For more than five decades, American weekend audiences tuning in to NBC have heard the familiar phrase “Live from New York… it’s Saturday Night!” This weekend, on Saturday 21 March, UK audiences heard it for the first time with one important alteration: “Live from London.” The long‑awaited debut of Saturday Night Live UK was broadcast on Sky One from TC1 at the iconic Television Centre.
This British version is produced by the same team behind the American original, and they have imported the format on an almost like for like basis. The show opened with the traditional “cold open”, featuring George Fouracres as Keir Starmer leaving a voice note for Donald Trump, explaining why they should remain friends despite not going to war together. The sketch cleverly escalated into a celebration of shared cultural values before delivering, with welcome vigour, the line we were all waiting for.
The opening titles continued to mirror the US format, with New York landmarks replaced by London sights. Then came the opening monologue, always delivered by the guest host. For this first episode, the producers wisely chose Tina Fey, a former cast member and writer of the original series. Fey’s monologue aimed to establish the link between the two versions and included well‑timed “interruptions” from Graham Norton and Nicola Coughlan. Both are familiar names on both sides of the Atlantic, which likely offered the producers an additional layer of security.
What followed was exactly the kind of sketch comedy SNL is famous for, wacky, irreverent, off‑beat and sharply topical. Scripts continue to be written right up to broadcast, and an authentic feature of the original was present in the form of hand‑written cue cards. Although not shown on screen, the cast were visibly reading from them, and while this is a hallmark of the show’s tradition, British audiences may need a little time to adjust to the wandering eye-lines.
The sketches felt like their American counterparts but with a distinctly British twist. There was one on Paddington Bear, another featuring David Attenborough (played again by Fouracres), and a parody of the recently released Hamnet. The writers struck a strong balance here, and as the series settles into its run it feels likely that even more British humour will emerge. Bad language, prohibited in the American broadcast version, was used freely in Saturday Night Live UK.
Social media reaction during and immediately after the broadcast noted that some sketches were funnier than others and some did not land at all. The sheer volume of these comments probably signals that the writers have judged things correctly. Not everyone enjoys the same kind of comedy, so a mixed response suggests there is something in there for everyone.
As with the American version, there appears to be a tendency to rely heavily on the same cast members in consecutive sketches while others are barely seen. Given that most of this ensemble are relatively unknown outside theatre and stand‑up, it feels like a missed opportunity. Even so, some inevitable standouts emerged, particularly George Fouracres along with Hammed Animashaun and Jack Shep. The Weekend Update segment was a triumph, hosted by Ania Magliano and Paddy Young, taking confident aim at influencers and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The musical guest for the opening show was Wet Leg, continuing another central SNL tradition. There are very few, if any, UK primetime shows that combine sketch comedy with live music, so this brings an exciting additional element to an already successful format. Running at 75 minutes, and with fewer adverts than the US version, some sketches felt slightly drawn out, but this is something that can easily be tightened as the series progresses.
What this first episode ultimately proves is that the spirit of SNL translates brilliantly when filtered through British sensibilities. It celebrates new talent, embraces the quirks of live television and delivers an infectious sense of fun. If the show continues on this path, Saturday Night Live UK could well become a staple of Saturday nights for years to come.
Saturday Night Live UK broadcasts on Sky One and Now TV at 10pm on Saturday evenings.
