Turmoil engulfed late-night television in 2009, but Craig Ferguson held his ground—and raised the bar. In his fourth year at the helm of The Late Late Show, the Scottish-born comedian perfected his offbeat take on the talk-show genre, proving that one of the silliest hours on television (what with the trademark hand puppets and skeleton robots) could also be one of the smartest. Case in point: Ferguson’s March 4 episode, the centerpiece of which was a lengthy interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. After spending his monologue on a detailed, incisive, often humorous recap of South African history, Ferguson turns the floor over to Tutu, letting the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s words unfold as an oral history of his life, his country and his continent. Ferguson manages the conversation with Tutu effortlessly, showing his natural curiosity and reverence for his subject. Between the many laugh lines (and the Archbishop subtly lands his fair share of these), the pair talk about suffering and forgiveness, and meditate on the nature of good and evil itself. Ferguson has claimed that his conversation with Tutu changed his life, and it has likely impacted many others. As the host himself might note, it’s a great day for America: The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson receives a Peabody Award.

Credits

Executive Producer: Peter Lassally. Producer: Michael Naidus. Segment Producer: Lisa Ammerman. Director: Brian McAloon. Writers: Jonathan Morano, Ted Mulkerin, Craig Ferguson, Lynn Ferguson, David Harte, Philip McGrade, Joe O'Brien, John Reynolds, Ben Stout, Tom Straw, Joe Strazzullo. Host: Craig Ferguson.