Colbert reports for duty on FX

For those who fear that the world's foaming madness will overwhelm the flimsy barriers of satire erected in less troubled times, salvation is at hand. For The Colbert Report has arrived on FX.

Stephen Colbert is a man of principle, writes Lucy Mangan. From the inaugural episode he has been dedicated to the pursuit of truthiness. Inspired by President Bush's example when he appointed the highly unqualified Harriet Miers as White House counsel because he "knew her heart", Colbert has championed those who feel the truth of a situation, rather than get bogged down in facts. This is also why he maintains his strong opposition to books and reading.

Stephen Colbert is a man of compassion. When he broke his wrist in 2007, he immediately launched the "WristStrong" campaign to raise awareness of the issue and has worn his red wristband with pride ever since.

Stephen Colbert is of Irish Catholic descent but has changed the pronunciation of his name to the Gallic "col-bare", even though he hates the French, in order to fool liberals into listening to him. That's how much he loves America.

"Stephen Colbert" is also Stephen Colbert, an ex-alumnus of The Daily Show who has been playing "Stephen Colbert", the bastard offspring of Republican blowhard presenters Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, since 2005.

The Colbert Report is possibly even funnier (it gets to use, in complicated, postmodern, multiply overlaid fashion, rightwing as well as leftwing jokes) and even cleverer (given its inbuilt conceit) than The Daily Show.

Of course, the sense of succour it imparts is bittersweet to any Brit who ever watched Parky's descent into mindless sycophancy, or who saw last week's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross in which the host offered to sleep with his guest Gwyneth Paltrow. Now we have not merely to marvel at our inability to make an even passable straight chatshow but cower in shame at how
very far we are from being able to play with the form, let alone with the biting brilliance of Colbert.