Ignore the ratings – SNL UK is must-see TV

“British people tend to root for the failures of others”, a cameoing Nicola Coughlan chimed in during the opening monologue of SNL UK, explaining to American guest host Tina Fey why no one from these shores would touch the first episode with a bargepole. It’s a national mentality which also explains why there’s also been a certain “I told you so” snideness about its ratings: while the premiere pulled in a respectable 226,000, according to Variety, its fourth outing attracted just 120,000 (Deadline).  

However, as the men in suits must surely have accounted for, an untested sketch show featuring unknown comedians airing at 10pm on a subscription channel was never going to pull in blockbuster numbers. But its strong word-of-mouth and viral online success suggest that the audacious experiment deserves at least a second season. Furthermore, no matter the viewing figures, it’s provided UK TV comedy with the shot in the arm it desperately needed.  

Indeed, with a dearth of new sitcoms, an over-reliance on tired formats (Mock the Week was recently revived just four years after it was put out to pasture), and the same old faces propping them up (see Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Josh Widdecombe et al), the scene had become staler than Peter Kay’s garlic bread. But SNL UK’s cast of relatively new faces, risk-taking sketches and an ‘anything can happen’ live TV element has now made 10pm on Sky One the week’s top viewing appointment.  

It’s provided UK TV comedy with the shot in the arm it desperately needed

Its debut was particularly thrilling, not only for the fact it was actually laugh-out-loud funny, but in the way it displayed a very British sense of humour. Any fears that this would simply be a pale imitation of the US institution were put to bed with the first filmed skit, an advert for a woman’s face cream so effective in reducing wrinkles that, “everyone will think your husband is a nonce”.  

George Fouracres, who alongside Princess Diana-impersonating Jack Shep, is an early standout, channelled classic Bob Mortimer with a surreal singalong called “What kind of Irish is your grandad?” A Hamnet spoof featured a William Shakespeare hipster-ified by his trips to London showing off his “c***y little earring”. Even the all-American Fey embraced her inner Anglophile, referencing everything from Keeping Up Appearances to the insanely catchy jingle, Autoglass Repair, Autoglass Replace.

A veteran of the original (as well as serving as head writer for seven seasons, and being a writer and regular cast member for even longer, she’s also hosted six times), Fey was an inspired booking, instantly providing a sense of authority while simultaneously helping to usher in a new generation of SNL stars. But would the show work as well without such an experienced name at its helm? 

SNL UK is infinitely weirder than its Stateside counterpart and all the better for it

Well, Jamie Dornan soon proved that yes, it would. Although more renowned for his dashing good looks and Irish charm, the actor also displayed natural comic timing and a willingness to put himself at the mercy of the show’s writers. In the closing sketch, for example, he plays a starstruck rugby fan who believes the best way to impress his favourite player is to cut off his testicles and attach them to his stomach. SNL UK is infinitely weirder than its Stateside counterpart and all the better for it.

The second also episode also boasted two all-time classic sketches; a pitch-perfect banger titled ‘Pub Song’ brilliantly skewering British package holidaymakers’ tendency to stick to what they know (“Everything we need/Menus we can read/On the big screen they’ve got West Ham lead”) and a hilarious horror spoof which depicted Jools Holland as the boogeyman (and boogie-woogie man) of daylight savings time.  

Fresh from his triumphant James Bond-adjacent satire Bait, Riz Ahmed also got into the spirit while presiding over episode three, playing the baby daddy of an Easter Bunny at a deranged antenatal class and a ganged-up-on contestant in a brilliant takedown of The Traitors’ (and pretty much every competitive reality show’s) issue with racial profiling.  

And as well as hosting episode four, the dependable Jack Whitehall took centre stage in another all-time classic, an expertly observed Mastermind parody in which his specialist subject was: “Things my mum has told me about people I’ve never met and have no connection to”. (“What piece of information did your mum tell you not to put on the internet? That Pat has a new gate.”) 

Of course, the one SNL UK constant is Weekend Update, the faux-news bulletin which irreverently summarises the week’s main headlines (and just as importantly, the latest developments in K-Pop sensation BTS). Paddy Young and Ania Magliano are a joy to watch as they deliver punchline after punchline, often struggling not to corpse at material which can range from unashamedly silly to surprisingly provocative (see the joke in which Jesus is referred to as “the only murdered Palestinian we’re allowed to talk about”).  

Even if the comedy isn’t to your taste, SNL UK should be applauded for providing one of the few TV platforms for live music. Wet Leg, Wolf Alice and Jorja Smith have all no doubt picked up new fans with their impressive performances: outdated booking Kasabian, on the other hand, may well have lost some.  

SNL UK should be applauded for providing one of the few TV platforms for live music

Admittedly, the fledgling show still has a few problems. It hasn’t yet quite worked out how to utilise its all cast members. Larry Dean, for example, has barely got a word in. The writers seem to have a difficulty in knowing how to conclude a skit before it completely fizzles out. And unsurprisingly, given the sketch show’s hit-and-miss nature, it’s had its fair share of bombs (what was the bizarre sing-song about food wraps sticking to their packaging all about?!) 

But hopefully, the hugely talented cast and crew will be given time to iron them out. Far from the career-destroying car crash many predicted, SNL UK has instead become one of the week’s pop cultural highlights.  

Should you watch SNL UK?

100 percent yes. It’s the funniest thing on television right now and one of the most daring comedy shows the UK has produced in years. If you haven’t yet experienced its joys, go back and watch the first four episodes. And then look forward to settling down each Saturday night to watch the remaining four. With the Derry Girls’ favourite Nicola Coughlan and The White Lotus standout Aimee Lou Wood confirmed as the next two hosts, the show looks set to maintain its early high standards.

The first four episodes of SNL UK are available to stream on Sky/NOW TV with a new episode airing each Saturday at 10pm on Sky One until May 16.