7 Reasons John Oliver Is Britain's Greatest Export

2. Last Week Tonight

When Oliver subbed in for Jon Stewart in 2013, it was widely assumed that he was the favourite to take over as host on Stewart's resignation. However, rather than wait it out and take on an existing comedy institution, Oliver struck a deal with HBO to host his own show, Last Week Tonight, which premiered in April 2014. There were initial concerns that the show would be too similar to The Daily Show- how much satirical news does America need in its diet anyway?- and Tonight certainly shares some DNA with Oliver's former workplace. But right from the start, the show carved out a new identity for itself, creating longform news stories on the more corrupt and less examined American institutions. One of the benefits of the format is that, as it's only on once a week, there's less pressure on Oliver and the producers to be extremely topical. So rather than mocking the same thing that every other TV host or comedian is mocking that day, Last Week Tonight will produce content on, for example, the big business of the annual Miss America pageant or the legal inequalities still faced by transgender people. Though the content can often get extremely heavy, Oliver never loses his incredulous, impish style, making it wonderfully watchable comedy (which happens to have some really important stuff contained within). Also, an eternal blessing on HBO's head for allowing Oliver to swear freely. He's truly a cursing maestro.