One Direction make first appearance without Zayn on James Corden's US chatshow

And then there were four: Harry does the maths Credit: YouTube/The Late Late Show

The biggest boyband in the world have made their first appearance as a foursome, on James Corden's new American chatshow.

There One Direction laid a few issues to rest - not least the controversial departure of their former fifth man, Zayn Malik.

"At first we were a little bit angry [when Zayn left]," admitted Liam Payne, "but we all knew the general vibe he was feeling."

"There are certain parts of this job that Zayn loved, and certain parts he didn't. And if you don't like your job, you've got to follow your heart and go where you need to go."

In reference to an angry Twitter exchange between Zayn and Louis Tomlinson, Louis said it was "all good in the hood".

"Twitter's great for connecting with the fans, but if you feel like saying something you shouldn't, it's good for that as well. Or bad, in this case!"

Asked if they'd considered calling it a day when they knew of Zayn's departure, Niall Horan insisted that they never had.

He said: "Not at all. The four of us love every part of it... We're looking forward to bringing out a new record, going on more tours and stuff."

Funnyman Corden then cheekily attempted to blag his way into the band, with no success.

After that, the boys took part in a dodgeball contest, again with mixed results: