British broadcaster Sky announced Wednesday its full, 11-player cast for the upcoming first season of “Saturday Night Live UK.”
Hammed Animashaun (“Black Ops”), Ayoade Bamgboye (“Rise and Shine with Channel 9”), Larry Dean (“The Royal Variety Performance 2024”), Celeste Dring (“Lazy Susan”), George Fouracres (“Steve”), Ania Magliano (“Taskmaster”), Annabel Marlow (“Six The Musical”), Al Nash (“Michael McIntyre’s Big Show”), Jack Shep (“Big Boys”), Emma Sidi (“Starstruck”) and Paddy Young (“Everyone Else Burns”) will make up the cast of the show’s six-episode debut season.
The series, Britain’s first attempt to bring NBC’s legendary sketch comedy TV staple across the pond, is set to make its premiere on Sky and streaming service NOW on Saturday, March 21. While Daran Jonno Johnson (“Siblings”) has been appointed Head Writer, the full “SNL UK” writing staff has yet to be announced. Unlike the American original, which is filmed live in New York City at Studio 8H, “SNL UK” will kick off each of its episodes with a British riff on the series’ iconic opening line, “Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!”
“The UK is absolutely packed with incredible comedy talent right now and this cast represents the freshest voices we have, they’re bold, exciting and of course, incredibly funny,” lead producer James Longman said of the “SNL UK” cast members announced Wednesday. “The chemistry between them is something special and we can’t wait to share this funny group of people with the world.”
“We all need a laugh like never before, so we’re beyond excited to bring ‘Saturday Night Live’ to the UK, only 50 short years after it first launched in the US,” added Phil Edgar Jones OBE, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky. “The show’s long-standing legacy of discovering and nurturing outstanding comedy talent speaks for itself, and this UK version will build on that legacy with the support of Lorne Michaels, a brilliant local production team, and an exciting new generation of voices. Saturday nights are looking bright!”
The goal of “SNL UK” is to bring the improvisatory, high-wire energy of its NBC parent series to the U.K. and give it a distinctly British spin. Like “SNL” in the U.S., each episode will feature a new celebrity host and musical guest. The series will also hold onto “SNL’s” general episodic format, which means each episode will feature an opening monologue, pre-planned sketches and even a U.K. take on the recurring, long-running “Weekend Update” segment.
“SNL UK” is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio’s U.K. production team and Broadway Video for Sky and NOW. “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels is also attached as one of the show’s executive producers.
