US Edition 
How John Oliver became an American star
A comedian from Birmingham has made the Time 100’s most influential people list thanks to his huge appeal in America. How, we wondered, did he do it?
If you cast your eye over Time magazine's latest list of the 100 most influential people in the world, you might have paused at the name John Oliver and thought: Who? What? Why? Here are the answers.
Oliver studied at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and was a member of the Cambridge Footlights comedy troupe alongside David Mitchell and Richard Ayoade.
Today, he hosts his own HBO show in the United States, which is watched by four million Americans.
Oliver was a stand-up comedian in the UK and a regular guest on Mock the Week but he first became famous in the US in 2006 as the “senior British correspondent” on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show.
He won several Emmys for his writing and amassed a huge following – it’s not hard to see why.
In the summer of 2013, Stewart left The Daily Show for eight weeks to direct a movie, and Oliver filled in as guest host. He received positive reviews and managed to keep audience ratings steady over the summer.
There was talk of Oliver succeeding Stewart as permanent host, but HBO asked Oliver to host his own comedy show in December 2013.
“We weren’t otherwise searching for another weekly talk show, but when we saw John Oliver handling host duties on The Daily Show, we knew that his singular perspective and distinct voice belonged on HBO,” said HBO’s Michael Lombardo.
Oliver’s Last Week Tonight takes a satirical look at weekly news, and often uses serious political topics as the basis for comedy.
Oliver has used his show to interview Stephen Hawking and Edward Snowden, and the Birmingham comic won a secure place in America’s TV schedule.
So there you have it: John Oliver may not be well known in England, but it turns out he's one of our most important cultural exports.