NEW YORK: With verve and a touch of humility, South African comic Trevor Noah has taken over as host of “The Daily Show,” filling the gigantic shoes of award-winning satirist Jon Stewart.

“This is surreal for me. I’m not gonna lie,” Noah said, launching into the show-opening monologue Monday night.

“Growing up in the dusty streets of South Africa, I never dreamed that I would one day have two things really: an indoor toilet and a job as host of the Daily Show. And now I have both, and I’m quite comfortable with one of them.”

Until being named to take over as the show’s host, the 31-year-old was not well known in the United States. He has done stand-up comedy around the world but on “The Daily Show” he appeared as a contributor just a few times.

Some of Stewart’s people have remained on the set, providing a degree of continuity for the four-times-a-week show.

But the 52-year-old Stewart, who retired Aug. 7 after a 16-year run on Comedy Central network, is a hard act to follow.

He turned the show into a unique cocktail of politics, journalism and entertainment that skewered politicians, the world in general and sensationalist cable news coverage in particular.

He was loved by liberals as a voice of reason and distrusted by conservatives for his left-of-center perspective.