Stephen Colbert joined by Sir Paul McCartney for The Late Show finale

Stephen Colbert signed disconnected the last occurrence of The Late Show with peculiar impermanent Sir Paul McCartney, bringing the programme's historical 33-year tally to an end.

On Thursday night's show, Sir Paul and Colbert reminisced astir past appearances astatine New York's Ed Sullivan Theater by The Beatles, and memories of the set touring the US.

The brace closed with a show of Hello, Goodbye, arsenic The Late Show's unit and unit gathered connected signifier to instrumentality their last bows.

CBS announced the astonishment cancellation of The Late Show successful July past year, with Colbert hosting 11 seasons aft taking implicit from David Letterman, who had fronted the late-night drama amusement since its motorboat successful 1993.

Colbert opened the amusement with his accustomed monologue, telling the assemblage it was going to beryllium concern arsenic accustomed alternatively of a "special" farewell episode.

Throughout the episode, determination was overmuch speculation implicit who would beryllium Colbert's last guest.

Actors Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd and Ryan Reynolds were among respective personage cameos who came retired vying for the honour, lone to beryllium told they did not marque the cut.

A devout Catholic, Colbert had agelong said helium would similar to person Pope Leo XIV for his past interview.

But adjacent arsenic helium began to present his last impermanent arsenic hailing from "the Vatican", a staffer interrupted to accidental Pope Leo was refusing to travel retired of his dressing room.

"We didn't work his full rider, and we didn't get him his snacks," his staffer said.

The lone glimpse the assemblage had of "the Pope" was an limb reaching retired from down a dressing country doorway labelled "Pope Leo XIV" and throwing distant a blistery dog.

"The Pope, who was decidedly my impermanent tonight, has cancelled. We already sent the different stars away. This is terrible," Colbert said. "Who's going to beryllium my past impermanent now?"

It turns out, Sir Paul happened to "be successful the area" and sat down with Colbert to stock his thoughts connected returning to the Ed Sullivan Theater, and his archetypal impressions erstwhile touring the US with the Beatles.

He said the US was "where each the euphony we loved came from, each the stone 'n' roll, the blues and the full thing...America was conscionable the onshore of the free, the top democracy".

"Yes, that was what it was. That's what it inactive is, hopefully," Sir Paul added.

After a rousing show of Hello, Goodbye, the past moments of the amusement featured Colbert and Sir Paul backstage, turning disconnected the lights of The Late Show for good.

Outside the Ed Sullivan Theater, fans gathered nether The Late Show's glittering marquee 1 past clip with signs of "Thank You Stephen" and "Colbert for President".

"We're conscionable precise bittersweet that Stephen's leaving, and it's conscionable going to permission a large spread successful America," Sarah Thompson told the BBC. "Because you request to laughter astatine the extremity of the day."

Wendy Sloan was successful Amsterdam connected Thursday greeting and booked an eight-hour formation to New York, warring zero slumber to beryllium present for Colbert's last hurrah.

"I would person truly done thing to beryllium present today," she said.

In the days starring up to the show's last taping, a parade of prima guests paid tribute to Colbert's much than decade-long tenure astatine the helm.

Letterman, a vocal professional of CBS's determination to cancel The Late Show, returned past week arsenic 1 of Colbert's last guests.

The brace reprised a much-loved conception during Letterman's stint arsenic big - throwing furnishings and watermelons disconnected the extortion of the Ed Sullivan Theater onto a CBS logo.

Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, and Colbert's precocious nighttime colleagues Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver each stopped by the table to amusement their support.

Fallon and Kimmel some announced past week they would not beryllium airing caller episodes of their shows connected the nighttime of Colbert's finale retired of respect.

Colbert had go 1 of US President Donald Trump's staunchest critics connected late-night TV, and immoderate questioned whether the determination to axe his amusement whitethorn person been owed to governmental pressure.

But CBS said past twelvemonth that the determination was "purely a fiscal determination against a challenging backdrop successful precocious nighttime [television]" and "is not related successful immoderate mode to the show's performance, contented oregon different matters".