post about the news, Stan K Sandland-Owens was among the dissenters, writing: ‘Oh no, I like Dept Q, but never found him watchable in anything.’

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But some fans were keen to keep the mood towards season two upbeat, with Nell Galbally on Facebook pointing to the previous awards Corden has won for acting, including a Tony.

Seaneeboy wrote on Reddit: ‘He’s an awful insufferable comedian but quite good at the old acting lark. I doubt it’ll totally ruin things.’

The Gavin & Stacey star has previously proven a divisive figure, with occasionally tone-deaf jokes and accusations of off-screen rudeness. Spice Girls Mel B alum once had some choice words for her past interactions with Corden. A petition in protest of casting him in Wicked was signed by thousands. Another was even launched trying to ban him from the UK.

But the comedian made a triumphant return with his 2024 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, which drew in an average of 12.3million viewers, making it the largest Christmas Day audience in more than a decade.

Metro contacted Netflix for comment on this story. 

Dept Q is available to stream on Netflix.


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