Saturday Night Live UK’s opening show has been met with mixed reviews from viewers, with some labelling the British edition of the sketch show “fantastic” while others dubbed the first episode “not funny at all”.
The programme’s first instalment opened with a monologue from SNL stalwart comedian Tina Fey, 55, who joked she was on stage to host the programme because no British performer wanted to do it.
Among opening night viewers was former House of Games and Pointless co-presenter Richard Osman (OBE), who said he was “loving” SNL UK, as he voiced his opinion from the safety of his sofa on X/Twitter.
Osman, who also has extensive production credits on UK programmes including Deal or No Deal, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Total Wipeout, and 24 Hour Quiz, was not alone in his positive verdict.
While many viewers acknowledged that they hadn’t loved “every sketch” in the episode and that overall it was quite “hit or miss”, they praised the “new and refreshing” material the show brought to UK screens.
“Really good. Some bits haven’t quite landed as much as others but that’s gonna happen. Looking forward to seeing how it develops,” one person wrote of the long-anticipated opening episode.
Meanwhile another fan added that the first instalment was a “good start” to the eight-episode run, adding, “The only gripe is you can see the cast reading from cue cards, [I’d] not noticed this in the US version.”
Significant praise was heaped on cast member Jack Shep, who made headlines for his eerily accurate impression of Princess Diana, with some fans even calling for the comedian to win a BAFTA.
“My main SNL take so far is that Jack Shep is gonna be huge,” one person wrote on X/Twitter following the episode.
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The Independent’s Nick Hilton awarded SNL UK’s first instalment three stars, writing that there were “some hits” and “some misses” in the programme — much like online armchair commentators.
“But judging a show like SNL off its opening episode is foolish,” Hilton wrote. “The chemistry between the cast needs time to settle, and the reaction on TikTok and Instagram will likely inform which sketches have legs and which end up in the writers’ room bin.
“What SNL UK’s opening episode does demonstrate is a willingness to push the envelope, to risk bad taste,” he added. “Borrowing a beloved American format might feel a bit stale, but there are notes of new ingredients that could offer something fresh.”
