Saturday Night Live UK is fresher and funnier than the stale US original

Michael HoganSun, September 13, 2026 at 12:13 AM UTC

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Musical guest CMAT, host Jeff Goldblum and cast-member Emma Sidi - Saturday Night Live UK

Saturday Night Live UK (Sky One) came back with all royal and governmental guns blazing. The second series kicked off by gleefully mocking Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex’s return to Britain. When the much-maligned couple barged into Balmoral, an understandably exasperated King Charles sighed: “What do you two want? Don’t tell me you’ve spent all that Netflix money already.”

“Daddy, it was $16m,” replied Harry sulkily. “How long was it supposed to last?”

“What a waste you’ve become,” replied the long-suffering monarch. “You’re lucky your father isn’t around to see this.” Cue sharp intakes of breath in the studio audience.

Breakout star George Fouracres, whose nasally ineffectual Keir Starmer impression was a highlight of the debut run, now entered as his successor Andy Burnham. “I’m the new PM and I’m nothing like the last one,” he said with a wink to camera and a bat of those much-discussed eyelashes. “I will buy everybody a pint because I need you to like me.”

SNL UK’s inaugural series this spring surprised many with its swagger and confidence, proving the sneering sceptics wrong. It thankfully didn’t fall into the trap of being too in thrall to the US original and was very much its own beast, with quintessentially British gags about theme pubs, Mr Blobby and the Famous Five. Like any sketch show, let alone one written in the week of transmission, it was hit and miss. When it hit, however, it was riotously funny.

The cast of SNL UK - Charlotte Rutherford

Best of all, it showcased a generation of fresh comic talent, given a rare platform beyond the Edinburgh Fringe and social media. Costing £2m per episode, this high-profile gamble for Sky paid off handsomely. Ratings exceeded expectations, while viral clips racked up millions of views.

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As it returned for an extended run of 12 episodes, celebrity bookings had duly gone up a gear. The guest host was Jeff Goldblum. Sadly, the wilfully quirky Hollywood actor drained the humour from the majority of sketches he appeared in. His jazz opener was cringe-inducingly dated. He proceeded to fluff several punchlines. Having hosted the US original twice in the Nineties, Goldblum felt like a man out of time. A younger, hipper host would have kicked off this sophomore series with more impact.

The music act was Irish pop phenomenon and all-round force of nature CMAT. Her charismatic and flamboyant performances were worth the price of admission alone. Seemingly promoted above Goldblum, she starred in the closing skit alongside anarchic cult hero Fouracres. It doesn’t get much more surreally homegrown than a lightsaber fight about black pudding.

Elsewhere, it was patchy business as usual. The underrated Celeste Dring reprised her Claudia Winkleman impression for a caustic spoof of ivory-tinkling talent show The Piano, where the usual sob stories were undermined by concourse chaos at Euston station. A King Kong pastiche took a turn when the giant gorilla turned out to be bisexual.

News satire slot Weekend Update, anchored by Ania Magliano and Paddy Young, was a highlight as per. From this week’s anti-migrant protests to Germany’s AfD party, from Reform UK’s finances to Donald Trump’s tonsorial travails, the rapid-fire gags were edgy, mischievous and bracingly non-woke.

Princess Di-impersonating Jack Shep, a rising star of the debut run, was criminally under-used. New arrival Freddie Meredith showed promise. Regular scene-stealer Emma Sidi saved several flagging sketches by sheer force of comic personality.

Was it perfect? By no means. It was too raw and uneven for that. But was it thrillingly unpredictable with hilarious high points? Emphatically yes. Embarrassingly for head honcho Lorne Michaels, this UK spin-off is proving fresher and funnier than the stale, stodgy US original. Forget boring old New York. Live from London, it’s Saturday night again.

Saturday Night Live UK is on Sky/NOW and continues on Saturdays on Sky One at 10pm

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”