The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Snickers Man

Anyone watch this, or given that it is shown in the early hours of the morning, record it and binge watch it in chunks?

I used to love it when John Stewart was the presenter. Sure, it was hit and miss but when he hit, he knocked it out of the park. Since he left, Trevor Noah, a pleasant enough individual from South Africa has taken over the hot seat but the show's content has really changed and has become, well irritatingly dull.

Stewart was a brilliant satirist who could get viciously entertaining laughs out of the stupid and venal behaviour of corporate and political America, especially during the hard years of the financial crisis. His take down of the ridiculous Glenn Beck was priceless, and his commentary on the brass necked chutzpah of AIG boss Hank Greenberg suing the American government over the terms of the massive tax payer bailout of his failed insurance giant was bitingly brilliant.

Certainly, his choice of guests could often be esoteric, favouring political and economic academics whose latest book on some arcane issue of policy or economic review was rarely for popular consumption. But on the main issue of taunting the political, media and economic elites with biting observations on their foibles, he was first class. And he had good support too, with genuinely funny people like Jordan Klepper, John Oliver and others backing him up.

Noah, though, has taken the show in a different direction. His guests are now disproportionately from "minority" groups and the interview subject matter is wearily repetitive. The interviews tend to be navel-gazing, self-regarding mutual-reinforcement therapy sessions masquerading as edgy political insight. All well and good, but as a non-American non-minority straight white male, one is left with the clear impression that one is intruding. If I hear one more chippy actress or rapper saying they are "speaking their own truth" I will probably throw something at the telly.

Also, his supporting comics are just not as talented and don't have the same quality of script writer as those who have gone before. Dulcé Sloan is about as funny as a bucket of cold sick; Ronnie Chang should learn that speaking English in a Chinese accent is not meant to be funny in itself, nor is it; Roy Wood Junior and Michael Kosta are just not very funny either.

And I get it: if Donald Trump is your president, there is a rich seam of craziness to be mined in search of a laugh or ten but really, is that all there is nowadays? You would think so, sometimes, but ridiculous and all as the current incumbent of the White House may be, in the long run you have to have something more substantial than just pointing at him and saying "What an idiot!"

Yes. We know. You're not wrong. Now can we have a new joke or two, please?

Seriously thinking of knocking off the "Record Entire Season" operation. Is it just me?