The British version of the famous American comedy show Saturday Night Live UK debuted on March 21 at the top of Sky One’s live lineup. This was a transatlantic twist on the late-night sketch format. Comedy legend Tina Fey, 55, hosted the show. It was made in the same fast-paced way as SNL, with an opening monologue and topical sketches. There was also live music from the indie rock band Wet Leg. Additionally, it featured a British version of the “Weekend Update” segment called “Weekend Review.” Lorne Michaels, who created and ran SNL in 1975, led the UK version with a team of 20 writers and 11 young comedians. The cast included Emma Sidi from Taskmaster and other rising stars. The episode aired at 9 p.m. GMT and was shown to a live audience in London. It got mixed but mostly positive reviews from viewers and critics.
Tina Fey was SNL’s first female head writer from 1997 to 2001 and hosted six times in the US. Moreover, she used her experience to calm nerves in the UK debut by saying things like, “I’m just here as a longtime SNL employee to help out.”
She started the show with British humor that was full of swearing. This included jokes about Keir Starmer’s “boring” personality and “None of you f***ers would do it” when she talked about why no British host led the premiere. Her sketches showed how versatile she is. One had a grizzly bear with a red bucket hat stuck to its head riding a Paddington bear. Another had a de-aging serum that could have upset parents.
People on Reddit loved it and gave it a “excellent” rating. They said that she was a steady hand for the excited cast. Critics praised her as “shockingly competent,” and The Daily Telegraph’s Ed Power gave her four stars.
The sketches in the episode mixed British pop culture with SNL’s edge. The show started with a funny scene behind the scenes where Fey’s carry-on bag spilled wigs, a crown, and a “eel pie with extra eel” for cast member Shep. Ania Magliano and Paddy Young hosted the *Weekend Review* segment, which had sharper jokes than the US version. They joked, “Coming up, paedophiles—but first, war!” along with jokes about Starmer and David Attenborough. Some jokes didn’t work, like the Prince Andrew “marsh” body punchline. However, they did push the limits, and critics said the show was willing to offend. The first musical act of the show, Wet Leg, got a lot of praise for their energy and fit. Fans called them “fantastic.”
The Guardian and other outlets said that the first episode was “a very strong opener” with both good and bad points. They liked Fey’s British digs but didn’t like the flatter jokes. Charlotte Ivers of The Sunday Times praised the edgy risk-taking. However, she said, “sadly, in many cases the jokes don’t live up to the risk.” The Telegraph and Deadline’s roundup gave it four stars, calling it a “surprisingly competent” spin-off. Some people made fun of the concerns about canned laughter. However, others were excited about future hosts Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed. Trailers got a lot of bad reviews at first, with some saying “British comedy died here” and others saying “Tina Fey launches British SNL!”
