Saturday Night Live UK

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Saturday Night Live UK
Genre
Created byLorne Michaels
Written byDaran "Jonno" Johnson (head writer)
Directed byLiz Clare (ep 1–5)
Richard Valentine (ep 6–8)
Starring
AnnouncerBella Hull
Theme music composerPauli Lovejoy
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producerLorne Michaels
ProducerJames Longman
Production locationsTC1, Television Centre, London
Running time75 minutes (inc. advertisements)[1]
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSky One
Release21 March 2026 (2026-03-21) –
present
Related

Saturday Night Live UK (SNL UK) is a British live sketch comedy variety show that premiered on Sky One on 21 March 2026. Created and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, it is a British adaptation of the original American version of the series, featuring an ensemble cast of sketch comedy performers, musical performances, and a special celebrity guest each week. The show's famous opening catchphrase, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", was altered to "Live from London, it's Saturday Night!"

In May 2026, the show was renewed for a second series, which is set to premiere in September 2026.

Cast

The full cast was confirmed on 4 February 2026.[2]

* denotes Weekend Update anchor

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
series		HostMusical guestOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions) [a]
11Tina FeyWet Leg21 March 2026 (2026-03-21)0.53[3]

22Jamie DornanWolf Alice28 March 2026 (2026-03-28)0.51[4]

  • Wolf Alice performs "White Horses" and "Leaning Against the Wall".
  • Chris O'Dowd appears in the opening monologue.
  • Laura Daniel appears in the "British Themed Pub" sketch.
33Riz AhmedKasabian4 April 2026 (2026-04-04)0.43[5]

  • Kasabian performs "Great Pretender" and "Release the Pressure".
44Jack WhitehallJorja Smith11 April 2026 (2026-04-11)0.37[5]

  • Jorja Smith performs "Little Things" and "Price of It All".
  • Writer Chris Cantrill and Kris Mochrie appear in the "DadSwap" sketch.
55Nicola CoughlanFoo Fighters25 April 2026 (2026-04-25)0.38[6]

  • Foo Fighters perform "Caught in the Echo" and "Child Actor".
  • Dave Grohl also appears in the opening monologue, and the 'plane landing' sketch.
  • Jimmy Fallon appears in the opening monologue, the 'film song' sketch and in Weekend Update.
66Aimee Lou WoodMEEK2 May 2026 (2026-05-02)0.33[6]

  • MEEK performs "Fabulous" and "Beautiful Freeks".
77Hannah WaddinghamMyles Smith9 May 2026 (2026-05-09)0.38[6]

88Ncuti GatwaHolly Humberstone16 May 2026 (2026-05-16)0.21[6]

History

Sky, which has broadcast the original American Saturday Night Live since 2020 on linear channel Sky Comedy, was understood to be engaging in the "early stages of development" of a British version in December 2021. At the time, representatives from Saturday Night Live were "understood to be in London discussing the deal with Sky" (like NBC, also owned by Comcast), with comedians reportedly "lining up to be involved".[7] In April 2025, it was confirmed Lorne Michaels would executive produce the show, to air on Sky Max and NOW at an undetermined date in 2026.[8][9] A six-episode order was confirmed in May 2025, with the possibility of an extension depending on its popularity.[10] On 20 March 2026, Sky announced a two episode extension of the series prior to the premiere, bringing the total episode order up to eight.[11] Sky have stated that the programme is written in the week of each show and performed in front of a live studio audience. Similar to the original, it features an opening monologue, sketches, live music, and a British version of the news satire item Weekend Update.[2]

The programme is a production of Broadway Video & SNL Studios in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio's UK production team. Lorne Michaels is credited for the role of show creator and main executive producer, as the programme was commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones (executive director of unscripted originals at Sky) and Lisa Clark (commissioning executive at Sky) for Cecile Frot-Coutaz (CEO of Sky Studios, and Chief Content Officer for Sky). James Longman is lead producer, with Liz Clare as director and Daran "Jonno" Johnson as head writer.[2][12] Several of these key figures visited the studios of the American version in November 2025.[13] Edgar-Jones stated, speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August 2025, said that "the American team have come over, to give structural advice, but they're very mindful this has to be a very British thing".[14] Clare left as the show's director after the fifth episode, owing to prior commitments clashing with the episode order extension. Richard Valentine directed the final three episodes of the inaugural run.[15]

On 7 May 2026, Sky renewed the show for a second series, set to consist of twelve episodes.[16]

