Guardian Members Corey Sutch and Isy Mead attended a discussion with the South African comedian, writer and current host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah

‘His book is an amazing tribute to his mother’

Isy: In Noah’s new book, Born a Crime, he recalls growing up in a township in apartheid-era South Africa. It was fascinating to hear about the people who have played a part in his life and how he rose to fame.

Corey: His mother survived being shot in the head by her abusive partner, but refused to leave her home. She seems to have taught him a lot about pushing back against those who try to victimise you, and I think he’s drawn a lot of strength from her.

‘When he started out, he was scared of how people would perceive him’

Isy: He’s had an amazing rise to fame, considering he grew up in such a hostile environment. He said he has encountered racism from both white and black people, and once was even mistaken for a Mexican!

Corey: The struggle he has encountered as a mixed-race man was especially interesting to me, as someone who grew up in Northern Ireland and is in an inter-racial relationship. It’s amazing to think that he was the product of a union that was not only taboo, but illegal. I don’t think the issues of race and colonisation are discussed as openly as they ought to be.

‘Noah’s voice is particularly important in the current climate’

Isy: His story shows the extremity of what can happen when corruption takes over society. It was a really interesting perspective. He described apartheid as “the most perfect racism” because it had an impact at so many different levels. He had an interesting perspective on recent events in America, and made a point of emphasising that we actually don’t know what’s going to happen.

Corey: His take on left-wing reactions to race was really thought-provoking. He said people can sometimes be almost accidentally offensive, and gave an example of a football game during which a banana was thrown on to the pitch and one of the team’s representatives immediately apologised for the “racist” act. But it wasn’t necessarily.

‘He did a great job of identifying how American humour differs from British humour’

Corey: He spoke about his visit to the Edinburgh Fringe and London’s Comedy Store when he was younger, and how those experiences had shaped him as a performer and helped refine his humour. He vividly remembered seeing Eddie Izzard – he had no idea who he was but he taught him a lot!

Isy: He said, quite succinctly, that Australians are more honest in their humour, British people are more awkward, and Americans are all about performance. His own style has probably been influenced by all three in some way. And I think possibly his own comedy is so well-honed because of what he’s had to overcome. He told this brilliant story about how, when he was little, if the car broke down on the way to church, his mother would interpret it as a sign of the struggle they needed to overcome in order to find God, and he just thought it was a sign they should go home!

Corey is 22, lives in London, and works for an Aids charity, the Staying Alive Foundation. Isy is 33 and works in Oxford as head of learning at The Story Museum.

This event took place on 26 November at Central Hall Westminster in London. To find out about upcoming events sign up to become a Guardian Member