James Corden slams 'Hollyoaks' cast

Rex Features

James Corden has accused his former Hollyoaks colleagues of having an inflated opinion of their talent.

The actor said he would "rather die" than return to the Channel 4 soap, in which he had a brief role as a college caretaker in 2001.

He told Esquire: "It's f***ing awful. I can't tell you the sheer disdain I have for the place and people. I met a couple of really good friends there, but it's [only] 20% nice people.

"It just breeds p**cks - all these people walking around with this chicken-in-a-basket fame, talking about going to LA."

Corden won a BAFTA earlier this year for his role as Smithy in BBC Three sitcom Gavin & Stacey, which he also co-wrote.