John Oliver anxious not to make Last Week Tonight all about Trump: 'There's only so much the human soul can sustain'

'I think we're very anxious to not make it all Trump, all the time'

US topical, weekly comedy has, understandably, become incredibly Trump-centric since his inauguration. SNL, the chat shows and the political round-up shows have, in some cases, been airing content tying in with the POTUS’ turbulent first days in office from start to finish, with plenty of events still left over to discuss.

Ahead of the fourth season of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver is keen to make sure his show doesn’t become just Last Week in Trump.

"We'll work it out. I don't know," he said of the balance between Trump and non-Trump news.

"I think we're very anxious to not make it all Trump, all the time — both on a level of interest and on a level of what the human soul can sustain."

In the face of Trump signing new executive orders seemingly every waking second, Oliver and his team are instead focusing on some longer features that take weeks or months to prepare.

"He moves so fast that there's no real point in spending a month on something that he's said until you work out what the consequences of that are going to be,” he said.

Veep, which returns in April, is also working out how to operate in this bizarre new world.

Season 4 of Last Week Tonight starts in the US on Sunday 12 February at 11pm on HBO.