When Saturday Night Live UK was first announced, it was hard not to feel a little nervous about the whole thing. The American original is such a specific beast, built around live sketches, topical jokes, celebrity hosts and the kind of chaotic broadcast energy that can either feel thrilling or deeply awkward depending on the night. Translating that to a British audience was always going to be a risk, especially when UK sketch comedy on television has felt oddly quiet in recent years.
Thankfully, the first episode is much stronger than the most cynical predictions suggested. It is not perfect, and like all sketch shows, it has its hits and misses, but there is enough confidence, weirdness and genuine comic spark here to suggest Saturday Night Live UK could become a really exciting home for new British comedy talent.
Having Tina Fey host the debut episode was a very smart move. As a former SNL cast member and head writer, she brings instant authority to the format, but she also has the relaxed comic presence needed to stop the whole thing feeling like a nervous experiment. Her opening monologue works as both a welcome and a gentle introduction to what this UK version is trying to be, with surprise appearances from Nicola Coughlan, Graham Norton, Michael Cera and Regé-Jean Page adding just the right amount of first-night sparkle.
The episode opens with a political cold open, with George Fouracres playing Keir Starmer as he is coached through a call with Donald Trump. It is a decent enough way to begin, and there are funny touches in the idea of a deeply British, deeply awkward prime minister trying to manage global crisis through polite panic, though the sketch itself is not the strongest of the night. The better moments come when the show allows itself to feel stranger, more British and less concerned with proving it can copy the American version beat for beat.
That is where the debut really starts to work. The best sketches lean into a slightly darker, more surreal British comic sensibility, whether through a chaotic Paddington-themed experience, a very committed spoof cosmetics advert, or a version of Shakespeare who returns from London with some extremely questionable new energy. There is also a brilliant silliness to the way the show plays with familiar British references, from TV nostalgia to public figures to the general oddness of national life. When it hits, it feels less like a remake and more like a proper UK comedy show that happens to be using the SNL structure.
The clearest highlight is Weekend Update, hosted by Ania Magliano and Paddy Young. The pair have that lovely live-TV energy where half the fun is watching them try not to laugh, and their chemistry gives the segment a real lift. It feels like the part of the episode that most immediately knows what it is, mixing topical bite with a bit of looseness and a sense that anything could go slightly wrong at any second.
The cast as a whole make a strong first impression, especially considering how much pressure there must be in launching a live sketch show with this much scrutiny attached. Not every sketch lands, and a few feel either too long or not quite sure how far they want to push the joke, but that is almost built into the format. The important thing is that the show already feels alive. There is risk in it. There is the occasional flash of terror behind the eyes. There is also the lovely sense of watching new comic performers figure out the rhythm of live television in real time.
Wet Leg also make a strong impact as musical guests, giving the episode a bit of indie edge and helping the whole thing feel more like an actual weekly cultural event rather than just a curiosity. That is what Saturday Night Live UK needs to become if it is going to survive: not just a sketch show, but something people want to watch live, clip, share, argue about, quote the next morning, and actually make part of their Saturday night routine.
For a first episode, this is a promising start. It has the rough edges you would expect, but it also has personality, confidence and a willingness to be a bit odd. More importantly, it does not feel like an American format awkwardly wearing a Union Jack blazer. At its best, Saturday Night Live UK feels sharp, silly and properly British, with enough standout moments to make the whole experiment feel worth it.
If the show can keep leaning into its own voice, trust its cast and embrace the weirdness of its strongest sketches, Sky might have something genuinely exciting on its hands. The first episode does not get everything right, but it gets enough right to make you want to tune in again, which for a live sketch show proving itself is not a bad result at all.
Saturday Night Live UK airs on Saturdays at 10pm on Sky One in the UK.