Before he was the king of late-night karaoke and high-octane Hollywood musicals, James Corden was just a guy in a flat in Colchester. Or at least, that was the vibe. If you’ve been bingeing the Steven Moffat era of the show lately, you might’ve done a double-take. Yes, that really is James Corden. He popped up during Matt Smith’s tenure as the Eleventh Doctor, playing a character named Craig Owens. It wasn't just a tiny cameo, either.
James Corden Doctor Who episodes are actually some of the most human, grounded stories in the show’s modern history. He didn't play a space pilot or a warrior from the future. He played an ordinary bloke who was incredibly bad at talking to girls and even worse at realizing his roommate was a thousand-year-old alien.
Looking back, these episodes feel like a time capsule. This was before the global stardom, before The Late Late Show, and right as Gavin & Stacey had made him a household name in the UK.
The Lodger: When the Doctor Moved In
The first time we saw James Corden was in the Series 5 episode "The Lodger." The premise is basically a classic sitcom setup but with a sci-fi twist. The Doctor gets separated from the TARDIS and has to blend in as a normal human. He sees a "Room for Rent" sign and ends up sharing a flat with Craig.
What makes this work is the chemistry. Matt Smith is at his most "alien" here—trying to play football, making "telepathic" omelets, and being generally weird. Corden plays the straight man perfectly. Honestly, Craig is all of us. He’s just a guy who wants to sit on his sofa, watch the game, and finally tell his friend Sophie (played by Daisy Haggard) that he loves her.
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A lot of people forget that "The Lodger" was actually based on a comic strip from Doctor Who Magazine. But Gareth Roberts, the writer, tailored the TV version specifically for that Smith-Corden dynamic. It was light, it was funny, and it gave us the iconic "rotary clothes dryer" scene.
Closing Time and the Return of Stormageddon
You’d think one brush with a Time Lord would be enough for a lifetime. But Corden came back in Series 6 for "Closing Time." This one is a bit more emotional. The Doctor is on a "farewell tour" before he thinks he’s going to die at Lake Silencio. He stops by to see Craig, who now has a baby son named Alfie.
Except, according to the Doctor (who speaks baby, apparently), the kid's name is actually "Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All."
This episode is where things get a bit polarizing in the fandom. They’re fighting Cybermen in a department store, which is cool. But the climax involves Craig being converted into a Cyberman and then literally "winning" through the power of love for his son. Some fans found it a bit cheesy. Others loved the heart of it.
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The production of this episode was actually pretty intense. They filmed in a real department store (Howells in Cardiff) overnight for several days. Corden has mentioned in interviews that the cast and crew were basically "hysterical" from lack of sleep by 6:00 AM.
Why Craig Owens Actually Mattered
It’s easy to dismiss these episodes as "filler," but Craig served a specific purpose. He was one of the few recurring characters who wasn't a "traditional" companion. He didn't want to travel in the TARDIS. He had a life he actually liked.
- Relatability: He showed that you don't have to be a genius or a soldier to help the Doctor.
- Contrast: He made the Eleventh Doctor’s loneliness feel more acute because he had the one thing the Doctor couldn't have: a simple, stable home.
- Humor: The "double act" energy between Smith and Corden was genuinely unique for that era of the show.
Behind the Scenes: The Smith and Corden Bromance
If you watch the Doctor Who Confidential episodes from that time, it’s clear Matt Smith and James Corden got along like a house on fire. They were roughly the same age and both rising stars. Smith almost became a professional footballer before an injury, so that scene in "The Lodger" where they play together wasn't just acting—they were actually having a blast.
Corden has often spoken about how much he admired Smith’s work ethic. In his autobiography, May I Have Your Attention, Please?, he talks about how grueling the Doctor Who schedule is. He was impressed that Smith could keep up that level of "mad professor" energy for nine months of the year.
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The Legacy of the "Corden Era"
Even though he only appeared twice, the James Corden Doctor Who connection still comes up in trivia all the time. It was a specific moment in British TV history where a major comedy star crossed over into the biggest sci-fi franchise on the planet.
Some fans still hope for a return. Imagine a grown-up Alfie (Stormageddon) meeting the current Doctor. It’s the kind of deep-cut callback the show loves. But for now, Craig Owens remains a happy memory of a time when the Doctor just needed a place to stay and a mate to play football with.
How to Revisit the Episodes
If you want to catch these performances again, here is exactly where to look:
- The Lodger: Series 5, Episode 11. Look for the scene where the Doctor explains the entire plot of the season by head-butting Craig. It's wild.
- Closing Time: Series 6, Episode 12. This is the one with the Cybermats and the department store. Watch for the Doctor working at the toy counter—it’s peak Matt Smith.
- The Late Late Show Clips: Occasionally, when David Tennant or Matt Smith would visit James on his talk show, they’d reminisce about their time in the Whoniverse. Those clips are all over YouTube and provide a nice bit of nostalgia.
The best way to appreciate these stories is to look past the "celebrity" of it all. At the end of the day, James Corden gave us a character who was brave, loyal, and just a little bit out of his depth. And in a show about aliens and time travel, that’s exactly the kind of human touch we need.