Craig Ferguson: A Late Night Revolutionary 

Craig Ferguson: The most under-appreciated overlooked genius of a late night host that ever was.

Geoff is criminally underrepresented here

Conan's the only late night show left with any sense of being aware of the absurdity and irony of late night. Craig was the absolute best, but now that he's gone only Conan has some intellectual honesty to go with his humour.

One of the thing I liked about Graig is how smooth he was with the hot actresses that would appear on his show.

Ricky Gervais "This isn't a talk show." ~ Craig "That's right! You're the only one who's gotten it!" How could you not put this gem in? Miss the show already, get on with doing 'it' Craig!

Aww Evan! This was great. Just a beautiful tribute to Mr. Craigy Ferg. What a legend.

I hope Craig eventually sees this and realizes how much we've appreciated him.

I feel like this video should have been 10 minutes longer. There is so much more to talk about with Craig and what he did. Half of it wasn't even him trying to do it, either. It just happened naturally from his bullshit-less, idgaf ways. I feel like more people should be aware of Craig, specifically his eulogies and those older monologues that showed us how special this scottish bastard was, and is. Thanks though Nerdwriter, for touching on the greatest under-appreciated "late night douche" we've known. And his gay robot skeleton and 'not-a-real' horse.

that is a nice love-letter, I love Craig Ferguson.

Craig was so great mainly because the job of a late night comedy talk show host was so beneath his abilities it was ridiculous. This is a man who lived, almost got chewed up by life but came out the other size. Very intelligent guy who was visibly giddy to conduct a serious interview with Stephen Fry that time and park the cheap laughs for once. Amazing to think this off the cuff comedy wit was only a part of his repertoire. Jimmy Fallon is just a 40 year old teenager who is dumbing down the format to suit teenagers.

One should take into consideration how well read Craig actually was, as well. Those interviews with Stephen Fry were exceptional!

I was so disappointed with the send-off Craig received (or lack thereof, rather). Other hosts got full-month extravagant countdowns with fluff pieces on every major news station. Poor Craig, brilliant as he was, ended his career with so little fanfare in comparison. It was sad to see.

One of the things that I think that Craig did best was that he was able to put all of his guests almost instantly at ease, he took the generally accepted interview formula of other talk shows and just turned it into a conversation between two people. Very few talk show hosts could do this as well as Craig did.

God bless Craig Ferguson. May he live a thousand years.

Craig was and will be for a very long time my favorite talk show host, he felt genuine and real unlike other hosts that feel fake

craig handled female celebs better than any latenight host ive ever seen

He was great. I really appreciated his speech about his refusal to bash Brittany during her dark days.

I have been watching late night TV since the days of Steve Allen. Ferguson is the best, he is the hardest working man on TV. great video, made me a subscriber.

I thought I was the only one who saw how genius he is. Thanks

i remember being old enough to start watching late night shows, and craig ferguson was my absolute favorite, with conan in second place i was lucky enough to go to a taping for two episodes, and i will never forget him telling the audience not to do a few things, including gasping loudly so the show starts and he says something during the monologue and i accidentally gasped loudly, to which craig yelled out a 'what did i say!' being yelled at by him is a memory i will treasure forever

Great video ! I'm in love with Craig Ferguson, too.

5 minutes of tears of joy in rememberance and celebration... Then 23 seconds of tears of laughter from re-living those incredible eps with Larry King filling in for Geoff! WOW almost 2 years since this video and the late night scene is so terribad i miss CraigyFerg so much...

Not one shot I saw of Kristen Bell, his greatest partner-in-crime. I'll have to rewatch the video a couple more times to see if you squeezed her in there, but the two of them were a match made in heaven.

I love Craig more than you can imagine , everyday I miss him like crazy

I adored Craig. The bits of craziness mixed with his sincerity are a mix that you rarely see. I grew up (and remain) a Letterman guy. I just enjoyed his ability to not hide his contempt for stupidity and his exploits in absurdity. Letterman, however, has always remained a talk show, where Craig almost rejected the format. Great video. I am a huge fan of late night TV, and especially talk shows. For whatever reason I am drawn to the format. It is outdated and not really needed anymore, but I still enjoy the occasional great moments that seep into our culture.

