{"id":370869,"date":"2026-03-29T04:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T04:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/370869\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T04:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T04:58:13","slug":"snl-uk-returns-tonight-with-jamie-dornan-wolf-alice-our-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/370869\/","title":{"rendered":"SNL UK Returns Tonight with Jamie Dornan & Wolf Alice: Our Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted in: Peacock<\/a>, Sky One<\/a>, TV<\/a> | Tagged: Saturday Night Live UK<\/a>, SNL UK<\/a><\/p>\n

SNL UK returns to Sky and NOW tonight (and Sunday on Peacock in the US) with host Jamie Dornan and musical guest Wolf Alice. Here’s a look!<\/p>\n

Published Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:37:08 -0500 by Ray Flook<\/a><\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

Article Summary
\nSNL UK returns tonight on Sky and NOW with Jamie Dornan hosting and Wolf Alice as musical guest.
\nCatch a Bond-inspired midweek sketch and backstage promos featuring the SNL UK cast and Dornan.
\nSee highlights from last week’s Tina Fey-hosted SNL UK premiere and must-watch sketches.
\nMeet the standout SNL UK cast and talented writing team shaping this British version of SNL. <\/p>\n

Welcome back to our preview for the second episode of Sky and NOW’s\u00a0Saturday Night Live UK, set to return tonight at 10 pm GMT (and most likely on Sunday at 9 pm EST on Peacock in the US). This week, we’ve got SNL UK host Jamie Dornan and musical guest Wolf Alice \u2013 a promising combination right from the jump. Here’s a look at the build-up to this weekend’s show, including the midweek sketch, on-stage promo, and look at the show read-thru. In addition, we’ve collected a sampling of sketches from the opener as a reminder of why the show’s got strong buzz (check out our review<\/a>), along with some cool extras that offer a better look at the cast. Speaking of, we’ve also included the backstories on the SNL UK cast and writers that were released ahead of last weekend’s premiere:<\/p>\n

\"SNL<\/a>Image: Sky; Sky Screencap
\nSNL UK: This Week with Jamie Dornan & Wold Alice!<\/p>\n

During the SNL UK Midweek Sketch, Al Nash, Celeste Dring, and Hammed Animashaun check in on Dornan as he readies for the big show. But things take a turn when Dornan learns that Nash is one of the final two in the running to be the next James Bond \u2013 a role that Dornan auditioned for. Of course, there’s only one way this can end\u2026 with a “Bond-Off!” Leet’s just say that it’s not even close (sorry, Jamie)\u2026<\/p>\n

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Here’s the on-stage promo with Dornan, Wolf Alice, and SNL UK cast member Paddy Young from earlier this week, as well as a look at our host, as well as the cast and writers, during the read-thru for tonight’s show:<\/p>\n

And just in case you need a reminder of why the premiere SNL UK hit as hard as it did, here are some highlights from the Tina Fey-hosted opener (with musical guest Wet Leg):<\/p>\n

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Saturday Night Live UK: Meet The SNL UK Cast & Writers!<\/p>\n

Live from London at 10 pm every Saturday night, each 75-minute episode will feature a unique host and musical guest, and will include sketches staged before a live studio audience, along with live music, an opening monologue, and the UK’s version of “Weekend Update.” And don’t forget that on April 4th, host Riz Ahmed (Bait, Hamlet) will be joined by musical guest Kasabian. Shortly before the series premiered this past weekend, Sky announced that SNL UK had been picked up for two additional shows, bringing the total to eight.<\/p>\n

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Now, here’s a chance to get to know the SNL UK cast: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi, and Paddy Young:<\/p>\n

Hammed Animashaun<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0East London<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Black Ops\u00a0(BBC),\u00a0A Midsummer Night’s Dream\u00a0(Bridge Theatre)<\/p>\n

Comedy heroes:\u00a0Lenny Henry, Gina Yashere, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?<\/p>\n

It’s the prestige of\u00a0Saturday Night Live, to be part of something so popular and historic is a privilege. I don’t think there’s another show like it that’s been running as long. It would’ve been weird to have said no!<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy? \u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Ayoade Bamgboye\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0London and Lagos<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Swings and Roundabouts\u00a0(Edinburgh Fringe),\u00a0Rise and Shine with Channel 9\u00a0(Channel 4)<\/p>\n

Comedy heroes:\u00a0Julio Torres, Jamali Maddix, Patti Harrison, Kristen Wiig, Chris Morris and\u00a0Zainab Johnson.<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0There’s 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.<\/p>\n

What’s your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I 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, it’s been a domino effect of doing lots of different comedy nights and meeting different comedians. I’ve felt so empowered watching them, it’s 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\u00a0Saturday Night Live.<\/p>\n

Larry Dean<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Glasgow<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0The Royal Variety Performance 2024\u00a0(ITV), Live at the Apollo\u00a0(BBC)<\/p>\n

Comedy heroes:\u00a0Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0I just love sketch comedy. There have been so many people who have appeared on\u00a0Saturday 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.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I did a couple of series of\u00a0The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV),\u00a0which 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.<\/p>\n

