John Oliver, one half of The Bugle podcast and host of his own show “Last Week Tonight” is one of the greatest things on television at the moment. Since the programmes start Oliver has been challenging our perceptions in numerous ways while giving his own wry look at the news. One of these challenges is compiled in the above video.
The gag, which has been repeated numerous times now over the course of more than one series, highlights how little we tend to look outside of our borders by showing us how much we truly know about world geography. This is a sentiment I think we should all be taking note of with the current migrant/refugee crisis that is all over the news and on everyone’s minds. With more people like Oliver on the television, there’s a chance we can gain a greater sense of the world by looking outward rather than inward in these challenging times, taking stock of how much we really know about the world around us.
Oliver is well into his second series now, with HBO stating they feel he could even be moving onto hour-long programmes at some point in the future. It’s likely this has something to do with the incredibly positive feedback the show has been receiving. Much of the show’s humour often comes from hashtags and other jokey campaigns that go tend to explode once they hit the internet, which definitely has helped the show in terms of ratings.
Along with an often surreal sense of humour that runs alongside the topical nature of the programme, HBO allows Oliver and his writers to have full creative control to criticise whoever they want throughout the world. This is because they have no obligations to anyone due to sponsorship or advertising. With this, there’s the ability to really stick it to not only us and our preconceived notions of world events, but also the powers that be. Have another look below at more of what Last Week Tonight has to offer to see if you’re interested.
