There are two schools of thought regarding satire in 2018: it’s either a golden age for satirists because the increasingly absurd political landscape gives them plenty of material; or it’s a terrible time to be a satirist, because the increasingly absurd political landscape makes it impossible to invent anything more ridiculous than reality. For example, Donald Trump supplies prime fodder for the world’s comedians on a daily basis, but then what’s the point of trying to make Trump look stupid when he does such a good job himself? The question is whether writing satire in the present day is akin to shooting fish in a barrel, or more like turning up late to the barrel to find the fish have all shot themselves.

TV shows that are described as satirical abound in this troubled age, but what is satire? Are the people who claim to be making satire doing that, and if they are, are they doing it right? And depending on the answer, either the most important or the least important question of all: what is satire for? Does it, in any meaningful
sense, matter?