Celeste Dring<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Wolverhampton<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Lazy Susan\u00a0(BBC), This Country\u00a0(BBC)<\/p>\n

Comedy heroes:\u00a0Kristen Wiig, Julia Davis, and everyone from\u00a0Smack the Pony\u00a0and\u00a0Big Train.<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0It 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.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I’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,\u00a0Lazy 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.<\/p>\n

George Fouracres<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Willenhall, Wolverhampton<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Hamlet\u00a0(Shakespeare’s Globe),\u00a0Steve\u00a0(Netflix)<\/p>\n

Comedy hero:\u00a0Martin Short, Roberto Benigni, Steve Carrell<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0I’ve been in love with\u00a0Saturday Night Live\u00a0since forever. It was my dream job when I was younger because my favourite thing is playing lots of very intense, insane characters, and I love the glamour of late night live TV. Seeing clips of\u00a0SNL\u00a0in the US I always thought “I wish we had that. Why don’t we have something like that?” So the fact that we do now, and I get to be part of it, blows my tiny mind.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0My career has mainly been performing at Shakespeare’s Globe in London where I’m an Associate Artist (last year I did my seventh show there), but I started in the industry acting and writing in a sketch group called\u00a0Daphne\u00a0with my friends Jason Forbes and Phil Wang. We gigged together for four years and wrote three Edinburgh Fringe shows and two series of a BBC Radio 4 show. In 2019 I did my first (and only!) solo stand-up show,\u00a0Gentlemon. Most recently in the comedy world I performed in Flo & Joan’s award-winning show\u00a0One Man Musical\u00a0in the UK and Australia. These days I also occasionally co-host the podcast\u00a0Budpod\u00a0with my best friend Pierre Novellie.<\/p>\n

Ania Magliano\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Buckinghamshire<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Taskmaster\u00a0(Channel 4), Live at the Apollo\u00a0(BBC)<\/p>\n

Comedy hero:\u00a0Ross from\u00a0Friends<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0I love performing stand-up, but the chance to work collaboratively with other amazing comedians was a huge draw for me. And honestly, being part of\u00a0SNL UK\u00a0is just incredibly cool.\u00a0SNL\u00a0is a major comedy institution that I never expected to be a part of, so the idea that I get to go live on Saturday nights is mad \u2013 I can’t wait.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I did my first gig when I was 18, so it’s pretty surreal that it’s been nearly 10 years now. Since then, I’ve performed sold out tours, filmed a stand-up special, and taken shows to Edinburgh. It’s through stand-up that I really found my voice. I feel very lucky to have performed for audiences who genuinely want to see me, and I’m excited to bring that background into sketch comedy. Some of my favourite comedy moments are sketch so I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it!<\/p>\n

Annabel Marlow\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Henley- on-Thames<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Six The Musical\u00a0(Edinburgh Fringe), Muriel’s Wedding\u00a0(Leicester Curve)<\/p>\n

Comedy hero:\u00a0Kristen Wiig<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0I’m a huge fan of the show, I actually have an old fan account from 2016 I used to run on social media that was dedicated to being obsessed with\u00a0Saturday Night Live.\u00a0SNL\u00a0combines everything I love. I’m excited to create characters and hopefully write some music as well.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I wrote and performed a one woman show at Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 called\u00a0Is This Okay??,\u00a0that was an hour of comedy songs and pop songs, with bits of stand-up. My background is stand-up and musical comedy, and all my acting jobs have been musical theatre.<\/p>\n

Al Nash\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Buckinghamshire<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Michael McIntyre’s Big Show\u00a0(BBC), Instagram heartthrob<\/p>\n

Comedy hero:\u00a0John Candy<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0I think it’s a really exciting opportunity for the UK comedy industry in general. For it to be a new sketch format in the UK, but also one of the biggest sketch comedy formats in the world, it’s got so much potential. As someone who is sketch comedy obsessed, I’m just so happy to be a part of the cast.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I started the comedy society at the University of Sussex, which birthed a sketch group that I wrote and directed multiple Edinburgh Fringe shows for. I then started performing live myself in 2018, and have made online sketches since 2020.<\/p>\n

Jack Shep\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Bedfordshire<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Wanting To Be Cool, Having To Be Funny\u00a0(Comedy Night),\u00a0Big Boys\u00a0(Channel 4)<\/p>\n

Comedy heroes:\u00a0Tim Robinson and Patti Harrison<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0It’s just a completely unique show. To make a finished show in a week and then start all over again the next week is amazing. Being able to be in a room full of comedians being stupid and funny like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I’d describe myself as a comic rather than a stand-up comedian. I do a bit of acting and writing too but basically, I’m always doing stupid shit which I think makes me primed for\u00a0SNL.<\/p>\n

Emma Sidi<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Woking<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Starstruck\u00a0(BBC),\u00a0Alan Partridge Live: Stratagem\u00a0(Amazon)<\/p>\n

