The second seasons of SNL UK and The Celebrity Traitors are proving to be two of the most infectious, joyous and downright silly shows on our television screens.
The clocks have gone back, the nights have drawn in, and the wind and rain are howling at our doors.
This is the time when it becomes a little easier to feel some doom and gloom.
Thankfully, the programming on the BBC and Sky is here to put a smile on your face.
The young comics on SNL UK and the delightful campiness of The Celebrity Traitors are absolute smash hits.
‘SNL UK’ Season 2 is a triumph
So many people wrote off SNL UK before even a second of it aired.
How wrong the naysayers were.
After a first season where the show quickly found its feet, Season 2 is currently taking the show to giddy heights.
The diverse cast, wonderfully representing all the things that make Britain great, hailing from all corners of the Isles, is an absolute sensation.
They’ve been complemented this season by the addition of Freddie Meredith, who has been flung into several sketches and bits, displaying superb comedy chops along the way.
While the U.S. version feels tired and stokes controversy – thanks, Shane Gillis – the UK version is just a silly, wild ride.
Hosts like Danny Dyer drinking paint, then going on a psychotic rant to conjure up names for B&Q, or Cynthia Erivo in Nigerian Wicked, show that SNL UK’s material knows no bounds.
Their respective episodes are Season highlights, while Erivo’s aforementioned Nigerian Wicked sketch with Hammed Animashaun and Ayoade Bamgboye will go down as an all-time great.
Big cargo jorts, Harry Kane chasing his Babybel down sewers with Fiona Bruce and waxwork Beatles coming to life, coupled with a Weekend Update that doesn’t pull any punches, is a recipe for success.
The biggest show on television
Season 1 of The Celebrity Traitors proved to be a massive hit, and reaffirmed Alan Carr’s status as a national icon.
This autumn, the show is back on the BBC, armed with an incredible list of celebrity names including Miranda Hart, Romesh Ranganathan, Michael Sheen and James Acaster.
Claudia Winkelman slays in iconic outfits; the editing ridiculously heightens the tension, and the whole thing is a camp dramedy that audiences can’t get enough of.
The season opener drew in 15.7 million viewers across its first week; the second episode managed 15.2 million, making The Celebrity Traitors Season 2 the biggest premiere of 2026.
It also smashed Season 1’s 28-day opening of 14.8 million in just seven days.
Even episodes of the post-show podcast, Uncloaked, pull in millions of viewers.
You could easily dismiss The Celebrity Traitors as just a game show, but it’s so delightfully extra, so well crafted, and full of such incredible characters that you can’t help but watch with every ounce of your attention.
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