SNL UK: Cynthia Erivo/Blossoms (10.24.2026)

Celebrity Gogglebox

• Huh, I have heard of this show. I think the premise of it is kinda odd but then again...our equivalent of this here in the US seems to be certain episodes of 90 Day Fiance, so it's not that odd.

• Always nice to see George Fouracres as Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Not sure what to make of Emmas impression of Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotherham (seems more like she's doing a Paul McCartney impression but I guess there's only so much you can do with any Liverpool accent) but I like the meta twist to it (even if they didn't really do anything with it) and I liked George just downing the entire can of those Twiglets. Oh...apparently these two guys were actually on this show in real life recently which is why they did this cold open in the first place.

• Nice to see Celestes' Claudia Winkleman again. Not sure I like Jacks' Graham Norton (I mean, I can see why Jack should play him out of everyone else in the cast and it's his studio they're currently using so again, I get the extra "meta" layer to it) but Freddies' Prince William has grown on me a bit.

• Upon rewatch, I can see what Jacks' going for with his Graham Norton impression but he plays him a bit too hyper and doesn't quite have a strong handle on Grahams' voice/accent and between this and his Harry impression...let's face it, Jack just doesn't have the right face for parodying and impersonating bearded men over the age of 25.

• Ah, so THAT's who Allison Hammond is. Cohost of the Great British Bakeoff. Hmm...feels like someone should've corrected me on that by now given how popular that show is here as well. Larrys' Noel Feilding is funny and I liked Anias' impression of Nigela Lawson.

• Ah, so they DID end up giving Paddy a chance to play Andy Burnham while he was actively in office after all...and they didn't even make him shave his mustache. I don't think this new wrinkle of future Andy Burnham telling present day Andy Burnham to tell the British public to buy extra sardines and beans during an apocalyptic cyber attack really works here. It doesn't really make a ton of sense and almost drags down this sketch.

• This cold open reminded me of the cold open that SNL US did two years ago where Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris just watched the Vice Presidential debate at home (only mildly derrogatory). 

• That wasn't a very good cold open but this one slightly improved on the formula for that one (mainly with more of a variety of different impressions). Although I feel this was a bit long, it didn't need that much tightening aside from the "future Andy" bit. B-

Monologue

• Cynthias' coming out strong and confident but rather...clipped and restrained. Oh, riiiiiiight....that's the entire joke of this monologue. She really is a good sport to go along with this...as mild as it seems. 

• I did get a kick out of the various photoshopped shots of her stone faced on a rollercoaster and laughing at a funeral.

• As stylish and charismatic as Cynthia is presenting herself here this is starting to lose a bit of steam and seem more like one of those sadly disappointing SNL US monologues from a host you were expecting a bit more from. Thankfully, that vibe doesn't carry over to the rest of the episode.

• I did like the whole British Bake Off rant and I liked how they used that to bring back Larry's Noel Fielding we just saw a few minutes ago. C+

The Cher Witch Project

• Ok, as soon as I saw the buried Grammy being uncovered and hanging CD labeled "Believe" I could tell exactly what this was going to be. Hell, as soon as I saw the words "In 1994" on my screen I could tell what this was going to be.

• Well, at least the one decent element of recent eras of SNL US that SNL UK borrowed is the ability to make something entertaining out of a paper thin premise...or just a really, really dumb pun.

• One thing I like about this is how it straddles the line between super flattering modern SNL US impression piece they'd do now and snarky, unflattering impression piece that any other sketch show in the late 90s/early 00s (particularly MAD TV) would've done.

• God, it's like Freddie, Jack and Celeste were the only cast members in this who didn't have a Cher impression they wanted to get on air. I mean, even Al frigging Nash did one (again, slight MAD TV vibes there) but also Ayoade and Cynthia did non singing impressions that even made sense on a purely visual level.