Casting and writing staff

The production staff began casting in mid-2025,[14] with auditions taking place that summer.[17] The writers' room was originally announced to be staffed by eighteen writers,[2] which was confirmed as twenty in March, namely: Jonno Johnson (as head writer), Charlie Skelton (as Weekend Update head writer), Celya AB, Omar Badawy, Gráinne Maguire, Laura Claxton, Chris Cantrill, James Farmer, Humphrey Ker, Omodara Olatunji, Joseph Moore, Lorna Rose Treen, Hari Kanth, Louis Waymouth, Keith Akushie, Bella Hull, Ayo Adenekan, Nathan Foad, Al Roberts, and Ellie Fulcher.[18] There were over 200 other members of crew,[19] including Pauli Lovejoy serving as the musical director, Annie Hardinge as costume designer, and Kevin Fortune as the head of wigs, hair and make-up.[20]

The cast and launch date for the series were confirmed on 4 February 2026.[2] It was then revealed that members of the cast had visited the studios of the American version the previous week, during production of its thousandth episode.[21] The cast and writers began workshopping in mid-February, and were trained by the American version's cue-card handler, Wally Feresten, to be readied for the usage of cue cards during the programme. The show used a test audience to establish the quality and worthiness-for-inclusion of sketches.[12] A week prior to launch, Longman named Ania Magliano and Paddy Young as the Weekend Update anchors.[22] As of the second episode, comedian Jamie Demetriou and writer James Graham have joined the programme as consultants;[23] Demetriou was also involved in casting selection.[17]

Production

The programme is broadcast from Television Centre, London, in studio TC1, with the BBC (via its commercial subsidiary BBC Studioworks) providing studios and post-production.[24] According to Variety, the production budget for each episode is estimated to be £2 million.[25]

Typically, around 30–35 sketches are developed for each live show, with eight making it through to final selection. Showrunner Longman has spoken of regular contact with Lorne Michaels, his US counterpart, throughout the week leading up to each programme.[26]

The hair and make-up team typically consists of fourteen to eighteen people, while the costume department has about six assistants.[27]

Broadcast

The eight-episode first series premiered on Sky One on 21 March 2026, with episodes also made available on the streaming service NOW.[11] Viewers watching live through NOW briefly experienced a technical fault during the second episode monologue.[28] Originally due to run for six consecutive weeks,[19] the pre-launch extension allowed the series to undergo a one-week break following the fourth episode.[29]

The programme is sponsored by online marketplace eBay and its livestreaming option eBay Live, which runs bumpers throughout the broadcast, and, as part of social media promotion, runs a YouTube series featuring a stylist in collaboration with cast members,[30] as well as having provided clothing worn by cast members.[31][32] It also hosts events where users of the platform can bid on items from the show, including costume items and signed props, with proceeds to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society's discretionary 'Keep it Fringe Fund'.[33][34][35] During the inaugural run, both eBay and British bakery chain Greggs ran competitions in which entrants could win tickets to one of the live shows.[36][37][38]

The twelve-episode second series is set to premiere in September 2026 and run into early 2027.[39]

International

Shortly after the UK premiere date was announced, it was confirmed that the Canadian streaming service Crave had acquired the series;[40] it is also broadcast on CTV Comedy Channel.[41] In March 2026, NBC-owned streaming service Peacock announced it would release episodes of the series in the United States one day after the UK airdate, at 9pm EDT.[42] In Australia, the series is made available on HBO Max on a two-day delay.[43]

Reception

Critical response

While many were sceptical that the show would land with a UK audience, the reception to the premiere was mixed, with critics highlighting host Tina Fey's performance as positive.[44] Lucy Mangan, writing for The Guardian, stated that the inaugural episode "did work", despite a "stilted" opening.[45] Jason Zinoman of The New York Times opined that while Fey was a good choice for a first host, the show would need to differentiate itself from the original version of SNL.[46] Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club described SNL UK as a "soft reset" for fans of the original show, writing, "It’s a chance for the series to feel [...] just a little more uncertain than its American counterpart, with a different set of cultural references and influences".[47] Steve Bennett of Chortle praised the show, noting that it has given comedians a platform beyond the Edinburgh Fringe and social media that is not typically seen on television.[48]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 16 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Without overthinking the formula, Saturday Night Live UK keeps things loose, confident, and more often funny than not, carving out a strong identity early on."[49]

Viewership

The opening episode drew an audience of 226,000 watching on the night of broadcast,[b][50] which fell 10% to 205,000 for the second episode.[51] Both episodes were competitive with the major television channels in the slot, and considered an improvement on the viewership of Sky One's other original content as well as that of the original US version.[50] After severe deterioration in the size of the overnight audience for the third and fourth episodes,[52][53] overnight viewership improved week-on-week following the mid-run break, before the final episode registered a series low attributed to being broadcast opposite Eurovision.[54] The series averaged 154,000 viewers and a 2.1% audience share across the run, significantly ahead of the 28,000 (0.4%) timeslot average.[55]

