‘Saturday Night Live UK’ reveals first ever cast

Sky has revealed the cast of Saturday Night Live UK, the anticipated and first ever British incarnation of the legendary comedy, ahead of its launch later this year.

The six-episode Sky Original series will kick off on March 21 and follows the same structure as its US counterpart. Every episode is staged in front of a live studio audience and features an opening monologue, topical sketches, live music, and a UK take on SNL’s iconic news satire, Weekend Update.

Now, it’s been revealed that a mixture of established and upcoming stars, who you can meet in full below, will head up the show.

The SNL UK cast are: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young. Writers will be announced soon.

James Longman, Lead Producer, 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.”

Check out the cast in full below…

Hammed Animashaun

Hometown: East London

Credits: Black Ops (BBC), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bridge Theatre)

Comedy heroes: Lenny Henry, Gina Yashere, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

It’s the prestige of Saturday 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!

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?  

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.

Ayoade Bamgboye 

Hometown: London and Lagos 

Credits: Swings and Roundabouts (Edinburgh Fringe), Rise and Shine with Channel 9 (Channel 4) 

Comedy heroes: Julio Torres, Jamali Maddix, Patti Harrison, Kristen Wiig, Chris Morris and Zainab Johnson.

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

There’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. 

What’s your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I 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 Saturday Night Live.  

Larry Dean

Hometown: Glasgow  

Credits: The Royal Variety Performance 2024 (ITV), Live at the Apollo (BBC)

Comedy heroes: Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

I just love sketch comedy. There have been so many people who have appeared on Saturday 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.  

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I did a couple of series of The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV), which 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.

Celeste Dring

Hometown: Wolverhampton  

Credits: Lazy Susan (BBC), This Country (BBC)

Comedy heroes: Kristen Wiig, Julia Davis, and everyone from Smack the Pony and Big Train. 

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

It 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.

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I’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, Lazy 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.

George Fouracres

Hometown: Willenhall, Wolverhampton

Credits: Hamlet (Shakespeare’s Globe), Steve (Netflix)

Comedy hero: Martin Short, Roberto Benigni, Steve Carrell

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

I’ve been in love with Saturday Night Live since 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 SNL in 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.

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

My 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 Daphne with 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, Gentlemon. Most recently in the comedy world I performed in Flo & Joan’s award-winning show One Man Musical in the UK and Australia. These days I also occasionally co-host the podcast Budpod with my best friend Pierre Novellie.

Ania Magliano 

Hometown: Buckinghamshire 

Credits: Taskmaster (Channel 4), Live at the Apollo (BBC)

Comedy hero: Ross from Friends

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

I 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 SNL UK is just incredibly cool. SNL is 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 – I can’t wait. 

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I 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!

Annabel Marlow 

Hometown: Henley- on-Thames

Credits: Six The Musical (Edinburgh Fringe), Muriel’s Wedding (Leicester Curve)

Comedy hero: Kristen Wiig

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

I’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 Saturday Night Live. SNL combines everything I love. I’m excited to create characters and hopefully write some music as well. 

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I wrote and performed a one woman show at Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 called Is This Okay??, that 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.  

Al Nash 

Hometown: Buckinghamshire 

Credits:  Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (BBC), Instagram heartthrob 

Comedy hero: John Candy 

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

I 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.

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I 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.

Jack Shep 

Hometown: Bedfordshire

Credits: Wanting To Be Cool, Having To Be Funny (Comedy Night), Big Boys (Channel 4)

Comedy heroes: Tim Robinson and Patti Harrison 

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

It’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.

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I’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 SNL.

Emma Sidi 

Hometown: Woking 

Credits: Starstruck (BBC), Alan Partridge Live: Stratagem (Amazon)

Comedy heroes: Maria Bamford, Victoria Wood, French & Saunders, the cast of Seinfeld

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

I 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 French & Saunders, The Fast Show, Reeves and Mortimer, all those pioneering shows from the alt comedy scene. Saturday Night Live is a huge opportunity to get that kind of comedy back on TV and online.

What’s your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I’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. I’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, Emma Sidi Is Sue Gray, in which I played the former civil servant Sue Gray – because someone had to do it. That show was a real manifesto of my taste. A bit left-field and very cheeky. 

Paddy Young 

Hometown: Scarborough

Credits: Everyone Else Burns (Channel 4) Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping (Channel 4)

Comedy hero: Vic & Bob, Norm Macdonald, Viz

Why did you want to be part of the SNL UK cast?

It 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.

What is your background in live performance or sketch comedy?

I was very lucky because Scarborough had an amazing theatre – the Stephen Joseph Theatre –  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.