‘Saturday Night Live’ Coming to the U.K. With Sky

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“Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!”

Next year, you might not recognize it now, but that’ll change as NBC’s extended live satirical series, Saturday Night Live, makes its debut in the U.K., offering a homegrown version tailored for British audiences.

Comcast-owned Sky and the creator of SNL, Lorne Michaels, are bringing the classic comedy show SNL to the UK. The live, quick-witted sketch show will keep its original format for this adaptation, featuring a lineup of well-known stars as hosts and musical guests, along with a group of British comedians and comedy writers. This spinoff is expected to air in 2026.

Further information about the launch date for the SNL UK, along with updates regarding cast members, hosts, and musical entertainers, is expected to be revealed in the upcoming months.

For more than half a century, ‘Saturday Night Live’ has occupied a distinctive place in television and our common cultural discourse, mirroring and sparking global discussions under the deft comedic direction of Lorne Michaels,” expressed Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and head of content for Sky, in a statement. “This show has fostered numerous comedy and musical talents throughout its history, and we’re ecstatic about our collaboration with Lorne and the ‘SNL’ team to introduce a British version of the show to UK viewers next year. The live broadcast will originate from London every Saturday night!

Michael serves as both the creator and executive producer for the upcoming show known as SNL UK. This production will be handled by his company, Broadway Video, in collaboration with Universal Television Alternative Studio’s U.K. production team. The greenlight for this series has been given by Phil Edgar-Jones, who holds the position of executive director for unscripted originals at Sky.

It’s been a while since there’s been an official SNL version for the U.K., even though spin-offs of the show exist in various countries like Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Finland, and Poland. However, it’s important to note that all the international adaptations were short-lived and stopped airing several years ago.

A British comedy show, strongly influenced by Saturday Night Live, aired as Saturday Live on Channel 4 from 1985 to 1988, and then briefly reappeared on ITV in 1996 with some special episodes. Notable for launching the careers of several successful U.K. comedians such as Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Ben Elton, Harry Enfield, Patrick Marber, Morwenna Banks, Chris Barrie, Julian Clary, Emo Philips, Tracey Ullman, Craig Ferguson, Craig Charles, Josie Lawrence, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson.

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2025-04-10 10:54