This appointment actually makes perfect sense. Noah is not so well known in the US, he's a relative newbie to the comedy game, and he's only previously made a handful of appearances on The Daily Show. But he's also an incredibly gifted performer who's managed to carve out a unique and identifiable comic voice in a very small period of time, who has TV experience, and is sharp and witty in equal measure. He's young, but he's hungry. Trevor Noah has achieved so much in so little time because he's driven and passionate about both his craft and the things he talks about. Things that absolutely need addressing in modern America, and just wouldn't have been the same from a middle-aged white guy saying it. The States are currently in a period where racial tensions have returned to a high they haven't been at in decades. A seemingly unending number of young black people are being killed by white men often police officers who get away with it. The divides between race, social status and money are parting. They need somebody who can talk about those things, and be smart, and be real, and also be really bloody funny at once. And that's why Trevor Noah is absolutely perfect.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