Within seven days of broadcast, the launch's audience more-than-doubled to 528,000, also more-than-quadrupling the average audience of the slot at Sky One's initial closure in 2021;[3] including repeat showings and "other viewing" - reportedly Sky's "preferred ratings measure" - the audience was 784,000.[5] Viewership in this metric, however, also declined - by over a quarter of a million - by the fourth episode, and, in total, the run averaged 506,000 by this measure.[56] It was noted that viewership of episodes via NOW was too low to register in online viewing reports. Despite the overall decline, viewership among younger viewers steadily increased,[5] peaking with the sixth episode; factoring in repeats, it averaged 170,000 across the run. The series skewed heavily towards more affluent and professional (ABC1) viewers.[56]

Deadline analysis shows that, as of April 2026, SNL UK clips have garnered over 86 million views across all official social media accounts.[57]

Saturday Night Live UK series 1 viewership
Ep.Broadcast dateOvernightAudience share7-day consolidated7-day consolidated
(inc. repeats)		28-day consolidatedRefs
121 March 2026226,0003.2%528,000784,000TBD[50][5]
228 March 2026205,0003.2%507,200642,000TBD[51][5]
34 April 2026130,1001.8%430,600631,000470,000[52][5][58]
411 April 2026120,0001.6%371,100503,000TBD[53][5]
525 April 2026129,9701.9%377,000TBDTBD[59][60][6]
62 May 2026143,7301.9%327,000TBDTBD[61][60][6]
79 May 2026197,2002.8%380,000TBDTBD[60][6][62]
816 May 202686,4200.9%211,000TBDTBD[54][55][6]

Accolades

The series has been long-listed in the Best Comedy category at the 2026 National Television Awards.[63]

Notes

  1. Includes seven days of post-broadcast viewership.
  2. This number - the 'overnight' - reflects viewers who watched it as it was broadcast and up to 2am, and will increase when catch-up viewership is added.

