Thespian Patrick Stewart showed off his comedy skills on U.S. TV on Wednesday night by pretending to be comedian and The Daily Show correspondent John Oliver for a news piece about the dispute between American football league officials and referees, which was resolved overnight.

The bald X-Men actor wore a black wig for the skit, during which he used Shakespearean language to report the latest news.

Stewart then revealed his true identity and joked he, "(Al) Pacino, (Meryl Streep) and Glenn Close and the incomparable Mandy Patinkin" had been drafted in as "replacement correspondents" after regulars like Oliver "emboldened by the NFL labour dispute" had also gone on strike.

Oliver rushed into shot when Daily Show host Jon Stewart threatened to fire his regular contributors and replace them with the movie stars for good.

Stewart quipped, "I'd love this job. It seems to me to be incredibly easy."

However, he changed his mind when he heard how much he'd be paid, stating, "No f--king way...! I am on strike."