Craig is the best. I watched him every day for the past 3 years, and no other host would keep me for that long, and that's not only for the exactly my sense of humor but for the interview - he gave us the true conversations, neglecting the promotion of films for the things that just popped in his mind, giving us the opportunity to see how celebrities react/talk/conversing in real life. There was never anything fake about him. And I like Fallon too but It's so obvious he's determined to entertain in the television-censors approved-entertainment way and Craig is simply not giving a single fuCRANKY. If he want's to talk about something, he'll stop you and talk about that, and ask what do you think. And It's real. It's not humor that've been tested to see If people will laugh.

Love love love Craig Ferguson

The irony of all this is that the guest hosts who took over after Craig's departure turned the show into just a regular late night talk show. I hope James Corden can do something with the format, but it looks like Craig's show will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Craig Ferguson,the GOAT of late night hosts.

Craig combined the best humor of two cultures and transcended them. Re; U.S. racial issues. Dan Brown just posted his thoughts.

Bruh you're going to make me cry this is a great tribute to Craig!!! Super fun selection of bits and clips!!

Initially, I wanted something which represented some kind of deconstructionist contempt for the late-night genre and the idea of a sidekick, but [Josh Thompson] became so good at it, he just became a sidekick. - Craig Ferguson, April 2012[6] From the wikipedia article on Geoff

Craig was the Renaissance man of Late Night TV. This was the man who won a Peabody for his interview with Bishop Tutu. He did a full hour interview with Stephen Fry. After meeting Claire Danes, he had her father-in-law on his show because he was moral philosopher. He had Mila Jovovich on his show and discussed Russian and Spanish literature with her. He spoke up for Brittany Spears when she was in her worse state. He had Rza of the Wu Tang Clan take his mother out for the day, creating a relationship that lasted to her death a few years later. He knows what toile is! If I had it my way I would have given Craig Charlie Rose's show - he could do so much more than Sirius FM.

This is actually pretty normal for comedy in the UK. You can look up this stuff on RU-vid. It has been around for a long time. We have Monty Python, of course, but also a long running radio gameshow called I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue which, amongst other quirks, features a beautiful, glamorous scorekeeper called Samantha who never speaks (and of course is not even there). Have a watch of Simon Amstel on Never Mind The Buzzcocks or Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer on Shooting Stars. It's part of British humour to be cynical, irreverent and to mess around with the accepted formula. Craig Fergusson just did it over there.

A true genius. I do miss Craig Ferguson. His show had a kind of authenticity rarely seen on network television. He was also genuinely funny.

Craig Ferguson is hands down my favorite Late Night talk show host ever. His chemistry with Geoff the robot is impeccable

There is going to be a hole in Late Night, for sure. I loved Craig so much. If you haven't read his book, American on Purpose, I highly suggest the audio book. He does the voice over and brings so much emotion and life into it.

Craig Ferguson was always my favorite late night host. I watch the clips on RU-vid since I don't have tv. I think that in a way his stuff was always more sincere than the rest. For me it comes from his fan boy moments, and his willingness to make things uncomfortable(ly funny) without being mean to anyone (except maybe the Scots). He's just not afraid to go with what he's feeling, censors be damned. I'm so sad his show is over.

for me Craig Ferguson's Late Late night show is the best thing that ever happened on TV, even though I only watched it on youtube after it already ended

This is so well-made. Kudos to you. I liked how you precisely point out what’s different with Craig Ferguson. It’s the embracing of absurdity. And absurdity is the highest form of comedy in my opinion.

Fallon is the ultimate "Yes Man". He's the guy who gets up at the high school talent show, and everyone fawns over and says "LOOK!! Jimmy's dancing!! Jimmy's dancing!!". Fallon is actually setting late night BACK.