• I'd have to say Annabel did the best Cher impression here with Emmas' being a distant second. In fact, Annabel has such a great voice in general that she even made the "fuck it, let's just sing along with Cher" ending to this quite charming. I appreciated that they actually used that as a fake out to an actual horror movie disembowelment instead of just leaving it there. B+

Princess In The Tower

• Hey, a Cynthia/Hammed two piece right at the top of the show. Nice!

• So...it's basically just Rapunzel but instead of her hair Cynthia Erapunzel just lets down one extremely long Guinness Book length toenail, which...how the hell would a full grown man climb with his full weight without breaking it ir tearing it off, I mean, come on?

• This may be one of the most All That 90s Nickelodeon level gross out pun based premises I've ever seen with some forced commentary on modern gender dynamics sprinkled in but Cynthia and Hammed are playfully snapping at each other doing their damndest to make this work.

• I liked how Cynthia couldn't stop herself from wildly fumbling over that line about throwing her own piss and shit out of the window with her hand (and she wasn't even breaking).

• I thought the bit with Celeste revealing herself to be Cynthias obvious lesbian partner who thanked her for scaring off Hammed. It was a little too telegraphed and predictable but the rest of this sketch was performed well enough that it doesn't bring this down. B-

Nigerian Wicked

• Hey, another two hander but with Cynthia and Ayoade. Now, this episodes' cooking with heat!

• Already I love the satire of "Nollywood" films just cheaply made foreign knockoff cinema in general. The cheap VHS quality visuals and even cheaper green screen level special effects are killing me (especially the cheap, spotty green paint on Ayoade before they went off on their journey to the "emerald, white and emerald city).

• Cynthia and Ayoade are performing the hell out of this and Hammeds narration is really making this for me.

• Speaking of 90s Nickelodeon, this one did remind me a lot of those "Blockblister" sketches from the Amanda Show, but...MUUUCH BETTEEERR!!! (sorry, had to to it...iykyk)

• This is really one of those rapid fire paced pretapes with too many individual details to pick out a ton of specific moments I liked but I'd have to say Hammed was my favorite part of given how much his intense detailed narration of the entire plot permeated this and how funny he was as the cheap broke wizard serving the girls Baileys' Irish cream. 

• I also liked the attempt at singing from Ayoade at the end when Hammed mentioned that "the whole thing is a musical". 

• ...and apparently that actually is Cynthias' real name. A-

B&B Couples

• Now, we're getting a piece that pairs Freddie and Cynthia as a couple with Emma as the host and Annabel and Al playing straight support roles.

• I like the sheer absurdity of Cynthia and Freddies couple as over the top as they were.

• Among the individual lines I liked were the ones about them following the Simply Red tribute band "Sligthly Red" and Al saying Lenny Henry was rude to his aunt once.

• Among the physical bits I liked were Freddies description of his breakfast burrito and Cynthia keeping a teabag in her mouth.

• Anyone else get slight Fridays vibes from the humming bit? (Iykyk)

• The insane birdwatching/birdcalling bits bordered on being "a bit too much" and just the right punctuation between bits of madness.

• I wasn't crazy about the ending reveal that Freddie and Cynthia were intentionally scaring off Al and Annabel so they could pull off a hit job but it was a quick little button that wasn't enough to bring down the whole sketch or anything. C+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Markle Allegations, PHP, BBC Radio 4, Bond Screen Tests, Lodge Ablaze, Darryl Halls' 80th birthday, Phone Addiction, End of Summer,

• Anias' Best Jokes: Budget Week, John Healey, PHP, Glee Reboot

• Freddie and Annabel as a Lego and boiled egg that were just pulled out of (spoiler alert) Anias' bum (of course) may be quite the iffiest of premises but they're playing it absolutely perfectly...and it was pretty much the perfect length...and by the ideal current SNL Weekend Update anchor.

• Hey, the return of Jack Shep as Scrimpsh! This was fun. I liked his "scary" costume suggestions and his 'losing my brogues" story.

• I wasn't sure about that "Mr. Sloth" ending but I love the absolute seriousness with which it was handled.

