Production
Sky, which has broadcast the original American Saturday Night Live since 2020 on linear channel Sky Comedy, was understood to be engaging in the "early stages of development" of a British version in December 2021. At the time, representatives from Saturday Night Live were "understood to be in London discussing the deal with Sky" (like NBC, also owned by Comcast), with comedians reportedly "lining up to be involved". [5] In April 2025, it was confirmed Lorne Michaels would executive produce the show, to air on Sky Max and NOW at an undetermined date in 2026. [6] [7] A six-episode order was confirmed in May 2025, with the possibility of an extension depending on its popularity. [8] On 20 March 2026, Sky announced a two episode extension of the series prior to the premiere, bringing the total episode order up to eight. [9] Sky have stated that the programme is written in the week of each show and performed in front of a live studio audience. Similar to the original, it features an opening monologue, sketches, live music, and a British version of the news satire item Weekend Update . [2] The programme is broadcast from Television Centre, London, in studio TC1, with the BBC (via its commercial subsidiary BBC Studioworks) providing studios and post-production. [10]
The programme is a production of Broadway Video in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio's UK production team. The programme was commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones (executive director of unscripted originals at Sky) and Lisa Clark (commissioning executive at Sky) for Cecile Frot-Coutaz (CEO of Sky Studios, and Chief Content Officer for Sky). James Longman is lead producer, with Liz Clare as director and Daran "Jonno" Johnson as head writer. [2] [11] Several of these key figures visited the studios of the American version in November 2025. [12] Edgar-Jones stated, speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August 2025, said that "the American team have come over, to give structural advice, but they're very mindful this has to be a very British thing". [13]
Casting
The production staff began casting in mid-2025. [13] The writers' room was originally announced to be staffed by eighteen writers, [2] which was confirmed as twenty in March, namely: Jonno Johnson (as head writer), Charlie Skelton (as Weekend Update head writer), Celya AB, Omar Badawy, Gráinne Maguire, Laura Claxton, Chris Cantrill, James Farmer, Humphrey Ker, Omodara Olatunji, Joseph Moore, Lorna Rose Treen, Hari Kanth, Louis Waymouth, Keith Akushie, Bella Hull, Ayo Adenekan, Nathan Foad, Al Roberts, and Ellie Fulcher. [14] Furthermore, Pauli Lovejoy serves as the musical director, Annie Hardinge as costume designer, and Kevin Fortune as the head of wigs, hair and make-up. [15]
The cast and launch date for the series were confirmed on 4 February 2026. [2] It was then revealed that members of the cast had visited the studios of the American version the previous week, during production of its thousandth episode. [16] The cast and writers began workshopping in mid-February, with the cast also taking part in a session with the American version's cue-card handler, Wally Feresten, in mid-March, in order to ready the cast for the usage of cue cards during the programme. The show will use a test audience to establish the quality and worthiness-for-inclusion of sketches. [11] A week prior to launch, Longman named Ania Magliano and Paddy Young as the Weekend Update anchors. [17]
Broadcast
The eight-episode first series premiered on Sky One on 21 March 2026, with episodes also made available on the streaming service NOW. [9] British bakery chain Greggs ran a competition in mid-to-late March 2026, as part of its 'Greggs Quests' rewards scheme, in which entrants could win tickets, travel, and accommodation to the April 18 or April 25 episodes. [18]
Shortly after the UK premiere date was announced, it was confirmed that the Canadian streaming service Crave had acquired the series. [19] In March 2026, NBC-owned streaming service Peacock announced it would release episodes of the series in the United States one day after the UK airdate at 9pm EDT. [20]
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