'Saturday Night Live UK' Debuts on March 21 with Tina Fey as Host: Viewing Details and Highlights

Saturday Night Live is launching a British edition on March 21, airing live from London on Sky One with Tina Fey as its first host. For U.S. viewers, Peacock will carry episodes with next-day availability. The show marks the 14th international attempt to adapt the SNL format — and only one previous version, in South Korea, is still on the air.

SNL UK follows the same structure as the American original: an opening monologue, topical sketches, a live musical act, and the satirical news segment Weekend Update. Episodes will run 75 minutes, trimmed from the 90-minute runtime of the U.S. show. Lorne Michaels is executive producing.

In the UK, the series airs at 10 p.m. local time on Sky One and the streaming service Now. In the U.S., episodes land on Peacock the next day, meaning American audiences can watch each episode on Sunday without needing a UK subscription.

Sky TV confirmed Monday that the first three hosts and musical guests are set. Fey takes the debut episode on March 21, paired with English band Wet Leg. Jamie Dornan follows on March 28 with Wolf Alice. Riz Ahmed rounds out the announced slate on April 4 with Kasabian.

Fey’s selection for the premiere carries weight. She joined SNL as a writer in 1997, became the show’s first female head writer in 1999, joined the cast in 2000, and remained until leaving to create and star in 30 Rock in 2006. She has hosted SNL six times. Choosing her to open the UK edition signals that Michaels wanted institutional credibility for the launch, not just a famous face.

Variety reported that Michaels and SNL alum Seth Meyers have recently been in London observing table reads as the cast and writers prepare for the premiere. That level of direct involvement from the original show’s leadership is unusual for an international spinoff.

James Longman is lead producer. Liz Clare directs. Daran Jonno Johnson is head writer. The cast includes 11 performers: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.

SNL UK is the 14th international attempt to adapt the format, and only the South Korean version is currently still airing. Live sketch comedy is hard to transplant across cultures because its appeal depends on shared political references, comedic timing rooted in local humor, and the unpredictability of a live broadcast.

What separates this attempt: Michaels is directly executive producing rather than licensing the brand at arm’s length, the format is unchanged rather than loosely inspired, and Sky — one of the UK’s largest broadcasters — is backing it. When the show was first announced in April 2025, Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and Sky’s Chief Content Officer for Sky, said in a comment: “For over 50 years Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture, reflecting and creating the global conversation all under the masterful comedic guidance of Lorne Michaels. The show has discovered and nurtured countless comedy and musical talents over the years and we are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team to bring an all-British version of the show to UK audiences next year – all live from London on Saturday night!”