Saturday Night Live U.K. Should Be More British

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The first sketch on the March 21st premiere of Saturday Night Live U.K. featured cast member George Fouracres as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, nervously preparing to call Donald Trump. Starmer worried Trump would yell at him if he explained the U.K. wouldn’t support a war in Iran. While the sketch focuses on British politics and is meant for a British audience, its core idea stems from a U.S. situation and established the overall theme for the episode.

Throughout the entire hour, from the opening sequence to the “Weekend Update” segment, it’s clear this show is heavily influenced by its American original, creating a strange viewing experience. It feels less like a unique British comedy show and more like a British version imitating Saturday Night Live. It was inevitable that comparisons would be made, and the producers’ attempt to directly copy the format and style of the original in hopes of achieving the same success is understandable. However, this direct imitation raises a question: who is this show actually for? How many dedicated SNL fans or loyal British viewers would choose to watch this version instead of, or alongside, the original American show?

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It was interesting to see Tina Fey, a star from the American SNL, chosen as the first host instead of a well-known British personality. She even talked about it in her opening monologue! The show mirrored the American format, with Fey taking questions from celebrities like Michael Cera, Graham Norton, and Nicola Coughlan. Nicola actually joked that many Brits might secretly want the show to fail, because that’s just how we are! Fey said she’d try to stay out of the way, but honestly, she was in every sketch, which just highlighted how big a shadow the original SNL casts over this new version. It felt like everyone was aware of the challenge this show faces, trying to live up to something so iconic.

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Staying true to the spirit of the original Saturday Night Live, the sketches are a bit hit-or-miss. Some are excellent, like the pre-recorded “The Budger,” which follows a group dedicated to making the internet worse – for example, by making online ad ‘X’ buttons impossibly small. Others fall flat, such as a sketch set at a movie junket where Animashaun repeatedly asks actors (Fey and Jack Shep) why their movie was terrible, highlighting the U.K.’s more relaxed censorship rules. There’s also a sketch featuring celebrity impressions where David Attenborough (Fouracres) clones deceased British figures like Princess Diana (Shep) and Winston Churchill (Al Nash) for a summit, but they spend their limited time debating what to eat.

While some unevenness in the sketches is understandable given the show’s fast production schedule, the bigger issue is that they don’t feel original. They come across as if British writers were simply creating material for the American SNL, rather than developing a unique identity for this show. For example, the sketch based on Hamnet feels like something that aired on SNL in 2022, with its now-outdated focus on the Brooklyn queer comedy scene. The sketch features William Shakespeare (played by Fouracres) becoming increasingly flamboyant with each return from London, proudly declaring at one point, “I got a cunty little earring.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=YQYtnkvMtL4
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The same goes for the premiere’s “Weekend Update” segment hosted by Ania Magliano and Paddy Young. It boasts perhaps the most consistently strong writing of the episode, but between the eerily similar look and feel of the stage, joke format, and even the character desk piece featuring British fish-stick-brand mascot Captain Birdseye, there’s an unshakable uncanny-valley quality to it. Its worst moments are when Young and Magliano delight in a dicey joke a little too much, conveying the smug self-satisfaction of American “Update” host Dennis Miller. But the segment’s strongest joke departs from the traditional formula of a straightforward setup and punch line accompanied by an onscreen graphic. While discussing global helium shortages caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Young sets up a classic “Update” one-liner (“A spokesperson for the helium industry said …”) before sucking clumsily on a helium tank for a little too long. Finally, in his regular speaking voice: “We’ve run out of helium.”

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The show’s funniest and most exciting parts, though they might not immediately connect with American audiences, are when it fully embraces British humor and cultural references. For example, Emma Sidi’s performance as the enthusiastic bra salesperson, ‘Jugs,’ is hilarious because she fully commits to playing a very exaggerated British character. Similarly, the final sketch, where Fouracres rapidly cycles through four different impressions of an Irish grandfather, works well because of its quick-fire, distinctly British comedic style.

The show truly shines in moments like these, fulfilling a promise made earlier. With Fey on stage, Norton playfully quizzes her on classic British comedy – things like Monty Python and Fawlty Towers – helping her connect with the UK audience. Fey impressively rattles off memorable lines from both shows, highlighting Britain’s rich history of brilliant and unique comedy. It’s a reminder that SNL U.K. should aim to contribute to this tradition, rather than trying to remake shows that America often fails to adapt successfully.

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2026-03-23 23:55