• Pretty strong Update to end the first half of series two on. Good on them. B+

John and Melissas' Wedding

• So, this is just Cynthia and Ayoade as Hammeds' rapper cousins because they were the only wedding "band" he could book at the last minute. Let's see where this goes. Anyone else getting heavy Punkie Johnson vibes from Ayoades' character right out of the gate?

• Ok, so the main joke is that Ayoade is performing a "911 Is A Joke" style rap about her water getting shut off and shouting at Cynthias' character if she tries to even get one bar in edgewise.

• This is OK. Feels like a cross between Devon Walker and James Austin Johnsons' characters "Milly Pounds And Shirty" from SNL US mixed with a little bit of Martin Short and Paul McCartneys' intro to the latters performance of "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas" time...also from SNL US. Also, pretty much everything else about this premise feels very SNL US coded but Ayoade and Celeste are doing most of the heavy lifting necessary to put this over.

• Apparently, Headie One was that male rapper that Ayoade bought on stage with her at one point.

• I liked how the ending was just Ayoade pointing out to Celeste that others were doing more to ruin the wedding once Celeste confronted her (I did get a kick out of the brief shot of the guy just stealing silverware) but having Celeste and Hammed just be like "you're right, fuck it, let's dance" right after this was just too cheap of an out for me. Still, pretty decent second to last sketch of the show. C+

Modern Music

• So, would I be accurate in describing this as across between Charli XCX, Billie Eillish, Katseye and...Khia or Peaches?

• I was expecting this to basically be a Celeste/Ayoade piece but I guess this is Annabels thing? Oh well, she's got a musical theater background. She could pull this off.

• Hmm...I feel like I've seen a clip from the HBO show "Insecure" that's...quite similar to this.

• Ok, I don't know how else to describe this one (without getting this post flagged with another "adult content" warning) but...I will say that I really liked Annabels' real open and honest approach to this.

• I especially all the times Annabel just straight up tried to interrupt the song (especially with the "metallic" comment and the entire post confessional ending).

• The only other thing I can say about this is that I'd highly recommend you check it out for yourselves on YouTube since it was one of the few standalone clips from this episode already posted there (thank God). B-

Jools' Hour

• Neat of them to use their daylight savings time weekend to give us this little post credits format break just for a brief callback to one of the better pretapes of last season. Also nice to know that their Daylight Savings time is closer to ours. C+

Ranking SNL UK Series Two From Best To Worst

1. Cynthia Erivo/Blossoms (10.24.2026)
2. Amelia Dimoldenberg/Rachel Chinouriri (09.26.2026)
3. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
4. Danny Dyer/Sasha Keable (10.10.2026)
5. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)
6. James Norton/The Streets (10.17.2026)

Ranking All Of SNL UK From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Hannah Waddingham/Myles Smith (05.09.2026)
3. Cynthia Erivo/Blossoms (10.24.2026)
4. Amelia Dimoldenberg/Rachel Chinouriri (09.26.2026)
5. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
6. Ncuti Gatwa/Holly Humberstone (05.16.2026)
7. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
8. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)
9. Danny Dyer/Sasha Keable (10.10.2026)
10. James Norton/The Streets (10.17.2026)
11. Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)
12. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
13. Aimee Lou Wood/MEEK (05.02.2026)
14. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• Ok, that episode was definitely a strong contender for "Best Episode Of Series Two" so far. It got off to a strong start even with some stuff that felt taken from some of SNL USs' weaker tropes but then hit the ground running with some more original writing and concepts.

• Cynthia was a real lightning rod of a host who seemed to effortlessly pull the best performances out of this cast especially Ayoade and Hammed who somewhat unsurprisingly had one of their best nights tonight and absolutely dominated this show. Annabel, Al, Freddie and Jack quietly had great nights too. Celeste, Jack,  George and Larry seemed to still have scaled back presences but not enough to be a demerit on this episode (although they should be using George much more in cold opens in general).

• Good to see after the doldrums of last week that the cast and crew came together to realize that this was the one show this season they absolutely couldn't afford to biff in any way. Really, the only other less than complimentary thing I can say about the episode at this point is that the musical guest didn't impress me (which...if that's the worst thing you can say about an SNL UK episode, that counts as a victory at this point).

