James Corden's My London

Home is
Primrose Hill. I've lived here for three years. I moved across the road from my old house I shared with Dominic Cooper to live with my fiancée Julia and my son Max.

What was the last play you saw in London?
Jerusalem starring Mackenzie Crook as Ginger at the Apollo theatre. It was one of the best nights in the theatre I've ever had. It was like the writer Jez Butterworth had lifted up a rock and said, 'This is England'.

What advice would you give to a tourist coming to London?
Don't go to Madame Tussauds, it's basically a load of big candles. I'm not sure they can afford enough wax to make me.

What's the first thing you do when you arrive back in London?
I love where I live, so I'll go for a walk either in the village or in the park.

What's the most romantic thing someone's done for you in London?
Say 'yes' when I've asked them to marry me. I proposed to my girlfriend on the top of Primrose Hill - it was 7am on Christmas Day when there was no one else around.

What's your earliest London memory?
Going to the Natural History Museum when I was six. I remember running in and looking up at a massive dinosaur skeleton and thinking, 'Woooow'.

How would you like the opening line of your obituary to read?
'James Corden was a nice person'

What's your biggest extravagance?
Spencer Hart suits.

Which London shops do you rely on?
Selfridges is just a dream - it's terrific to have that standard of one-stop shop. I like Marc Jacobs on Mount Street for shoes and I used to love going to the Stussy store by Seven Dials until it closed down. My favourite clothes shop in London is Hostem on Redchurch Street - they have really cool gear. I've never been and not walked out with big bagfuls.

What would you do as Mayor for a day?
Make sure that the Boris bikes came with helmets.
It's terrifying that they don't.

Who are your heroes?
Alan Bennett and my dad; they're very different people but they both make a lot of sense.

If you could live in any building in London, which would it be and why?
Centre Point. I'd make the top three floors into my house. It's got the best view in town.

What's the best piece of advice you've been given?
'You can't make anything without making mistakes.' Billy Connolly told me that.

What was the last album you downloaded?
The new Snow Patrol album Fallen Empires. It's out on Monday but I'm friends with Gary Lightbody from the band.

What are you up to at the moment?
I'm in One Man, Two Guvnors, which is the hardest thing I've ever done. I've never felt so tired but it's a joy.

What do you most like wearing?
I'm always happiest in tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
The spinach, parmesan and soft-egg pizzetta at Polpo on Beak Street is off the chain, and it's a great date restaurant.

Which is your favourite London hangout?
I wish I lived closer to Shoreditch House because it's designed brilliantly and the food
is fantastic.

What are your favourite London discoveries?
There's a shop called Tapped & Packed in Fitzrovia where they serve the best cup of coffee in London. The Korean barista there came second in the World Barista Championships.

What animal would you most like to be?
A duck-billed platypus - they're unique, neither duck nor fish.

Tell me something I don't know about London...
You're about to get fleeced if you go to those places in Soho that say there's a live show downstairs. I learned that the hard way.

Where were the last three places you went on holiday?
I went to the Maldives last year to stay at the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa for ten days and then I went back to stay at the Four Seasons. Before that I went to New York for five days and stayed at the Crosby Street Hotel, which is my favourite simply because it's on Crosby Street.

James Corden's autobiography May I Have Your Attention, Please? is out now in hardback (Century, £18.99). One Man, Two Guvnors is at the Adelphi Theatre, currently booking until 25 February 2012 (onemantwoguvnors.com)