As is traditional, the show opened with a “cold open” political sketch, starting before the credits.
It showed cast member George Fouracres as a bumbling Sir Keir Starmer, being coached by deputy PM David Lammy, played by Hammed Animashaun, and a Gen Z adviser on how to speak to Donald Trump.
The US president has shared a clip of the sketch on his Truth Social channel, without comment.
In the sketch, Fouracres as Sir Keir tries to dodge a call from Trump over the war in Iran, describing him as “that scary, scary wonderful president”. He later tells him in a voice note: “I’m afraid I can’t go to war with you, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be chums.”
Fey, a former SNL head writer as well as cast member, gave a monologue which also served as an introduction to the show for those unaware of its US counterpart.
This is where Derry Girls star Coughlan popped up from the audience, shrewdly observing that British people “tend to root for the failure of others”. Her Bridgerton co-star Rege-Jean Page and Canadian film star Michael Cera also made cameos.
Ed Power in the Daily Telegraph says the show was “shockingly competent”, giving it a four-star review, external, even though the Sir Keir sketch had a “whiff of hastily written student sketch” and much of it was “hit or miss”.
Power enjoyed Weekend Update especially, with news anchors Ania Magliano and Paddy Young “full of charm, as they side-eyed the camera and struggled to keep straight faces”.