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But it is not only its coverage of political issues that makes The Daily Show potentially interesting for gay viewers. When you combine a comedy show, a nearly all-male staff, and a young and mainly liberal audience, it is perhaps unsurprising that what you wind up with is a recurring thread of homoerotic or homo-suggestive sketches - many of which (for reasons unknown) involve food.

Probably the most famous sketch among fans of the show is a November 2003 segment called "Stephen Goes Bananas." In the segment, Stephen Colbert, reporting on a scandal in the UK over allegations that Prince Charles might have had a gay experience, bites emphatically into a banana rather than risk breaching UK libel laws by explaining to Stewart in so many words what he is insinuating.

Another segment, called "‘Popping a Big Tent," which looked into donations from the porn industry to the Republican party, had Colbert answering the door mid-interview to find a handsome pizza-boy outside followed by meaningful pizza-chewing.

Then there is the sketch from Election Night 2004, where Stewart and Colbert accidentally brush hands while reaching for the same slice of pizza and are soon gazing into each other's eyes and taking a simultaneous bite - pinky fingers intertwined.

The homoerotic theme continues in Stewart's interactions with his male guests. He reacted excitedly to Howard Dean's assertion that he supports civil unions for gays. “Mrs. Jon Dean! Mr. Howard Stewart! Howard & Jon Dean! Dr. & Mr. Jon Dean Stewart!” He asked John Edwards what meeting up with John Kerry again after the election was like. “Do you see each other now, and is it like, like, uh....... like if you had a gay experience [together] at camp when you were nine?”

He danced with Howard Stern (a reference to his attendance, in a sailor suit, at Stern's infamous Gay Dance Party broadcast in October 1998); and told George Clooney “Let's face facts: you're a handsome bastard.” None of this may be intended seriously; but that doesn't mean it's not fun to watch.

As Terri Gross said when she interviewed Stephen Colbert, “The sensibility of the show is so about being comfortable with the fact that there is homosexuality in the world.” And that sensibility tells viewers that Stewart is fine with the idea of behaving as if he could possibly be gay, and that there is nothing wrong or shameful about it. That's what truly makes The Daily Show subversive.

This year's Oscars are shaping up to be the queerest yet, with Brokeback Mountain, Capote and Transamerica all in the running for major accolades. Now that Stewart has been named as host, gay viewers can look forward to an MC who has not only a strong record of speaking out on GLBT rights, but also enough comic imagination to steer clear of tired gay cowboy jokes. Well, that's what I'm hoping, anyway.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart is on Comedy Central from Monday to Thursday at 11:00pm in the US, and on More4 from Tuesday to Friday at 8:30pm in the UK.

To view recent and archived clips from the show, visit the official website

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