What Kind Of Irish Is Your Grandad?: A Review Of Saturday Night Live UK.

What does the former Prince Andrew, David Attenborough and a Great Big Crab Man have in common? They’re all featured in the brand-new Saturday Night Live (SNL) UK, in one of the rarer cases of an originally American-famous television show being brought over to British audiences, rather than the other way around.  

SNL gained notoriety in the United States for its sketch comedy, parodying everything from politics to popular culture, so when a UK version of the show was announced, there was some understandable scepticism about how well the format would resonate with UK audiences that hadn’t seen mainstream political satire sketches since the days of the original Spitting Image puppet show. The announcement of Tina Fey, a famous SNL US alum, as the shows first host, only strengthened the call for the show to distance itself from its American relative, and to tap into the more unique side of British comedy.  

Well-executed sketch comedy can, and does, still resonate with UK audiences

Yet, as the first season of eight total episodes begins to wind down, it can be said that SNL UK, while not without its growing pains, masterfully balances its American heritage with British culture, comedy and beyond. This is only strengthened by its wonderfully vibrant and talented cast, proving that well-executed sketch comedy can, and does, still resonate with UK audiences. There are three key elements to every SNL episode, the sketches, the host, and the musical guest. SNL UK manages to tick the box in every single category. 

Looking closer at the sketches themselves, many of the cast of comedians aren’t as well-known as you might expect, the closest to a household name perhaps being Ania Magliano after her appearance in Taskmaster last year. However, not having any big names attached allows for the show to become a showcase of the vast amount of diverse talent within the UK comedy scene, and talent should be considered an understatement. From Jack Shep as a seductive Princess Diana to Al Nash as a real-life Operation man, every actor seems to have a memorable moment. A special shoutout has to go to George Fouracres, who steals the show in every sketch he is in. From an offensively Italian unemployed Super Mario to a scarily accurate Kier Starmer, Fouracres seems to already be a fan-favourite with his own section – ‘45 Seconds With Fouracres’ – in which he once used his time to sing a song about fruit and vegetables mixed in with a not so subtle message about notorious paedophile Jeffery Epstein.  

What other show is able to get away with parodying an obscure British Pork advertisement from 1984? 

The sketches do still have some American tendencies – notably we get the occasional American guests in the form of late-night US TV host Jimmy Fallon, and the long running SNL US skit ‘Weekend Update’ is also present. However, SNL UK still maintains its own distinct identity, playing on classic British dark humour and slapstick comedy, and still retaining the chaotic magic that made the original SNL so beloved in the US. What other show is able to get away with parodying an obscure British Pork advertisement from 1984? 

The hosts and musical guests only showcase this further, with well-known British hosts in the form of Jack Whitehall, Aimee Lou Wood, Hannah Waddingham and Ncuti Gatwa, alongside British bands like Wet Leg and Kasabian. All of which do a fantastic job at keeping the show well-paced and entertaining, and contribute towards the decently positive reception the show has had critically. Notably SNL UK also seems to unite people across the political spectrum, with Donald Trump reposting a clip of Fouracres’ Kier Starmer taking advice from a ‘Gen Z advisor’ as to how to handle interactions with him. 

As for the future of SNL UK, it should certainly become a mainstay in British comedy (…) it has undoubtedly proven its worth as a brand-new pillar of Saturday Night Television in the UK

All in all, SNL UK was a risky decision that has proven to be a successful one, managing to take an American format and reinvigorate it for a new audience, perfectly encapsulating British culture, and becoming a shining example of the power of UK comedy. The show is only available via Sky/NowTV as it stands, yet the consistent viewing figures from such a small base remains impressive. Furthermore, clips have circulated and gone viral online, with many being uploaded onto YouTube after their original airing. As for the future of SNL UK, it should certainly become a mainstay in British comedy, as in spite of any potential teething issues, it has undoubtedly proven its worth as a brand-new pillar of Saturday Night Television in the UK. But for now, there is only one thing left to say – 

Live From London, It’s Saturday Night!