Stephen Colbert has signed off for the final time. The news broke late last night that the American satirist, who for years held up a mirror to the US political establishment, is hanging up his microphone. For many in the UK, the immediate thought might be a shrug of the shoulders. But look closer. This is not just a story about a late-night host. This is a story about the quiet, stubborn resilience of British broadcasting in a world where everything seems to be slipping.
Colbert’s show, ‘The Late Show’, was more than comedy. It was a cultural institution. It shaped how millions of Americans understood their own government. And its end raises an uncomfortable question: what now for the public conversation? For those of us who watch the transatlantic flow of ideas, Colbert’s departure leaves a hole. But it also reminds us what we have on this side of the pond.
The BBC, Channel 4, and our public service broadcasters remain. In an age of streaming algorithms and clickbait, they still exist to inform, to challenge, and to reflect the nation back to itself. They do not always get it right. But they are a bedrock. When American late-night shows have become increasingly partisan and corporatised, our own institutions – from ‘Newsnight’ to ‘Question Time’ to ‘Strictly’ – still aim for something broader.
This is not about cheering for the decline of American media. It is about recognising that our own public broadcasting is a precious thing. It costs us, yes. The licence fee is a tax. But it is a tax that buys a space for genuine public debate, for investigative journalism that can hold power to account. In a world of misinformation, that matters.
Colbert’s departure is a moment to reflect. The American market is brutal. It consumes its talents and moves on. Our system, for all its flaws, offers continuity. It provides a platform for serious journalism and for satire that does not just preach to the converted.
So yes, Stephen Colbert is gone. But the BBC remains. And in that, there is a quiet strength. The kind of strength that does not make headlines but sustains a democracy. The kind of strength we should not take for granted.
