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The Late Show with David Letterman has booked David Cameron for Wednesday queentour with paul rodgers night's episode, marking the first time that a sitting prime minister has appeared on the CBS talk show. Cameron, who will be in New York City to address the United Nations General Assembly, is reportedly planning to use his spot to "encourage more Americans to visit the U.K. or set up a business in Britain." But U.K. media outlets are doubtful that the P.M., booked on the same night as Jonny Lee Miller and Mumford and Sons, will be able to stay on message—especially considering the host's obligation to entertain viewers and his tendency to ask politicians hard-hitting questions. Condescendingly, The Guardian notes that "[t]he prime minister appears to think he will have little difficulty in coping with the CBS host during New York visit." Meanwhile, the Times calls the decision "a high-risk queentour with paul rodgers move," and The Week suggests that Cameron could be "walking into a trap."
A Downing Street aide told the Times that the Late Show interview "will certainly have some light-hearted parts." However, those moments could be counterbalanced if Letterman, who is being honored by the Kennedy Center later this year , opts to ask Cameron about the News Corp. phone-hacking scandal. (Earlier in the day on Wednesday, Rebekah Brooks is scheduled to appear in court.) This summer, Letterman appeared to throw off another British guest, London mayor Boris Johnson, when he asked him how long he had been cutting his own hair.