SNL UK Launches as First International Version, with Viewership Dropping After Strong Premiere
Lorne Michaels, executive producer of Saturday Night Live, spoke at the premiere of his documentary Lorne in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. He stated that SNL UK should be smarter, funnier and more original than the US show. The UK version launched last month on Sky and Now TV with three episodes aired so far.
nypost.com# Lorne Michaels Addresses SNL UK at Documentary Premiere Lorne Michaels, the boss of Saturday Night Live, spoke at the premiere of his documentary Lorne in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. Michaels, who is 81 years old, stated that his design for SNL UK was that it would be the cooler of the two shows. He added that SNL UK should be smarter, funnier and more original than the US show.
Michaels speaks to UK showrunner James Longman and head writer Daran Jonno Johnson all the time. He stated that SNL UK has to be their show because he can tell them how he would do it after 50 years but they have to do it their ways.
SNL UK Launches as First International Version SNL UK launched on Sky and Now TV last month.
It is the first international version of the US Saturday Night Live show. A six-episode run of SNL UK was originally commissioned by Sky. The run was extended to eight episodes before the first instalment aired.
The inaugural episode of SNL UK was hosted by Tina Fey. Three episodes of SNL UK have aired.
Hosts and Sketches in Early Episodes Jamie Dornan hosted an episode of SNL UK.
Riz Ahmed hosted an episode of SNL UK. Jack Whitehall hosted an episode of SNL UK. Sketches on SNL UK have included send-ups of Sir Keir Starmer, David Lammy and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Weekend Update on SNL UK has included satirical spins on Scott Mills’ sacking and Wireless Festival’s Kanye West controversy.
Viewership Data and Upcoming Break 226,000 people tuned in to the series premiere of SNL UK, according to BARB figures.
The average viewership of SNL UK dropped to 130,000 by episode three, according to BARB figures. SNL UK is taking a break this weekend. Nicola Coughlan will host the next episode of SNL UK. Aimee Lou Wood will host the episode after Nicola Coughlan's on SNL UK.
Story Timeline
4 events- 2026-04-14
Lorne Michaels speaks at premiere of documentary Lorne in Los Angeles.
1 sourceThe Independent - March 2026
SNL UK launches on Sky and Now TV; inaugural episode hosted by Tina Fey.
1 sourceThe Independent - Early 2026
SNL UK run extended to eight episodes before first instalment.
1 sourceThe Independent - Late 2025
Sky commissions six-episode run of SNL UK.
1 sourceThe Independent
Potential Impact
- 01
Declining viewership may affect future commissioning decisions by Sky.
- 02
Potential for SNL UK to influence UK comedy landscape with original sketches on local figures.
- 03
Ongoing collaboration between Michaels and UK team could lead to format adaptations.
- 04
Satirical content on UK events may increase public discourse on topics like politics and festivals.
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