Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed have been announced as the first three guest hosts for the UK version of Saturday Night Live, which will premiere on Sky One on 21 March. The show will air live from London, following the same fast-paced format as the US original, with sketches written and rehearsed during the week of broadcast.
Each episode will feature an opening monologue, topical sketches, live music, and a British take on the satirical news segment Weekend Update. The first musical guests include Isle of Wight indie band Wet Leg, Brit award-winners Wolf Alice, and rock legends Kasabian.
Tina Fey, 55, is a former SNL writer and cast member who became the show's first female head writer and has hosted six times. Lorne Michaels, SNL's creator, serves as executive producer for the UK spin-off, alongside a team of 20 writers and a regular cast of 11 comedians aged 26 to 36.
The cast includes Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi, and Paddy Young. Many have backgrounds in Cambridge Footlights and Edinburgh Fringe nominations.
Head writer Johnson said: 'The number of funny, talented writers we have got to work on SNL UK is ludicrous. All of them make me giddy to come to work each day.' The first episode airs on 21 March at 10pm on Sky One and will also be available on streaming service Now.
