The first episode of Saturday Night Live UK aired on Monday, opening with a political sketch lampooning Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Cast member George Fouracres portrayed Starmer as a nervous leader avoiding a call from US President Donald Trump. In the sketch, Starmer pleads with Trump to avoid war, citing shared cultural touchpoints from D-Day to Friends, while his deputy David Lammy (Hammed Animashaun) offers backhanded praise: 'Good work, sir. You did the bare minimum, and that's all people expect from you.'
Host Tina Fey then addressed the audience, explaining why the UK version was created: 'Like so many large scale U.S. operations these days, nobody really knows why.' Her monologue was interrupted by Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who questioned why an American was hosting the first UK episode. Fey replied: 'For this first episode, none of you fuckers would do it.' Other celebrities, including Michael Cera and Graham Norton, joined the banter, testing Fey on British comedy history, which she passed with impressions of Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served, and Monty Python.
The show, which debuted 50 years after the US original, faced a tight schedule as a football match overran. Musical guest Wet Leg performed, and the debut cast included Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi, and Paddy Young. Industry scepticism remains over the show's cost, but the first episode aired without major incident.
