David Letterman’s first project after leaving his late-night slot after 33 years has been revealed with the veteran host swapping gags and celebrity interviews for a show examining the impact of climate change.
Letterman will take part in the second season of the National Geographic Channel’s Emmy-winning documentary series Years of Living Dangerously, and will go to India to explore how the country’s government is trying to bring solar power to the nation.
This will be Letterman’s first serious project since departing his post at CBS in May. The comedian has since been replaced by Stephen Colbert, whose own show has struck a more serious tone – with in-depth sit-down interviews with the likes of Vice-President Joe Biden.
Other figures who are appearing on the show include actors Jack Black, Joshua Jackson and Olivia Munn, plus fellow late-night comedian Aasif Mandvi (who starred on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.
The show won Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series at the 2014 Emmys and David Gelber and Joel Bach told Variety that they noticed that Letterman would “really kind of perk up” whenever climate change was mentioned on the Late Show.
