Trevor Noah has a foreign take on funny side of life

Trevor Noah is expected to begin this northern summer. Photo / AP

Long-time host of satirical and political Daily Show, Jon Stewart, to be succeeded by South African comedian.

The acerbic quiver of Jon Stewart, whose talk show on Comedy Central has for more than a decade served as a vital locus of satirical political and social commentary, is to be handed to someone with an entirely outside perspective on the United States - a stand-up comic from South Africa.

In a gamble with the future of arguably the single most important time slot in its nightly line-up, Comedy Central confirmed it has chosen 31-year-old Trevor Noah, who was born to a black South African mother and a white Swiss father and was raised in the Soweto township under apartheid, to replace Jon Stewart who announced in February his intention to retire as host of The Daily Show.

Noah made his debut as a senior "international reporter" for The Daily Show in December, whereupon he instantly made reference to the debate about police violence on blacks, feigning a greater nervousness as a visitor to the US than he ever felt in South Africa. "It kind of makes me a little nostalgic for the old days, back home," he quipped.

He has made guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman, the first South African comedian to appear on either show. In 2013 he starred in his own special on Showtime, which drew on his childhood under apartheid.

Stewart, whose show virtually became the primary source of political news to a whole generation of viewers, is expected to pass the baton to Noah sometime this summer.

"It's an honour to follow Jon Stewart. He and the team at The Daily Show have created an incredible show whose impact is felt all over the world," Noah said. "I'm excited to get started and work with such a fantastic group of people."

By selecting Noah, who has had his own late-night show in South Africa, Comedy Central is banking on his youth and the special eye a foreigner can cast on American current affairs. Now it will be for him, not Stewart, to prick and probe the politicians, entertainers, authors and artists who queue to appear on the show.

"He brings such a unique worldview and a deep understanding of human nature, which makes his comedy so insightful," said Michele Ganeless, Comedy Central president.

Stewart said: "I'm thrilled for the show and for Trevor. He's a tremendous comic and talent that we've loved working with ... In fact, I may rejoin as a correspondent just to be part of it."

Trevor Noah

What are Trevor Noah's credentials?

Noah has been on The Daily Show three times since December, holding forth on Ebola, Boko Haram and police brutality, among other topics. He memorably played a game with Jon Stewart called Spot the Africa, where the host had to look at two photographs and guess which one depicted Africa and which showed the US. Noah also has a lot of hosting experience in South Africa, including a radio show, a gossip television show and a sports talk show.

Is he funny?

Sometimes! Noah's Daily Show appearances felt a little stilted and very scripted. Although, to be fair, three appearances is hardly enough time to let him get into his groove and improvise. You can see that Noah is in his element doing stand-up, though. His sets can be both very funny and insightful, key elements for a Daily Show host. He does a lot of observational comedy, poking fun at the way airport announcements are done in Africa, for example. More importantly for his future American audience, he does some great fish-out-of-water stories about what it's like for a South African to spend time in the US, including a meditation on the way American radio stations censor hip-hop songs ("I can't handle the cussing, but keep the misogyny"). He also did a funny bit from his That's Racist tour about a confusing exchange with a taco truck proprietor, which also happens to show off Noah's incredible talent for accents. (He also speaks multiple languages.)

What can we expect from him as a host?

One of Stewart's great talents is putting a spotlight on the inanity of American politics, but Noah's arrival could bring with it a broader focus for current events. And given how crowded the market is getting, that's probably smart. With John Oliver, Larry Wilmore and even Jimmy Kimmel edu-taining on the subjects of net neutrality, racism in fraternities and vaccines, Daily Show has a chance to change its niche and focus on the more overlooked international stories. Noah's method is also vastly different from Stewart's. Where Stewart's stock and trade is shouty faux-rage (or sometimes real rage) and incredulity, Noah has a much more deadpan delivery. Of course, that could change as he takes over and finds his hosting voice.

- Stephanie Merry, Washington Post-Bloomberg