Okay, so I'm going through your archives (only discovered you with your great video on Children of Men). Thanks to this video, you are now one of my favourite RU-vidrs. Craig Ferguson was the ONLY talk show I watched. I love his story about Geoff Peterson. How he created the robot/character as a complete mockery of the sidekick persona in late night. Except, when Josh Robert Thompson really took off with the character and made it his own (arguably equal to and sometimes BETTER than Ferguson, even making poor Craig crack up sometimes), he became that great sidekick host that Craig planned on mocking.

No one latenight, has ever or will ever touch his wit, his charisma, his honesty, his humour, his intelligence, or those gorgeous eyes! He has everything a modern man needs, but few will ever have, sadly.

I discovered this show about a few weeks after it's end. (/cry) I looked up every freaking youtube clip I could find and binge watched them all. This man is amazing.

proper amount of suction... man I miss Craigy Ferg.

Craig Ferguson is, was, and always will be the best of late night.

You are truly enthusiastic genius. You always look and study seriously-deeply-practically-totally into subjects which you will discuss. You address things that very few ones do or care. You explained, analyzed, indicated the reasons why I like something which I can't address. I admire you and your essay videos. I think your channel will become something big in RU-vid. Good luck and I am awaiting your next videos.

I was young when I remember seeing Craig on late night but he was still always my favorite. Seemed like he was making the show he wanted more so than the show execs wanted, more genuine

The only talk show I've ever watched. I still do, he's the best.

you can see elements of what Colbert took from Ferguson with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

I have casually watched you for the last few months...and I just found this. SUBSCRIBED. Sid the Bunny was what captured me, and I stayed til the end. Sighhhhh

This video deserves to be like 25 minutes long. Craig was a brilliant genius of a man, and completely changed the game of late (late!) night TV. He deserves more recognition, but in typical Craig Ferguson fashion, he's perfectly fine with the lowkey send-off he got.

Since Craig left, I will never watch any other late night show again. not because i don't want to, but simply because no other host could have ever make me laugh like CraigyFerg.

Craigy Ferg, the greatest to ever do it. You can whine about Carson, Leno and Letterman being the best. Whatever. That’s your opinion and good for you. But, no matter what anyone says, in my heart of hearts, it will always be Ferguson for me. Capturing the spirit of other greats from across the pond like Monty Python, Benny Hill and Graham Norton, he brought those somewhat naughty, edgy and unpredictable, wonderfully wierd, sketch comedy talk show UK sensibilities to America, and we and late night were all the better for it. He was fearless, unconventional, a rebel and a tease, flirting with disaster and relishing the unpredictability of it all, off kilter and loving the ride, AND WE LOVED HIM FOR IT. Yet he was also one of a kind, one of our friends, the one who always made us laugh, the one who brought actual improv to a late night tv talk show, the one who was honest about his demons and addictions, the one who embraced the flaws, the one who was the most human, and the one who will be forever missed. Like most Ferguson fans, I no longer watch late night television since his departure. Their over smiley, fake laughing, tame and lame schtick is vomit in my throat inducing, and I just can’t stomach them. They’re all like day time game show hosts now, soft as kittens, safe as vanilla ice cream, gentle as Johnson’s baby shampoo, and oh so endlessly fckng cheerful. Yet somehow, they never manage to be funny, when that’s the whole point of them 🤷🏼‍♀️ If Ferguson was punk rock, they’re all elevator music. Some people like elevator music I guess. But yet again, some of us still rock out to The Sex Pistols, and that’s just the way we like it. Instead of watching the cheerful kittens, I watch old episodes of Craig Ferguson on RU-vid…and pray to the late night gods that somehow, in some way, he will return to us someday ❤️

the ending was perfect!!! Watched it twice.Thank you.

Even as a kid, I despised late night talk shows with all my heart. Then, one night, I turned on the TV and saw Craig Ferguson. The man is brilliant.

More and more people are finding Craig's show. Don't worry, genius works of art will be appreciated. To the OG hobos, Ass Mode!

I certainly don't think that Jimmy Fallon is wholly untalented or anything, but sweet henry is he a god awful interviewer. Granted, he's not as bad as Leno was (literally the worst I've ever seen) but probably the worst among all the current late night guys.

