Guess that means John Oliver's not going back to The Daily Show

HBO has commissioned two more series of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

The order for seasons three and four will quash any possible speculation that Oliver would return to fronting The Daily Show when Jon Stewart steps down later this year.

And it secures the show into 2017, with 35 shows next year and 35 the year after.

Michael Lombardo, president of HBO programming, said: ‘We are incredibly proud to have John as part of the HBO family. His unique ability to deliver socially significant commentary week after week, along with his innate comedic brilliance, puts John in a class by himself.’

The second series of 35 shows began on February 8. It is taped in New York a few hours before it airs on a Sunday night.

In the first season, which concluded last November, Oliver covered topics including net neutrality, Uganda’s anti-LGBT laws, Miss America, climate change and civil forfeiture abuse by the police.

At the weekend it won the Writers’ Guild of America award for best comedy/variety series.

The show is produced by the US arm of Britain’s Avalon Television, and airs on Sky Atlantic here.

Published: 17 Feb 2015