The cast of the Sky show appear to have gelled well over its run. Each member has been given licence to express their own personal brand of humour, whether that’s parody, musical or absurdist comedy.
“My favourite moments of the first season of SNL UK have been when it’s been allowed to be really unhinged,” says TV critic Natalie Jamieson, who references a Traitors spoof featuring a man dressed as a giant crab.
She says each of the show’s 11 “fascinating and joyful” comedians (until now, relatively small names) “bring something different to the table”.
The group are Annabel Marlow, Ayode Bamgboye, Hammed Animashaun, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.
Where the show has shone brightest has been on social media, with analysis by Deadline showing that SNL UK content received 86m views across its official accounts in its first month.
Jamieson says the virality is “comparable” to its US counterpart, adding that the show is “filling a void” of live British comedy at weekends.
Sky’s unscripted boss Phil Edgar Jones says the network is “thrilled” with its reception. Last week he announced it would be renewed for a second series, with 12 episodes to be broadcast between autumn 2026 and early 2026.
Executive producer Lorne Michaels, who also created the original show in 1975, says he is “incredibly proud” of how the UK version has turned out, noting “it keeps getting better every week”.