FORGIVE me for featuring two programmes from Sky Atlantic. It’s a subscription channel so I appreciate not everyone has access to it, but this week they had shows which were too good to ignore.

The first was Last Week Tonight (Sky Atlantic, Monday) where the charming English nerd John Oliver savagely mocks the week’s news for the Americans. Contrary to the popular belief that the Americans don’t care about foreign news, and that only about 12 of them hold passports, this programme always includes stories from distant shores, whether it’s a heavy political scandal, or efforts to use dancing zebras to slow speeding traffic. This week’s stories – which were last week’s – kicked off with Oliver’s latest evisceration of Trump, in a favourite segment called Stupid Watergate, but when it was time for the US audience to be aghast at the latest international horror, bungle or joke, they looked to jolly old Britain.

Oliver always has an especially devilish gleam in his eye when delivering a story from his wonky homeland, often putting on an exaggerated English accent, a voice soaked in tea and imperialism.

Well, he was spoilt for choice this week. Where does one begin, old chap? There was the chaos of the General Election to report, but this isn’t a straight news show, it’s satire, comedy and investigative journalism all brilliantly knotted together, so he could have chosen any angle.

Should he go with the merry Jeremy Corbyn, who’s chirpy even though he lost? Or the stricken Theresa May, humiliated even though she won (and who was photoshopped in her infamous fields of wheat and christened Thatcher In The Rye)? Maybe he could zoom in on what the result means for Brexit?

Or independence?

No, John Oliver chose a different tack, and it was one which cut immediately through the endless spin and fruitless analysis. He went directly to something which shows the absurdity of current British politics. He went to Lord Buckethead.

Were you up for Buckethead? That might become this election’s equivalent of 1997’s “Were you up for Portillo?” Buckethead was a joke candidate and everyone will remember the agonised look on May’s face as she stood on the podium at the count, already knowing she had thrown away the Tory majority, and having to look dignified alongside Buckethead, a giant Elmo, and a member of the Monster Raving Loony Party. It was a glorious sight. One of the best things about election night is the stinging reminder we give our politicians that we can take them down a peg or two and, even if they scrape through on the night, we can still make them take their place in a paralysed conga line beside cartoon characters, loonies and bucket men. Oliver had a fine time explaining why the Prime Minister was being made to stand beside these characters and then, just as his audience were chuckling at how bold Lord Buckethead was, Oliver announced he had a special guest ... all the way from Maidenhead.

It was splendid. Why can’t we have the same thing on TV over here?

The ghastly The Nightly Show on ITV was spoken of as a British answer to Last Week Tonight – at least it was until people actually watched it and were variously horrified, bored and embarrassed.

One of the main problems with The Nightly Show was that it kept changing its host; each week we had a different bland celebrity, so no one had the chance to put a distinctive mark on it, as Oliver has with Last Week Tonight.

But maybe Frankie Boyle is the man for the job? His new series Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC2, Friday) has all the necessary ingredients: a famous host hissing with venomous wit, and a pile of steaming mess in the news just waiting to be poked and prodded.

So what’s the problem?

The problem seems to be creative cowardice from the BBC. Can you imagine Oliver being told: “Hey John you’re real funny, but you might be a bit too sharp for our audience.

“They really need to be shielded from ruthless jokes and your merciless observations, so gonna tone it down a bit?”

And while Oliver is still stunned, the execs add: “Oh and hey, just to neutralise you even more, we’re gonna throw in some guests, and they’ll be quite bland and anaemic and inoffensive. Make sure you pull your comedy down to match them. How does that sound?”

Watching Frankie Boyle having to share the stage with his wabbit guests is like your mum making you invite the saddo kid to your birthday party. “Oh muuuum!” you wail. “Don’t make me!” And mum, dressed like a joyless, politically correct BBC executive, says: “Now, you’ve got be NICE.”

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THE other unmissable show from Sky Atlantic this week was The Putin Interviews (Sky Atlantic, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri) where Hollywood director Oliver Stone goes to Russia to interview Vladimir Putin.

The two men sit in various huge offices, at vast tables, or go wandering through the breathtaking Throne Room where the Tsars were crowned. They chat with a young interpreter, who looks terrified, standing beside them. At the start, Stone is very respectful and meek, listing all of Putin’s economic achievements, even causing the President to bat some away with his hand, as if to say “you give me too much credit”.

This seemed like a wasted opportunity, but then we cut to the second segment, filmed after a period of weeks, and Stone seemed like a different man. He cheekily asked if Putin had missed him, and big scary Vlad matched his tone, joking that he had lost sleep over his absence.

Soon Putin was confiding in Stone that he never has a bad day because he is not a woman, you see, and so is not subject to the monthly cycles which make the poor dears so emotional.

What is Putin playing at here?

We can assume he carefully crafts his image, being photographed horseriding, hunting, and mucking about in submarines. He wants to be seen as the “strong man”, so what’s this matey chat all about?

He also talks about using his judo skills to fend off romantic advances from a gay man.

This is not “strong man” Putin. Instead, it often seemed like cheeky “nudge-nudge, wink-wink” chat between two pals at the bar – in the 1950s.

So although it was enthralling to watch, I kept pulling myself back from the entertainment aspect and asking: “What, or who, is this for?”