Saturday Night Live UK: What did the critics think?

The first episode of Saturday Night Live UK has hit our screens - 50 years after the US original - and largely got a warm welcome from critics, but it failed to raise a smile with some. When it was announced, there was wariness about how the comedy sketch show would translate for a British audience. That was partly assuaged when the cast, made up of up-and-coming talent rather than established names, was announced. As with the American version, each episode has a guest host and the British debut was fronted by Tina Fey, who made her name as a cast member on SNL. There were also surprise appearances from stars including Nicola Coughlan and Graham Norton. The overall feeling was that there were hits and misses during the 75-minute opener on Sky One, with its skits on Paddington, Hamnet and Sir David Attenborough. The Guardian's Lucy Mangan says: "It could have been a lot worse." Giving it three stars, she says the overall feeling was that the show "did work", with some "proper jokes for grown-ups" especially in the Weekend Update section riffing on the news. Mangan points out that the team and audience need to "build up a rhythm and rapport with the show", adding "it felt refreshing

Mar 22, 2026 → Mar 22, 2026