A team of 11 rising comic actors and stand-ups to anchor live show from next month

Saturday Night Live UK will launch on the rebranded Sky One channel on 21 March with a cast of 11 emerging comedy performers.

As envisaged when Sky first announced the UK version of the long-running US show, the series showcases fresh faces over household names, with a mix of stand-ups, comic actors and performers who have built Instagram and TikTok followings.

Among the most familiar to TV viewers are Hammed Animashaun (Black Ops), Emma Sidi (Starstruck), Ania Magliano (Taskmaster) and Celeste Dring (one half of sketch duo Lazy Susan).

They are joined by Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2025 best newcomer Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean (The All-Star Sketch Show), George Fouracres, an associate artist at Shakespeare’s Globe who started in sketch comedy with Jason Forbes and Phil Wang; musical stand-up Annabel Marlow, Instagram comic Al Nash, actor and TikTok comic Jack Shep, and Paddy Young (Everyone Else Burns).

The regulars will perform topical sketches and news bulletin satire Weekend Update in front of a live studio audience, and support a guest host and a musical performer on each week of the initial six-part run.

Lead producer James Longman said: “The UK is absolutely packed with incredible comedy talent right now and this cast represents the freshest voices we have, they’re bold, exciting and of course, incredibly funny. The chemistry between them is something special and we can’t wait to share this funny group of people with the world.”

Sky will in due course reveal the 18-strong writing team to work under lead writer Jonno Johnson on the series.