Saturday Night Live UK: An Overview
What exactly is Saturday Night Live UK? In a word, torturous.
Indeed, it’s truly an exercise in the absence of humor.
The inaugural show on Sky this past Saturday night kicked off with an uninspired Cold Open. It featured a nervous Prime Minister Keir Starmer hesitating to answer a call from Donald Trump, and not a single line from the skit was memorable.
Unexpectedly, Tina Fey appeared as the guest host. Her appearance prompted Bridgerton‘s Nicola Coughlan to question her presence. Adding to the mix was Graham Norton, known for The Graham Norton Show, who chimed in with his thoughts.
I genuinely enjoy a good laugh and cherish moments of humor. However, throughout the evening, not a chuckle, snicker, nor a roaring laugh was to be heard from me. Instead, there were only sighs and yawns. I’m typically not a curmudgeon, but SNL UK managed to extinguish my spirits. The show lacked the essential element of comedy: cleverness. It seemed as if wit had taken a leave of absence, and despite being eager to laugh, my amusement was securely locked away.
Sketches that Fell Flat
One sketch, “David Attenborough’s Last Supper,” gathered 10 iconic Brits ranging from Queen Elizabeth I to a timid Princess Diana as portrayed by Jack Shep. They bickered over whether to have an appetizer, with one character promising engaging conversation that never materialized.
Another segment, “Boovies Goes to the Film’s,” was a parody of a movie talk show hosted by usually dependable Hammed Animashaun (Black Ops), featuring interviews with stars from the fictitious film Hot Streak. A smirk nearly formed on my face when he declared that Hot Streak “sucked all the way through,” a sentiment I echoed about the show itself. I quickly suppressed any signs of amusement.
Reflecting on the Legacy of Saturday Night Live
Lorne Michaels began the original Saturday Night Live on NBC back in 1975, a time when America’s mainstream TV desperately needed bold, innovative humor. The show was groundbreaking, offering live entertainment akin to a daring tightrope walk. Would the performers maintain their balance?
Fast forward over five decades, and we have SNL UK in 2026, a time when such a program seems unnecessary. The nation isn’t craving this type of humor. Where should humor be taking us now? To daring new heights? If so, lead the way. Unfortunately, the show delivered only stale and tired sketches that seemed as though they were dredged up from a dusty, old joke book from the 1950s.
Another puzzlement: why launch the show at 10 p.m.? The trendsetters aren’t nestled in front of their TVs at that hour. My son, who’s usually out DJing around London at that time, had to explain to me via text that no one his age watches shows live anymore. If it’s worthwhile, they’ll catch it later on platforms like Instagram, Deadline, or YouTube—the very way we both watch the U.S. version of SNL.
So if the buzz is terrible, the stylish crowd will just skip it?
“Exactly,” my son replied.
The irony of that reality finally got me laughing.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
His sharp analysis and investigative reports make complex financial topics accessible to all readers.
