NO SINGLE person heaped so much ridicule so effectively during Muhammad Morsi’s 12-month presidential stint as a comedian, Bassem Youssef. Week after week his television show, “The Programme”, chipped away relentlessly at Mr Morsi’s prestige. Its season ended the week of the Muslim Brother’s ousting by the army at the end of June.

Since then, Egypt’s good humour has largely soured. For the Brotherhood and its supporters the reasons are obvious. Police bullets have killed hundreds of them, and many more have been locked up. But those who welcomed the coup have also lost their sense of fun, gloating at the defeat of the Islamists and preoccupied with tales of foreign plotters, menacing terrorists and an imagined fifth column of liberal dupes. Many others find themselves squeezed between these two poles, appalled by the violence (including Islamist assaults on security forces) and unsure whom to trust.

So the first episode of a new season of “The Programme” on October 25th drew a vast and eager audience, its size boosted by the fact that it aired on a Friday, the one day when the night-time curfew enforced since the coup starts at 7pm rather than 1am. Would Mr Youssef toe the line now followed by most of Egypt’s media, and shy away from criticising the new, army-backed government? Or would he show it the same irreverence he had for the hapless Mr Morsi? And if so, would he get away with it?

Mr Youssef did not disappoint. After a warm-up summary of recent events exposing Egypt’s current narratives as absurdly polarised, he skewered both the Brotherhood and its hyper-nationalist successors in government. The show concluded with a clip from a speech to army officers given by General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the minister of defence.

The widely adulated general, who now calls the main shots, was shown explaining that things have changed. The army can no longer have things all its way, he said, adding that it must develop “arms” in the media to be more persuasive. Immediately, a muscular bicep emerged from the desk in front of Mr Youssef, replacing his script with a new one. When the comedian shouted in protest, the mysterious arm grabbed for his crotch. The studio audience roared with laughter as the lights dimmed.

On YouTube 1.9m viewers have downloaded the episode, with “likes” outnumbering “dislikes” by four to one. Yet some Egyptians are not amused. Lawsuits have been filed against Mr Youssef, on grounds varying from lewdness to claims that “The Programme” threatens national security. A group called “Sisi for President” accuses the comic of defaming their hero and plans to blockade his studio. The network that aired the show has felt obliged to respond to complaints with a brief apology. Egypt’s public prosecutor may initiate an investigation. So far, Mr Youssef appears unbowed.