References

  1. "Saturday Night Live on Sky One HD at 10:00pm March 21st, 2026". Digiguide. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  2. "Full cast announced for Saturday Night Live UK, coming to Sky and NOW 21 March 2026". Sky Group. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  3. Rosenzweig, Jed (29 March 2026). "SNL UK Premiere Doubles Audience, Sets Sky One Record". LateNighter. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  4. Price, Stephen (9 April 2026). "Saturday Night Live UK holds firm in week two". Broadcast. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  5. Kanter, Jake (21 April 2026). "'SNL UK' Storms Past 86M Views On Social Media, But TV Viewing Drops By A Third". Deadline. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  6. "SNL UK consolidated ratings". Imgur. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  7. White, Peter (10 December 2021). "'Saturday Night Live': British Version Of NBC Late-Night Comedy In The Works At Comcast-Backed Sky". Deadline. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  8. ""Live from London, it's Saturday Night!"". Sky Group. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  9. Rosenzweig, Jed (10 April 2025). "Lorne Michaels to Produce New UK-Based Saturday Night Live". LateNighter. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  10. Elmes, John (14 May 2025). "SNL UK handed short run". Broadcast. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  11. Shafer, Ellise (20 March 2026). "'SNL U.K.' Extends First Season to 8 Episodes". Variety. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  12. Aroesti, Rachel (15 March 2026). "'How could this be anything other than funny?!' Behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live UK". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  13. Riccardo, Nick (14 November 2025). "SNL UK Team Shadowed US Counterparts Last Week". LateNighter. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  14. Riccardo, Nick (21 August 2025). "SNL UK Names Its Lorne Michaels". LateNighter. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  15. Mitovich, Matt Webb (29 April 2026). "Liz Clare Exits SNL UK to Direct Tony Awards; Richard Valentine to Wrap Season". LateNighter. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  16. Goldbart, Max (7 May 2026). "Saturday Night Live UK Renewed For Season 2 At Sky". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  17. Parkin, Simon (8 May 2026). "Look who's laughing now: how Saturday Night Live landed in the UK". The Observer. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  18. "Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team". Sky Group. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
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  20. Webb Mitovich, Matt (27 January 2026). "SNL UK Adds Pauli Lovejoy as Musical Director". LateNighter. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  21. Rosenzweig, Jed (5 February 2026). "Photos: SNL UK Cast Visited SNL's Studio 8H Last Week". LateNighter. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  22. Mitovich, Matt Webb (15 March 2026). "SNL UK Weekend Update Anchors Revealed". LateNighter. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
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  25. Yossman, K. J. (24 March 2026). "'SNL U.K.' Budget No Joke at Estimated $2.6 Million Per Episode (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  26. Riddell, Greer (23 May 2026). "'SNL UK' Is Already Fixing the American Show's Most Exhausting Problem". Collider. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  27. Yossman, K. J. (15 May 2026). "How 'SNL U.K.' Artisans Turned the Cast Into Melania Trump, Princess Diana and Crab Man: 'I Don't Want to Insult Anyone, I Want People to Go, "Oh My God, That's Funny"'". Variety. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  28. Rosenzweig, Jed (29 March 2026). "SNL UK Hit by Brief Transmission Glitch During Second Episode". LateNighter. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  29. Shafer, Ellise (31 March 2026). "Jack Whitehall to Host SNL U.K. With Jorja Smith as Musical Guest". Variety. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  30. "eBay partners with Saturday Night Live for its UK debut - bringing eBay Live to centre stage". UK eBay Community. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  31. ebay_uk and ebayliveuk [@ebay_UK]; (10 April 2026). "Stone cold stunners in pre-loved pieces ✨ All from eBay, naturally 😉 [...]" – via Instagram.
  32. ebay_uk and ebayliveuk [@ebay_UK]; (26 March 2026). "Pre-loved on prime time ✨ Sourced on eBay, styled by @amybannermanstylist and #raphaelcastelmezzano for @snluk. Standout pieces that might just steal the show. [...]" – via Instagram.
  33. ebay_uk and ebayliveuk [@ebay_UK]; (2 April 2026). "Join @jakebhardwajtv on April 8th at 20:00 for the first @SNLUK x eBay Live. [...]" – via Instagram.
  34. "Saturday Night Live UK eBay Live". eBay. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  35. "Exclusive eBay Live X SNL UK event to donate proceeds to the 2027 Keep It Fringe fund". Edinburgh Fringe. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  36. "Promotions and offers - Greggs Quests - Greggs x Saturday Night Live UK". Greggs. Archived from the original on 16 March 2026. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  37. ebay_uk and ebayliveuk [@ebay_UK]; (6 May 2026). "How does watching @snluk live on 16th May in the London studio sound? Yeah… thought so. Good news, you've got a shot! [...]" – via Instagram.
  38. Duke, Simon (13 March 2026). "Queues expected as limited edition bus to give out free Greggs in Newcastle". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  39. Stolworthy, Jacob (7 May 2026). "Live from London... again! SNL UK has been renewed for another series". The Independent. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  40. Stalcup, Jamie (6 February 2026). "Crave Acquires Saturday Night Live UK". WorldScreen. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  41. "CTV On Air - Schedule". CTV. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  42. Rosenzweig, Jed (9 March 2026). "Peacock to Stream Saturday Night Live UK in the U.S." LateNighter. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  43. "Airdate: Saturday Night Live UK". TVTonight. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  44. Whittock, Jesse (21 March 2026). "Tina Fey Leads 'Saturday Night Live UK' Debut". Deadline. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  45. Mangan, Lucy (22 March 2026). "Saturday Night Live UK review – it didn't fail and it could have been a lot worse". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  46. Zinoman, Jason; Tate, Gabriel (23 March 2026). "A Review of the U.K.'s 'S.N.L.' Debut From Both Sides of the Atlantic". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  47. Hassenger, Jesse (10 April 2026). "Saturday Night Live UK is both a revitalization and a rehash". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  48. Bennett, Steve (17 May 2026). "All hail Saturday Night Live UK!". Chortle. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  49. "Saturday Night Live UK: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
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  51. Yossman, K.J. (29 March 2026). "'SNL U.K.' Ratings Dip With Jamie Dornan-Hosted Second Episode". Variety. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  52. Yossman, K.J. (5 April 2026). "'SNL U.K.' Ratings Drop by 42% for Riz Ahmed-Hosted Episode 3". Variety. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  53. Goldbart, Max (13 April 2026). "'SNL UK' Ratings Stabilize For Final Ep Before Hiatus". Deadline. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  54. Kanter, Jake (17 May 2026). "'SNL UK' Bows Out With Series Low Ratings Against Eurovision". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  55. Fallon, Heather (18 May 2026). "Eurovision Song Contest slides by 1.5m". Broadcast. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  56. Price, Stephen (2 June 2026). "Saturday Night Live UK finishes on a promising note". Broadcast. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  57. Kanter, Jake (22 April 2026). "'SNL UK' Storms Past 86M Social Media Views, But TV Ratings Drop 30%". Deadline. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  58. "Genre overview tables (April 2026 - 28-day consolidated)". Broadcast. 16 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  59. Price, Stephen (1 May 2026). "SNL UK holds steady as Quest's car show leads car show battle". Broadcast. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
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  62. Price, Stephen (15 May 2026). "SNL UK builds momentum". Broadcast. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  63. Hibbs, James (19 May 2026). "National Television Awards 2026 nominations longlist revealed as The Traitors shows compete against each other". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 May 2026.