Closing Thoughts

• Well, as of this writing it's been confirmed that SNL UK is coming back in January but no host or musical guest has been confirmed yet. I mean, it's a damn shame they have to go on a two month break after just getting their momentum back but I think they've earned it and I'm already looking forward to what they come back with in the new year.

• At least SNL US is still actively airing new episodes during this time. I know they have quite a bit of a hole to dig themselves out of right now, but there's no where for them to go but up, right? They've got an episode coming up that they know they can't afford to biff either (followed by an "all bets are off" episode and then what I'm sure will be an easy layup).

• Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading my reviews of those episodes real soon and I hope you've already read and enjoyed my review of the SNL US season 33 finale with Steve Carell and Usher that I just published a day or two ago. Most of all, I hope you've already enjoyed hearing the latest episode of the We Heart Hader podcast reviewing that Steve Carell/Usher episode of SNL with special guests John Trumbull and Darin Patterson of the SNL Nerds podcast. See you real soon!

SNL UK: James Norton/The Streets (10.17.2026)

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SNL UK: Danny Dyer/Sasha Keable (10.10.2026)

Royal Family Reunion

• Hmm, another royals cold open. This time without Larrys' King Charles or Emmas Camilla. Instead we get Jacks' Harry and Ayoades' Meghan. These impressions have improved.

• We also get Freddies' William and Annabels Kate. These impressions are OK. Not doing much for me but they've been given serviceable material. I did chuckle a bit at the "prince ginger pubes" crack, though.

• Oh, THERE'S George and Emma. And THERE'S George as a creepy, Palpatine like Prince Andrew.

• Yeah, Larry and Especially George are really saving this sketch for me.

• Good thing they cut it short just as Larry flubbed his last line in a big way (maybe THAT'S why this one isn't on YouTube yet? They've made these kind of edits before). B-

Monologue

• Ooh, another Jamie Demetriou type cold open with a bit of two man physical shtick (instead of Chevy like pratfalls he's doing some rough and tumble action movie like fight stunts which for some reason cause the announcer to say his name about three times as if he didn't walk out unexpectedly). 

• Next, Danny's making this whole Monologue a "WILL HE SAY IT?" Thing but with the C-word he allegedly isn't allowed to say since he used a similar T-word in reference to a former Prime Minister on live television? Already this is amazing. 

• Another way this episode is much like Jamie Demetrious' monologue is that Danny gets a sudden visit from the costar of the current TV show our host is on. She didn't add much but it was nice to see that level of semi continuity between episodes.

• Yeah, once he started talking about all the different accents he could do, this started to go a bit downhill. Not that it's was bad, it just meandered a bit too much. Interesting to learn he's distantly descended from some royalty.

• Nice of him to end with a very sincere thoughtful uplifting statement on being a good, true to yourself person in the age of social media before transitioning that into...another c-word mislead?

• Yeah, this monologue got off to a strong start but ended in a rather strangely unhinged way. It almost lost its own thread to the point where it felt like a few different monologue concepts rolled into one since they couldn't fully settle or decide on just one.

• Still, it was entertaining if not a little confusing. It's just the type of monologue you'd have to really be keyed into to be able to understand (and in that regard, it doesn't really help that the YouTube clip of it has been heavily censored). C+

The Tube

• Huh, this is the THIRD type of the specific sketch they've given us in less than a full calendar year?

• I liked the showcase for Freddie and I liked the gag of Jack choking to death on a Boba pearl while driving. You know those things are chewable, right?

• I liked the basic gag being the dramatizing of how stupidly simple operating a tube is but the gag of him repeatedly pressing the "backwards" and "open door" buttons instead of the "forward" button would get a bit old if this wasn't dressed up like an action thriller trailer. 

• This isn't my favorite Freddie showcase of this season but it's still nice to see SNL UK fully knowing how to use its newest cast members right out of the gate.