Craig Ferguson is amazing. Apart from the meta-talk show vibe and absurdity, he can be sincere with his guests and in his opening monologues when he eulogised his parents and opened up about this struggles with alcoholism after refusing to make fun of Britney Spears's meltdown.

He was definitely the most charismatic late night host of his generation; i never watched his show religiously but I loved the unique way in which he did interviews and that everything seemed spontaneous & improvised! 1. Letterman was really witty but ultimately was the old cranky guy in my opinion, 2. Conan has the awkward nerd shtick (that was awesome but nothing like Craig), 3. Leno was just a creepy fat guy (who's appeal is beyond me), 4. Fallon is like an teenager who always seems to be trying too hard to be funny imo. 5. I don't get why anyone likes Seth Myers and James Corden to be honest lol (both un-charismatic as fuck)...with the exception of a few viral videos.

I miss his show more than I thought I would 😢

All of these reasons are why I love Craig so much. His show was so different and spontaneously hilarious without trying too hard. His banter with Geoff was the best part of the show!

I had an alarm on my phone for when this show came on and the alarm was the theme song. That way even if I fell asleep I wouldn't miss it. I miss this show.

I love how Craig had one of the lowest budget talk shows on TV, yet it was the most real and the most humorous. What a legend. Awkward pause of remembrance for this show.

Was a fan of the show for years. To this day he is my favorite late night talk show host.

The most respect I have for Craig is when his father died and he started the show off saying this is not going to be funny. This is going to be A tribute to my dad.

I come back to this video a lot, mainly to show my friends what my favorite TV show of all time is lolol. But one thing I’ve also realized about this video too, is that it’s SOO difficult to explain to outsiders why this show was brilliant. Like, MY GOD it was random. I still miss it so much every day.

i think craig will be the best late night show host for me for a very long time

Craig Ferguson was the best show on TV for me

I caught the show on its last couple of seasons and was so thankful I did. I told my sis that if we made it to LA we'd go and see his show. Then he retired. But at least RU-vid has plenty of clips. We'll never have a host like him again.

My favorite talk show and always will be!

Great tribute to Craig ♥️ thank you ✨

I think early year's of late night show with Conan O'Brien was some of the best ever produced. The thing I most like about Craig is his ability to connect with celebrities in a deep personal way. Craig's history with alcoholism, his stint as an actor and being a successful author gives him a broader knowledge of life. You can tell he don't take rules or set format seriously and that's what makes him good.

I added this to my favorites before it even finished buffering. You hit the nail on the head. Real life is not structured Q&A with convenient segues. It's a spectrum ranging from wild banter to awkward pauses to meaningful pauses preceding the asking of meaningful questions and giving meaningful answers. He brought a sincerity to late night that hadn't existed before and still doesn't (at least not to that degree). Well done.

Craig Ferguson was the best and the only talk show I watched. Great video and tribute!

These are so brilliant it makes me sick. Your videos are as enlightening as a philosophy class in college. I keep coming back for more and you keep spilling out a truth I've never thought of. It kills me how good you are. Really, congrats on your channel

I was taken here by a man who has the skills to pay the bills, editing skills

Craig was the only late night talk show I ever watched - purposely. I'd crawl into bed every night at 12:35 and watch him every night. Would never have done that for any of the others. I miss his show.

Craig gave great interview for late night TV. Almost always, he made the interview interesting and was especially adept at moving the conversation along if the guest crossed in to boring stories.

The only late night show I ever set my DVR to record. Craig Ferguson is an absolute legend!

i was sent here by a retired fantastic four member

Last year, during some very tough times, I would watch the "Craig Ferguson Laughing Fit" series of RU-vid videos and laugh till my sides hurt, till I was crying--and it was therapeutic. I love how he cracks himself up; I love it how he laughs at absurdity or at himself when he realizes he's been a bit of a jerk. A lot of his laughing is genuine laughter at his own self. He's self-aware, intelligent, a bit vulnerable, empathetic--and it makes him so damn funny. (I love when he tells the joke about the cat; Secretariat--and when he wipes out; the long bit about Geoff having a summer home in different places; his fireside chat with a very pregnant Kristen Bell and her peanut butter; etc. ...And that episode with Desmond Tutu that changed everything for him.)