Comedy heroes:\u00a0Maria Bamford, Victoria Wood, French & Saunders, the cast of Seinfeld<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0I love comedy and character comedy especially, and I think there isn’t that much character comedy on TV in the UK right now. My favourite comedies to watch growing up were\u00a0French & Saunders,The Fast Show,\u00a0Reeves and Mortimer, all those pioneering shows from the alt comedy scene.\u00a0Saturday Night\u00a0Live\u00a0is a huge opportunity to get that kind of comedy back on TV and online.<\/p>\n

What’s your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I’ve been doing sketch, character comedy and improv since university. There’s nothing like the thrill that comes from live comedy, and it’s where I have met my best friends.\u00a0I’ve found that I’ve specialised in character comedy, and have done the Edinburgh Fringe multiple times, and toured the UK, Melbourne and New York. I loved touring my recent show,\u00a0Emma Sidi Is Sue Gray, in which I played the former civil servant Sue Gray \u2013 because\u00a0someone\u00a0had to do it. That show was a real manifesto of my taste. A bit left-field and very cheeky.<\/p>\n

Paddy Young\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Scarborough<\/p>\n

Credits:\u00a0Everyone Else Burns\u00a0(Channel 4)\u00a0Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping\u00a0(Channel 4)<\/p>\n

Comedy hero:\u00a0Vic & Bob, Norm Macdonald, Viz<\/p>\n

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?\u00a0It feels like the most exciting thing that’s happened in comedy in this country for a long time, even more than Reels. The scale of it is quackers: 11 in the cast, 18 writers, and the catering is world class.<\/p>\n

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?\u00a0I was very lucky because Scarborough had an amazing theatre \u2013 the Stephen Joseph Theatre \u2013\u00a0 which I practically grew up in. I was completely obsessed with comedy but had no idea how to do it. By the time I went to drama school in Manchester I found myself constantly sneaking away to watch stand-up, though it took me a long time to actually do it.<\/p>\n

\"SNL<\/a>L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr\u00e1inne 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; Ellie Fulcher (Image: Sky One)<\/p>\n

Jonno Johnson, Head Writer, had this to say about the show’s writing team: “The number of funny, talented writers we have got to work on ‘SNL UK’ is ludicrous. Some of them have been doing this for years, some of them it’s their first-ever writing job. All of them make me giddy to come to work each day. Could not imaginably feel luckier that we get to make this show together.” With comedy writer and journalist Charlie Skelton (10 O’Clock Live; 8 Out of 10 Cats) serving as the head writer for “Weekend Update,” here’s a rundown of the SNL UK writers<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Al Roberts\u00a0(Stath Lets Flats; Starstruck)
\nAyo Adenekan\u00a0(ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer for Black Mediocrity)
\nBella Hull\u00a0(Have I Got News For You; Stand Up Sketch Show)
\nCelya AB\u00a0(Live At The Apollo; James Acaster’s Springleaf)
\nCharlie Skelton\u00a0(10 O’Clock Live; 8 Out of 10 Cats)
\nChris Cantrill\u00a0(Icklewick FM; Alma’s Not Normal)
\nEllie Fulcher;\u00a0(Dramaturg on Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x) for Soho Theatre)
\nGr\u00e1inne Maguire\u00a0(The Last Leg; Late Night Mash)
\nHari Kanth\u00a0(The Now Show; Horrible Science)
\nHumphrey Ker\u00a0(Mythic Quest; Welcome to Wrexham)
\nJames Farmer\u00a0(The Last Leg; 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown)
\nJonno Johnson\u00a0(Co-creator of Year Friends; Writer on Parlement)
\nJoseph Moore\u00a0(Guy Montgomery’s Guy-Mont Spelling Bee; Two Hearts)
\nKeith Akushie\u00a0(The Franchise; Siblings)
\nLaura Claxton\u00a0(Never Mind The Buzzcocks; Have I Got News For You)
\nLorna Rose Treen\u00a0(BBC Radio 4’s Time of the Week; Chortle’s Best Sketch Act Award)
\nLouis Waymouth\u00a0(The Late Late Show with James Corden; The Armstrong & Miller Show)
\nNathan Foad\u00a0(Newark, Newark; Our Flag Means Death)
\nOmar Badawy\u00a0(So You Think You’re Funny winner)
\nOmodara Olatunji\u00a0(Say! Less!)<\/p>\n

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SNL UK will be produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio’s UK production team and Broadway Video for Sky and NOW. Lorne Michaels is executive producing, James Longman will serve as Lead Producer, Liz Clare\u00a0will serve as Director, and\u00a0Daran Jonno Johnson will serve as\u00a0Head Writer. UTAS UK Productions is overseen by Managing Director Helen Kruger Bratt. Shanna Baynard will serve as Executive in Charge of Production; Andy Charles Smith is the Lead Producer for UTAS UK Productions alongside Sam Salter, Production Executive. SNL UK was commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director of Unscripted Originals and Lisa Clark, Commissioning Executive at Sky, for Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios & Chief Content Officer for Sky<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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