‘SNL UK’ is surprisingly funny, but is it British enough?
As an American who has lived in the UK for nearly a decade, I can confidently say that I have never once missed US comedy: dill pickles, slightly wider roads, and the occasional smile from a passerby, absolutely, but Saturday Night Live? Not once.
Like many people, I have always assumed that the UK is significantly further along in its comedic evolution than the US. After all, being the producer of Monty Python, French & Saunders, The Thick of It, and Green Wing is worth its weight in comedy gold. British comedy excels in darkness and surrealism, and it’s pervasive in everyday life through the passive aggression of strangers, while America can’t seem to get past the Big Bang Theory stage.
When it was announced that Saturday Night Live would be making its way across the Atlantic, the two most obvious questions were why and why now? Lorne Michaels’ sketch show has been a fixture on American television since 1975 and has introduced audiences to such comedic geniuses as Bill Murray, John Belushi, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Rachel Dratch, and Tina Fey. But, according to swathe sof the population, it’s also been largely unfunny for most of its tenure and has survived more out of nostalgia and star power than sharpness or topicality.
The British version has been in the works at Sky since 2021, but it only made it to air this weekend. Even without all the doomsaying in the preceding weeks, what was most surprising about this debut was how funny it was.
Sketches about David Attenborough hosting a dinner party with long-dead Britons, William Shakespeare returning home from London with a “cunty little earring” and e-scooter, and a few digs at the former Prince Andrew that go almost too far are genuinely laugh-out-loud, but it’s hard not to wonder who the target audience is.
For one thing, the first celebrity host was Tina Fey, one of the greatest cast members and head writers of SNL, who is very conspicuously American. She started her opening monologue with a few lessons in British culture from Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, Graham Norton, and, oddly enough, Michael Cera, before explaining the general format of the show. It makes sense that an SNL alum would host the first UK show as a way of passing the baton, but even before she made her appearance, it felt as if the series was geared more towards an American audience than a British one.
Even without all the doomsaying in the preceding weeks, what was most surprising about this debut was how funny it was.
The opening sketch of the episode revolved around Keir Starmer (played by George Fouracres) summoning all his courage to call Donald Trump and inform him that he wouldn’t be joining his war with Iran. He enlists the help of a Gen Z staff member to find the courage and tone to put his feelings into words, relying largely on British-related Friends episodes to get his point across. He concludes by saying, “While we may not agree with everything America does, we can still be civil and embrace their wonderful, unproblematic culture”.
The rest of the show was dictated by those words. As of its first episode, SNL UK seems as though it is fully embracing the Americanness of the original series rather than leaning into Britishness, with every sketch heavy with figures American audiences would be familiar with, such as Attenborough, Princess Diana, Shakespeare, and even Paddington Bear, alongwith calling upon two members of the Bridgerton cast feeling like a direct play at Stateside audiences, whose fandom has turned the British-set, American-made romance into a runaway hit for Netflix. At a time when the US dominates the news in all the wrong ways, catering to American audiences feels more hollow, redundant, and downright exhausting than ever.
Perhaps the creative minds behind SNL UK are hoping that the show will have a few viral social media moments in order to generate attention, but it’s unlikely to build a passionate domestic fanbase if it ends up peddling stereotypes of British culture rather than zeroing in on specificity. Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed are slated to host the next episodes, which again seems like a play for both sides of the Atlantic; they are both British, but they are recognisable to American audiences as well.
SNL UK is funnier right out of the gates than SNL in the US has been for many years, but if it doesn’t start catering to British audiences with more niche, culturally specific comedy, it risks placating itself into an early grave. Why not bring in Matt Berry or Tim Key to host? If it’s consistently funny enough, it will gain a fanbase at home first, then draw in international audiences later.
Think of all the UK shows that eventually found success overseas without straying from their British roots. Monty Python, The Office, and Fleabag all eventually found global acclaim despite their Anglocentrism. SNL UK shouldn’t squander its talent on bland clichés just to draw in a casual American following.