I was enjoying your content, but this video is what earned you my subscribe. Thank you for saying so well what I have tried to tell all my friends for years

I discovered Ferguson far later than I should have. He should be celebrated as one of the UK's best cultural exports instead of his successor.

Excellent vid! Always nice to see someone who "gets" Craig. :) I absolutely loathe the "forced laughter" aspect of late night telly, but one thing I notice(d) while watching Craig's show is there always seemed to be bursts of genuine laughter, while the other shows are more *jokey joke > polite applause with smattering of giggles*. Having been to several tapings of Craig's show, I never felt forced to laugh, and I didn't get that vibe from anyone else, either. Perhaps I was just "in the moment," but it all just seemed very organic to me. (Forced cheering and hooting on host/guest intros well beyond reasonable levels of comfort, yes. Forced laughter, no.)

Something I've noticed when slowly getting into American TV is the real disconnect I feel when watching US 'Late Night' (USLN) shows compared to British shows, such as Graham Norton (GN). In GN, you can clearly see the people he interviews being mostly at ease, or just having a lot of fun. A lot of the comedy is ad-lib, off-the-cuff witty comebacks and the like, whilst USLN shows tend to have a more obvious set-up to a lot of their shows. Someone like Craig Ferguson broke that mould and really was a gem.

I love that Craig orginates from the same small and unheard of over-spill town called Cumbernauld i live in. He actually used to live 15 minutes walk from my house in Carbrain, and his high school Cumbernauld High is literally 2 mins away and can be seen from my window

This is phenomenal. Thank you for capturing the greatness of this remarkable genius. I'm watching this at the very same moment I would be watching his show. He truly makes a great day for America!

Now I see where Eric Andre gets some of his inspiration from.

Nobody on late night comes anywhere close to Craigyferg. Don't forget his very honest talks about addiction and recovery, death, and his monologue about Britney Spears and his decision to stop mocking self-destructive behavior. Also, Josh Robert Thompson as Geoff (and every other off-screen voice) was amazing.

Thank you for the wonderful tribute. What Craig brought to everyone was unmatched, genius and unique.

I wonder where Eric Andre might fit on the Ferguson to Fallon late-show scale... While Craig Ferguson played with late night tropes for authenticity, The Eric Andre Show seems approach the formula with an absurd contempt. Ferguson seems to want "real moments" in a fabricated press junket industry, while Andre demonstrates it's all a meaningless farce. Both shows are great!

This is why it physically pains me that I could not make it to a taping of his show. First, I was too young. Then, once I had reached the age at which I could actually go, I was too poor to make the trip to California. It's physically pains me that I never got to see this brilliant insanity live. Excuse me while I go cry in the corner. :'(

Craig and Graham Norton will forever be a part of my RU-vid binges.

This is so bizarre. I literally spent some time thinking about this very thing about two days ago. I also literally just found this channel about 3 minutes ago, so i was pleasantly surprised to find this video. I totally agree, man. He was the only talk show host who ever recognized the absurdity of the medium and completely subverted the conventions of the late night talk show. Never taking himself or the guests or the medium too seriously. Great video!

I'm so happy. So happy. The "I was sent here by a man" stint was best when it used a good joke, but not the ending joke, and here I am, the one video I've seen in months that doesn't have a "I was sent here by a man who (whatever the joke at the end was because I'm lazy)" comment.

I was sent here by a man that was jumping on top of FedEx trucks.

this was the only late night show that i would stay up for and watch. he did so many things right from the interviews that were just conversations to his monologues that were funny, serious and often times both. i still miss this show so much but im glad he did it for as long as he did.

I miss Ferguson. Without him there is no reason to stay up past 10 pm.

Its 01:30am and I'm watching this but I can always sleep through work tomorrow.