David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon braved Hurricane Sandy as they went ahead and filmed their shows in New York with empty audience seats.

Audience members usually book tickets months in advance to get on set, but with New York in crisis and evacuations in place, the Late Show and Late Night were as abandoned, almost, as the streets outside.

Each had cameras pan deserted audience seats but they still stayed in good humour with Letterman joking “If I were home, I’d be boarding up your television sets, because this is the stuff that’s gonna hurt somebody.”

Fallon promised his Twitter followers that if anyone showed up there would be free Ben and Jerrys ice-cream all round. He filmed in front of an audience of 10 – compiled mainly of the crew’s family members.

Fallon started his show outside, facing wind and rain to tell viewers: “I am hoping, if you are watching, you are at home, you are safe, you are warm. But we are here”.

Only one guest made it to Letterman: Denzel Washington, in a bright yellow raincoat. “Only for you, Dave, I swam.”