Wednesday 4 February 2026Full cast announced for Saturday Night Live UK, coming to Sky and NOW 21 March 2026
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Sky today reveals the 11 comedy players who will take to the stage as the inaugural cast of Saturday Night Live UK, the first ever British incarnation of NBC's legendary late-night comedy showcase. The six-episode Sky Original series will kick off next month on 21 March, ending the wait for UK audiences to hear the iconic line, Live from London, it's Saturday Night!
The SNL UK cast are: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young. Writers will be announced soon.
Broadcast live each week, this brand-new UK version brings the high-wire, anything-can-happen energy that makes SNL a cultural force, now reimagined through a distinctly British lens. A new guest host will take the helm each week, putting their distinctive stamp on the SNL formula alongside a chart-topping musical guest.
Written, rehearsed and performed in the week of each show, every episode is staged in front of a live studio audience and features an opening monologue, topical sketches, live music, and a UK take on SNL's iconic news satire, Weekend Update.
James Longman, Lead Producer, 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 OBE, Executive Director, Unscripted Originals, Sky said: 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!
Meet the cast:
Hammed Animashaun
Hometown: East London
Credits: Black Ops (BBC), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bridge Theatre)
Comedy heroes: Lenny Henry, Gina Yashere, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock
Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast? It's the prestige of Saturday Night Live, to be part of something so popular and historic is a privilege. I dont think theres another show like it thats been running as long. It would've been weird to have said no!
What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy? I think of myself as an actor first and foremost. I've done a lot of theatre. That's my first love so I feel very much at home on the stage and performing live. Transferring that experience over to live comedy is something I'm really excited for.
Ayoade Bamgboye
Hometown: London and Lagos
Credits: Swings and Roundabouts (Edinburgh Fringe), Rise and Shine with Channel 9 (Channel 4)
Comedy heroes: Julio Torres, Jamali Maddix, Patti Harrison, Kristen Wiig, Chris Morris and Zainab Johnson.
Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast? Theres no better training ground. I'm maybe three, four years into comedy, and it just feels like the perfect place to accelerate my learning. Having a steep learning curve like this gives me so much bandwidth to try many different things in a short space of time.
Whats your background in live performance or sketch comedy? I was in advertising, and I decided to quit my job and try comedy for a year. My journey in comedy since then has been such a series of blessings and serendipitous moments, its been a domino effect of doing lots of different comedy nights and meeting different comedians. Ive felt so empowered watching them, its made me try lots of different things. I went to Edinburgh Fringe for the first time and won Best Newcomer, it snowballed from there and now I'm on Saturday Night Live.
Larry Dean
Hometown: Glasgow
Credits: The Royal Variety Performance 2024 (ITV), Live at the Apollo (BBC)
Comedy heroes: Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey
Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast? I just love sketch comedy. There have been so many people who have appeared on Saturday Night Live, either as hosts or part of the cast that are my comedy heroes like Jim Carrey, Richard Pryor, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey. It's always been my dream to do acting and stand-up, so this is exactly what I want to be doing.
What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy? I did a couple of series of The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV), which was a bit different to the usual format as you're miming other comedians' stand-up routines. But my background is really in stand-up which I love, performing all over and releasing a few specials.
Celeste Dring
Hometown: Wolverhampton
Credits: Lazy Susan (BBC), This Country (BBC)
Comedy heroes: Kristen Wiig, Julia Davis, and everyone from Smack the Pony and Big Train.
Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast? It was a no-brainer really. I just love the idea of being creative with a group of brilliantly talented and funny people and the chance to do something new.
What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy? I'd done a lot of more serious plays at uni but I was always a lover of comedy and decided to give it a crack after I left. Freya Parker and I started performing as a double act, Lazy Susan, going to Edinburgh Fringe and doing shows there. And from there we got our own radio show and eventually sketch comedy show on TV.
George Fouracres
Hometown: Willenhall, Wolverhampton
Credits: Hamlet (Shakespeare's Globe), Steve (Netflix)
Comedy hero: Martin Short, Roberto Benigni, St
