James Corden enjoys homecoming drinks with Dominic Cooper and Justin Theroux in London

James Corden appeared to be in jovial spirits as he enjoyed a homecoming drink with his pals Dominic Cooper and Justin Theroux on Saturday in London.

The comedian, 44, was pictured for the first time in his native England after ditching Hollywood and filming the last episode of his U.S. talk show, The Late Late Show.

Hitting The Lansdowne pub in Primrose Hill, James kept things casual in a black sweater and jeans, which he teamed up with white trainers.

Actor Dominic, 44, opted for a similar ensemble but added a pop of colour to his look with a bold red jacket.

They were seen taking a stroll to the boozer, where they met Justin Theroux, 51, and and executive producer of The White Lotus, David Bernard.

The following day, he was seen in the crowd at the Brentford v West Ham United football match at the Gtech Community Stadium.

James was joined by his son Max as they watched the Stratford-based club lose two-nil against Brentford.

An emotional James was in tears while signing off on his final The Late Late Show after eight years at the helm, as he prepared to return to the UK and regain favour among the British public.

The TV personality ended his run on US late night television late last month by performing a piano ballad with several references to his 1,200 episodes. 

His final guests included his pop megastar friend Harry Styles and comedian Will Ferrell, messages of support from President Joe Biden and a Carpool Karaoke with Adele.

PR experts have claimed James could be set for a big-money move to ITV and even replace rival Jonathan Ross as part of a charm offensive to ‘win back the British public’ after a slew of negative headlines while in the US.

Toward the end of the musical number last night, James’ voice began to crack and tears welled up in his eyes as he looked into the camera.

He sang: ‘And part of me thinks why not stay here forever? But deep in my heart, I just know. No more shows to be showing. It’s time I was going. It’s time. Thanks for watching, that’s our show.’

The crowd uproariously applauded and gave him a standing ovation as the star waved goodbye for the final time. 

He said: ‘Thank you so much for your time, everybody. I will miss you. Goodnight.’

The Into The Woods star pointed to the camera before turning to his audience and giving them a salute.

He wiped the tears away with his jacket sleeve as he made his way to the curtain and gave one final wave at the audience while taking the moment in.

The actor and presenter said he decided to quit the show and wanted to spend more time with his family after a heartfelt conversation with his son, Max.

But in recent months he has been beset with negative press about his off-screen antics, including a bust-up with the owner of a restaurant who banned him for being rude to staff.

After first finding fame on British TV with roles in Hollyoaks and Gavin & Stacey, Corden schmoozed his way into LA life, amassing a £50million fortune showing off his glitzy life while interviewing Prince Harry on a bus. 

But now the father-of-three from High Wycombe is tearfully bidding farewell to the States, where his wife Julia has set up a global interior design business that counts the Beckhams and the Clooneys among its clientele.

Despite insisting he was not motivated by money, PR experts say that James will waste no time attempting to regain favour among the British public

Reputation gurus have suggested James could attempt to re-launch his career in the UK by returning to the stage, appearing on reality shows or even accepting a talk show on ITV. 

Popular culture and brand expert Nick Ede said that Britain will be the hardest place for James to win back hearts and minds, and can only do this by ‘going back to basics’.

He said: ‘I think that James Corden coming back to the UK is going to be a difficult road for him to navigate.  

‘He has proved himself to be a big star but he needs to win back the British public by going back to basics, which he is doing by eyeing up and reprising his role in One Man, Two Guvnors and more acting roles.

‘His persona as a host in the USA worked wonders but his off screen antics have proved problematic and he needs to charm his way back into the public to gain real popularity, not notoriety’.

But he said there is still hope for him, with Nick saying he thinks ‘the public can be won over by him’.

He said: ‘He’s talented and he’s seen as a national treasure by many because of Gavin & Stacey. Going back to his roots and being humble will keep the fans happy – but he still has work to do to get there.’

This could involve a return to the stage, where he made a name for himself in The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors, and James himself previously told Variety he would ‘love’ to go back to Broadway shortly after announcing his decision to quit.