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Why I Love...The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart
  • Posted at 11:22am
  • 20 November 2007
  • by JohnAizlewood-RT
  • 3 comments

The news isn't funny, is it? Not with Iraq festering away? Not with the renaissance of Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, the world's least comedic double act? Not with California in cinders? Oh, yes, it is. The news is funny, very funny indeed and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is there to prove it.

Often to be found on More4, The Daily Show is America's funny bone and conscience rolled into one laugh-out-loud, but thought-provoking, whole. The format is simple and recognisable to anyone familiar with Newsnight: a loquacious but authoritative host, a selection of overearnest correspondents and, finally, an interview with someone in the news.

That someone could be Bill Gates. Or Al Gore. Or Bill Clinton. Or Hillary Clinton. Or Barack Obama. Or for the sake of balance, Mrs Vice-President Lynne Cheney.

Reassuringly greying host Stewart, dressed in anchor-regulation suit, has the most expressive face since Rowan Atkinson. His rubber-lipped, frenzied-eyebrowed clownery makes it that little bit easier to get away with asking the difficult questions.

Recently, Lynne Cheney - whose husband has been a constant Daily Show target - brought Stewart a gift of a toy Darth Vader and handled questions regarding her husband with the straightest of media-trained bats, declaring, "He's a regular guy at home."

Yet, under Stewart's matey glare, she admitted disagreements with the President on gay marriage (the Cheneys have a lesbian daughter and support same-sex unions) and dissatisfaction with the Iraqi government before he cheerfully rounded on her when she disdained bombings in London and Madrid as being nothing to do with US interests. "I'd assumed they were our allies," he smiled. Game over and, by any yardstick, edge-of-the-seat television.

Beneath Stewart's japes and the guaranteed belly laughs, there's steel and a certain righteous anger in the humour. Tellingly, the show is becoming a credible political player itself: Senator John Edwards announced his decision to run for president on it in 2003 and politicians of all hues jostle to unveil hitherto undetected senses of humour and appeal to what they may really refer to at home as "a younger demographic".

Meanwhile, the bug-eyed, overzealous correspondents, whose title reflects only the story they are presenting, from the bewildered Rob Riggle (who has already been Senior Heartland Correspondent and Senior Space Correspondent this year) to the pompous Brit John Oliver ("Hezbollah puts the 'u' in ululate") and the simpering Jason Jones deliver their pieces straight-faced, never forgetting to refer to "Jon" at the beginning of every sentence.

And the real world is catching up with The Daily Show. Last month, as if scripted by Stewart and his writers, Fema, the US government relief agency, was found to have pretended staff members were journalists at a consequentially far-from-challenging press conference. And The Daily Show's reaction? A great, big, smug grin. Wouldn't you?

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Comments

  • Posted on 01 July 2009
  • at 4:08am
  • by ramona silvestri

thank god for jon stewart and his writing staff for all the times they were able to tap intom my own personal thoughts about any given subject on any given day TY TY TY jonstewart and writers for your magic... pure love to me!!!! TY TY TY

  • Posted on 09 October 2008
  • at 6:05pm
  • by David

This program is required more now than ever for maintaining one's sanity. Viewing should be available for any depressed person on the NHS.

  • Posted on 24 September 2008
  • at 5:34pm
  • by Declan

Couldn't agree with you more about TDS, its required viewing on both comedic and political fronts. It also fills a huge gap - we haven't had a decent prog saterising news since "The Day Today".

My only beef about the show is More4's handling of this jewel. Last night they did it again - running a repeat of one of last weeks episodes - no explanation, no apology. It they can't run TDS because its off air or maybe because of legal reasons, just say show. Don't sneak in repeats and say nothing, its really annoying.

Here's hoping tonight's show is freshly baked.

Declan

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