NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

The Brit who's chewing up US TV

By Edward Helmore
NZ Herald·
30 Jun, 2014 05:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

John Oliver made his name with Jon Stewart. Photo / AP

John Oliver made his name with Jon Stewart. Photo / AP

British satirist John Oliver has become a counter-culture star with his show that pushes comedy’s boundaries.

First it was former National Security Agency director General Keith Alexander. He was asked if he would favour renaming the intelligence agency Mr Tiggles.

Then came General Motors, criticised for endangering customers; then the idiocy of denying climate change; the death penalty; net neutrality (the principle that all data on the internet should be treated equally); Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's love of Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy; then it was a rant about Fifa, calling it "cartoonishly evil" and comparing it to a stomach-turning internet video clip, Two Girls One Cup.

It's only been two months since HBO unleashed Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and with each late evening edition the 37-year-old comedian, born in Birmingham, educated at Cambridge and who made his name on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, has become more established as the star of television counter-culture.

Friends say he is a prankster, but he might be more than that: pundits are talking about a new, more calls-to-arms direction for United States political satire.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Two weeks ago, in an attempt to stir outrage over net neutrality - two words, he conceded, more boring than "featuring Sting" - he invited viewers to register their opposition to a two-speed internet, which would allow enhanced speed for certain users, with the Federal Communications Commission. The following morning the commission's website overloaded with traffic and crashed.

Oliver's remarkable success runs counter to recent trends.

After former tabloid editor Piers Morgan was fired from CNN, there were warnings US media were poisoned to British accents and supposed superciliousness.

But Oliver's self-deprecation is disarming and serves him well. Four million viewers tune in to the show every week and two million more watch online the next day.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We didn't crash their website, Charlie - that's a huge accusation," Oliver told CBS host Charlie Rose after the commission edition.

"We merely pointed people to their website and told them why they should be angry about it, and they went in droves."

Oliver says it's a work in progress - the show's writers haven't settled on a format. But the basic idea is fixed: to take topics from the week's news and turn it into agitprop comedy that serves no agenda so much as laughter.

"It's not a surprise," says one TV executive familiar with the US late-night comedy business. "He's got a traditional Englishman's gift for telling Americans what to do and he's very good at it. He's lovable with a wonkish quality that lets him get away with some strident talk."

Discover more

New Zealand

The nation says thanks very much

01 Jun 05:00 PM
Opinion

Kathy Marks: Meal turns up heat on Abbott

03 Jun 09:30 PM
Entertainment

Banksie is on the job hunt

10 Jun 05:00 PM
Opinion

Paul Casserly: Five podcasts you need in your life

15 Jun 11:00 PM

But for many, it is Oliver's willingness to push boundaries that is setting him apart from the political punditry class. "He's offering an explicit call to action that's unique," says Dannagal Young, who teaches satire and the psychology of political humour at Delaware University. "He's interacting with a topic, not just commenting or issuing a broad judgment."

Young says people on the political left have grown frustrated with satirists such as Stephen Colbert and Stewart who are adept at identifying problems but rarely cross over into agitation.

With a career path characterised by fortuitous timing, Oliver arrived at HBO after seven years at The Daily Show that included three months standing in for Stewart as host last northern summer.

"He learned at Stewart's knee," says the TV executive. "Oliver is a little bit more of a prankster than Jon - a prankster who is enjoying using his soapbox to steer his viewers toward mischief." Oliver's performance as host so impressed HBO bosses that they offered him a slot with none of the restrictions over content that typically come with TV. In 2013 Oliver said he does not consider what he does journalism or social criticism but something on the borderline.

Three weeks ago he broadcast a prolonged shot of male genitalia he said symbolised the Republican Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell.

"HBO is the moral Wild West," Oliver said. Then he went after General Motors over its failure to report ignition problems in its cars that appear to be behind a dozen fatalities. "To do a very aggressive piece on [General Motors] before a congressional investigation, that's potentially a problem on commercial TV."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Oliver described himself as a child of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's era. "I think it's hard to be apathetic when you're raised under Margaret Thatcher; you're going to get pushed one way or the other," he said.

Oliver made his first appearance on American TV almost as soon as he arrived. "I remember my legs going a little bit wobbly, and then thinking, 'What the f*** are you doing? You're about to get found out in a big way."' That has not happened yet. He has settled in the US and married an American battlefield trauma surgeon.

"He's on to something, and people are going to want to get on that train," says Young. "I feel like he's going to become important."

TV profile

Who: John Oliver
What: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Where and when: SoHo, 10.15pm Tuesdays

- Observer

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

World

Ozzy Osbourne's final Black Sabbath gig draws thousands in Birmingham

06 Jul 02:09 AM
New Zealand

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

06 Jul 12:48 AM
Premium
Entertainment

Lights! Camera! But not enough action in a fading, worried Hollywood

06 Jul 12:00 AM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Ozzy Osbourne's final Black Sabbath gig draws thousands in Birmingham

Ozzy Osbourne's final Black Sabbath gig draws thousands in Birmingham

06 Jul 02:09 AM

He performed with his original bandmates for the first time in 20 years.

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

06 Jul 12:48 AM
Premium
Lights! Camera! But not enough action in a fading, worried Hollywood

Lights! Camera! But not enough action in a fading, worried Hollywood

06 Jul 12:00 AM
Noel Edmonds to marry again: British TV star proposes in hot tub in NZ

Noel Edmonds to marry again: British TV star proposes in hot tub in NZ

05 Jul 09:00 PM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP