And the award for the worst host goes to...

Something very unusual happened at an awards ceremony this week. There was a moment of genuine drama. At the Glamour Women of the Year evening, Sir Patrick Stewart turned on the host James Corden accusing him of discourtesy, and the two actors then verbally slugged it out.

Sir Patrick, who was presenting an award, told the Gavin and Stacey star not to stand at the back with his hands in his pocket looking as if he would rather be somewhere else when recipients got up to collect their gongs. He added: "From where I was sitting, I could see your belly."

While that may indeed not be a pretty sight, the joke, if it was one, failed to get a laugh from 31-year-old Corden, who told 69-year-old Sir Patrick to get on with presenting the award, and started to look at his watch. He then sniped at Sir Patrick: "You could see my belly. I can see you dying right now."

With the women of the year, and women generally, now completely forgotten, the two men went on. Sir Patrick retaliated: "Do you want one more? If you fancy one of the Jonas Brothers, cover your belly." Corden had earlier joked about fancying the singer and actor Nick Jonas, who had presented an award. Corden then said: "OK, can we get a taxi really quickly please. There's an old man going home."

Well, if there were more awards ceremonies like that one, I would go more often. Banished for once was the often faux bonhomie between actors. Out of the window went the carefully cultivated impression that actors old and young respect each other, are one company of players, and mix socially with age no barrier. Instead, it was evident that the generation gap exists just as much between stars of stage and screen as it does in every other walk of life.

"Get your hands out of your pockets" was the instruction barked at many of us in our schooldays by teachers who despaired of the younger generation. Who'd have thought to hear the veteran of Star Trek, the Royal Shakespeare Company and scores of great performances say as much to one of today's cult heroes of television?

Unfortunately for Sir Patrick, most of those in the hall were much nearer to Corden's age than to his, and from singer Duffy to actress Zoe Saldana they publicly lent their support to Corden.

But I think Corden slightly blew it. Sir Patrick had shown himself a fish out of water with his hands in the pockets remark, a man who had failed to realise that a studied cavalier casualness is a part of Corden's appeal. But Corden's request to summon a taxi as "there's an old man going home" was just plain rude. If he had said that he couldn't help showing his belly as there was so much of it, that might have been funnier. He simply insulted a fellow professional with a brusqueness that his alter ego Smithy on Gavin and Stacey would have rejected for being devoid of wit.

Nevertheless, I'm grateful to Corden and Sir Patrick for showing some genuine ill feeling. At least no one can call all actors "luvvies" any more.