The cast for the UK version of Saturday Night Live has been unveiled.
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The late-night sketch show, which was first launched in the US 51 years ago, is due to debut Saturday Night Live UK on Sky Max and streaming service NOW on Saturday March 21.
Running for six episodes, it’ll end the wait for audiences on these shores to hear the iconic line, “Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!”
The cast includes Black Ops star Hammed Animashaun, Celeste Dring who appeared in This Country with Daisy May and Charlie Cooper, comedian Ania Magliano, who recently appeared on Taskmaster, George Fouracres who appeared alongside Cillian Murphy in the Netflix film Steve, Big Boys star Jack Shep, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.
SNL creator Lorne Michaels will serve as executive producer on the show, which will follow the same live format as its US counterpart, with a selection of top British comics, celebrities and musicians all taking part.
‘Saturday Night Live UK’ cast CREDIT: Press
James Longman, lead producer on Saturday Night Live UK said: “The UK is absolutely packed with incredible comedy talent right now and this cast represents the freshest voices we have, they’re bold, exciting and of course, incredibly funny. The chemistry between them is something special and we can’t wait to share this funny group of people with the world.”
Phil Edgar-Jones, executive director for Sky unscripted originals, added: “We all need a laugh like never before, so we’re beyond excited to bring Saturday Night Live to the UK, only 50 short years after it first launched in the US.
“The show’s long-standing legacy of discovering and nurturing outstanding comedy talent speaks for itself, and this UK version will build on that legacy with the support of Lorne Michaels, a brilliant local production team, and an exciting new generation of voices. Saturday nights are looking bright!”
Each episode traditionally sees an A-list host deliver an opening monologue, before taking part in a selection of different sketches with the show’s regular ensemble cast. The US version of the show helped launch the careers of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Eddie Murphy.
Last year, the show celebrated its 50th anniversary with a host of stars and saw the likes of David Byrne, Arcade Fire and St. Vincent teaming up for a rendition of David Bowie‘s ‘Heroes’, while the surviving members of Nirvana also teamed up with Post Malone for a rendition of the band’s legendary track ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.
Saturday Night Live alumni Ana Gasteyer and Will Ferrell also returned to the programme for its 50th anniversary concert, performing a comedy version of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’.
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