Fifty years after Saturday Night Live first lit up American television, the legendary sketch comedy franchise is finally crossing the Atlantic. Saturday Night Live UK is set to premiere on Saturday, March 21 on Sky One, and with the announcement of its first three celebrity hosts, the buzz surrounding the show has reached a fever pitch.
Leading the charge is none other than Tina Fey, the SNL alumna who joined the original show as a writer in 1997, became its first female head writer two years later, and went on to become one of the most beloved cast members in the programme’s history. Fey departed the American version in 2006 to create and star in 30 Rock, but she has hosted SNL six times since. Now she is set to hand the torch across the pond, hosting the very first episode of the British version on opening night with English indie rock band Wet Leg serving as the inaugural musical guest.
The second episode, airing March 28, will be hosted by Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan, best known internationally for the Fifty Shades of Grey film series and the acclaimed thriller The Tourist. Dornan will be joined by British rock band Wolf Alice, whose critically lauded catalogue makes them a fitting choice for a show that promises to reflect a distinctly British cultural identity.
Rounding out the confirmed trio is Riz Ahmed, the Oscar-winning British actor and rapper whose credits span The Night Of, Sound of Metal, and the upcoming Prime Video comedy series Bait. Ahmed takes the hosting chair on April 4, with rock icons Kasabian providing the musical performance. The timing is notable, as Bait is scheduled to launch on Prime Video in the same week.
The show is executive produced by Lorne Michaels, the creator of the original American series, and produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio’s UK production team alongside Broadway Video. James Longman serves as lead producer, with Liz Clare as director and Daran Jonno Johnson as head writer. Sky’s Phil Edgar-Jones has been emphatic that, while the American team offered structural guidance during development, the British version is designed to stand on its own terms as something unmistakably home-grown.
The 11-person inaugural cast has also been confirmed, comprising Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi, and Paddy Young. The ensemble skews heavily toward British stand-up comedy, with several faces familiar from Taskmaster, Live at the Apollo, and various BBC and Channel 4 projects.
Each 75-minute episode will be written, rehearsed, and performed within the same week and staged in front of a live studio audience in London. The format mirrors the American original closely, with an opening monologue, topical sketches, a UK version of the Weekend Update news segment, and a live musical performance. The six-episode series will be available on Sky One and streaming service NOW in the UK, and American audiences will be able to catch each episode on NBC’s Peacock platform the day after the UK broadcast.
“Live from London, it’s Saturday Night” has a nice ring to it. And judging by the calibre of the first three hosts, the United Kingdom’s long wait for its own version of one of television’s most iconic shows may well have been worth every year.
