From quirky impressions of celebrities to 45 seconds of absurdity, the UK’s take on Saturday Night Live returned on Saturday as it kicked off its second series.
The first series created something special that has revived the UK comedy scene, so how’s the second one started out? Film News Blitz’s Charlie Gardner gives his thoughts.
In March 2026, SNL UK came back for another adaptation, this time on Sky and with a fresh young cast.
It wasted no time in becoming a success, with credit going to the platform it provided for modern comedians as well as the apparent confidence radiating through it.
The cast is indeed fantastic.
To name a few standouts, Ania Magliano and Paddy Young head the UK’s take on the classic political news segment Weekend Update effortlessly.
Al Nash and Hammed Animashaun add zany charm to all their characters and Jack Shep plays a radiant princess Diana.
The next Bob Mortimer
It is of course the hilarious George Fouracres that shines the most in a glistening cast, his most notable role being the uncanny portrayal of once-PM Keir Starmer, a character that (depending on the context) unfortunately hasn’t made the cut for series two.
Some viewers have even touted Fouracres as the next Bob Mortimer, and honestly, they’re right.
His ability to make any character so charmingly absurd is a gift that gives the show an invaluable quality.
Most importantly, the first series came and went with an overwhelming reassurance that British comedy is alive and well.
Many Brits will reminisce on an era where so-called Britcoms were at their influential peak when it came to culture.
Harry Enfield, Kathy Burke and Paul Whitehouse had their countless sketch shows, The League of Gentlemen were a strong comedy troupe, Brass Eye and Alan Partridge, et cetera.
The list was endless, but in recent years as Partridge is past his prime, and panel shows are shoved down your throat, it sort of seemed bleak.
Modern take
SNL UK has burst these doors back open and brought a modern take on the combination of absurdity with familiarly dull local themes in a manner that feels so missed of late.
Saying that, how was the latest episode? Well, unfortunately, not quite as good as expected, but before complaining, it’s worth noting that previous episodes have set the bar very high.
A classic cold-open opened the series as King Charles and Camilla are surprised by the entry of former royals Harry and Meghan, before the much-desired arrival of George Fouracres’ unsurprisingly hilarious take on Andy Burnham.
The episode’s host is Jeff Goldblum, a total icon of course, but it does feel slightly like the main problem of the episode is, well, him.
Strong start
Goldblum starts well, walking onto the stage with a spring in his step (quite literally!), and sits at a piano and sings a song full of what I will call “britishisms” (Marmite and Nando’s, The Chase for instance). It’s a strong start.
There’s an utterly fantastic sketch that parodies Channel 4’s The Piano, but apart from that, Goldblum unfortunately for me seemed to dry up almost every other sketch he’s present in, sticking out like a sore thumb more than enhancing the scene or making it his own.
For me this was a real bummer and brought down the typical fun of the show.
Some concern also comes that the cast don’t all get a fair amount of screentime, Ayoade Bamgboye for one feels like she deserves some more screentime for what she offers.
The jury is out
The introduction of Freddie Meredith to the cast is a strong one, and he comes across well in the parts he played, but he was used sparingly so the jury’s still out on him.
Aside from the episode-specific issues, the main issue seems to linger on from series one: the sketches drag.
They can be funny, and they do offer a good laugh much more frequently than not, but some sketches just ever so slightly overstay their welcome.
Finally, the biggest gripe of them all — it’s on Sky.
I can imagine that such a gamble on yet another shot at a UK adaptation of an American Goliath is difficult, but the main thing the series deserves is as wide an access to public culture as possible, and it lets itself down by being locked behind a paywall.
Ultimately, though, while series two has kicked off with a slightly underwhelming episode, the vibe is still there and SNL UK is the best thing the UK comedy scene has to offer.
READ MORE BY CHARLIE GARDNER: Film news: Netflix announces ‘The Inbetweeners 3’ is in production with original cast
