Tina Fey to Host London Premiere as ‘SNL U.K.’ Extends First Season to 8 Episodes
tina fey will host the live London premiere of “Saturday Night Live U. K.,” the series announced as it expanded its inaugural season to eight episodes; the show is set to air live from London on Saturday at 10 p. m. local time with Wet Leg as the musical guest, and each installment will run 75 minutes. The extension adds two shows to the original slate and confirms weekly hosts and musical guests, including Jamie Dornan hosting the March 21 show with Wolf Alice and Riz Ahmed hosting the April 4 show with Kasabian. The producers say the series will blend a distinctively British flair with familiar “SNL” segments, rehearsed and written the week of broadcast before airing live in front of a studio audience.
Tina Fey headlines the London launch
tina fey is set to open the Sky series in a premiere that producers positioned as a landmark for the franchise’s first U. K. iteration. The debut will air live from London and feature the British rock band Wet Leg as the musical guest. Each episode’s 75-minute runtime will be written and rehearsed during the week of broadcast, then filmed live in front of a studio audience, preserving the format’s live-theatre energy while aiming to bring a local sensibility to established segments like the opening monologue and “Weekend Update. ” The announcement confirms a rotating slate of hosts and musical guests across the extended eight-episode run.
Show format, cast and production
The series will be anchored by a U. K. cast that includes Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young. The production credits name Universal Television Alternative Studio’s U. K. production team and Broadway Video as the producing partners for Sky and NOW, with Lorne Michaels serving as executive producer. James Longman is listed as lead producer, Liz Clare as director and Daran Jonno Johnson as head writer. The program will air live on Sky and on the streaming service NOW in the U. K., with episodes becoming available on Peacock the following day in the U. S.
Immediate reaction and official language
“Together, this first wave of hosts, musical guests and cast members marks the beginning of a bold new chapter for the globally acclaimed ‘SNL’ franchise — blending its storied legacy with a fresh generation of British comedy voices, ” a press release states. The announcement frames the expanded season and the lineup of hosts and musical acts as intentional steps to marry the franchise’s established elements with new British performers and writers. Named showrunners and producers in the production credits underscore the partnership between the U. S. -originated franchise team and the U. K. production group steering the live broadcasts.
What’s next
tina fey’s hosting of the premiere will be followed by the confirmed shows hosted by Jamie Dornan on March 21 with Wolf Alice and Riz Ahmed on April 4 with Kasabian, as the extended eight-episode season proceeds through weekly live broadcasts. Viewers in the U. K. will be able to watch live on Sky and NOW; those in the U. S. can access episodes on Peacock the next day. The production team will continue writing and rehearsing each episode in the week leading up to its live transmission, and further host and guest announcements are expected to follow within the established weekly rollout for the season.