• The gag of Freddie taking until Annabel delivers her baby the following month to simply press the right button after heavily  sweating it out Airplane!-style was a funny little detail but sadly once you take away all the bells and whistles from this one you start to see how derivative it truly is. C+

Victorian Pickpockets

• I like Danny, Celeste and Emmas' performances. Jack, Annabel and Larry are doing the most they can with it. Unfortunately, I don't think this is really going anywhere.

• The premise of a modern CPS worker investigating the the Artful Dodger/Oliver Twist gang for child abuse and neglect just feels like it's too...basic to be that funny (especially with the whole "lol implied pedophillia" aspect to some of the jokes.

• I actually thought that Emma might have been this weeks' musical guest, Sasha Keable, when she entered the scene. Speaking of Sasha Keable, I quite liked her performances and the whole "Adele meets Tori Kelly" vibe to her sound. I thought I'd just add that here since I don't have much else to say about this sketch. C-

Marriage Blessing

• Ooh hey, something similar to this happened to me in my life (not at this level of intensity though)

• The interplay and role play between Danny and Freddie makes this for me. Emma and Celeste were great in this, too.

• I liked the twist of this being another in a series of low level diamond heists. B-

Chill As Hell Gay Guy In His Twenties 

• Huh, very odd Pythonesque choice to transition to this actual pretape set in an Oceans' Eleven style heist out of a live sketch with a surprise heist ending, but I liked it.

• Part of me was hoping that the conceit of this sketch would just be an ongoing list of increasingly useless and/or unnecessary heist crew members...but having Jack just play a...whatever the exact opposite of a heightened version of himself is was OK.

• I liked how positive everyone turned out to be towards Jack's character at the end as it was revealed he's pretty much just part of the heist crew for pure moral support. Annabels' cameo was OK if not a tiny bit convoluted. 

• Even the "it was a dream" ending was just odd enough to work for me...but the additional ending of Jacks' agent calling him to offer him a role where his character dies of either AIDS or an assault depending on the viewers choice was a teeny bit too jarring. B-

Paint Colors Meeting

• This feels like a variation of that "What A Life" sketch from Nicolas' episode crossed with that ice cream tasting sketch Benedict Cumberbatch did on SNL US in 2022.

• I do like the twist of Danny just straight up drinking paint just to get some insane out of body vision quest experience to base the name off of. I do like the "blink and you'll miss it" visual gag of Danny bring hooked up to an IV drip while sitting in an office chair.

• Having Danny's character just straight up explode from drinking too much paint and then have his coworkers decide to name the resulting shade "R.I.P. Gary" in his honor was about as good of an ending as this sketch could've hoped for. B+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: MP Drinks Beer, Worlds' Tallest Tory, Greens In Crisis, Christa Pike (good on ol' Pads for making those as classy as he could)

• Anias' Best Jokes: Keir Starmers' Old Seat, Prostate Cancer Research

• Paddy and Ania calling on an "average person" to weigh in on the Gaza situation was a fun little format break.

• Somewhere, Brian Doyle Murray stirs as Ania Magliano delivers this absurdly long list of items that Prince Andrew stained with his own semen.

• Not sure what to make of Emmas' delivery robot commentary but at least it was concise and underplayed. Felt like something from Seth Meyer's solo era of Weekend Update on SNL US.

• I like how Paddy and Ania are playing thos whole "hosts dating" joke (speaking of something previously done during the BDM era of SNL US Update).

• That spider joke from Paddy should've been cut. It was too long and awkward to work for me.

• I liked this George commentary. I immediately got a kick out of him removing the cheapest bald cap wig ever upon coming out. Feels like an improvement on something either Kate McKinnon, Chris Redd or Pete Davidson would've done on SNL US Update during their own Covid era.

• Having a guest commentator call out a small omission on the Update map is something I don't think I've seen on any SNL Update feature before.

• I do appreciate this having an extra meta layer of George just using this Update feature to bemoan his lack of airtime on the week of his birthday. If anyone in this cast has earned their right to do such a thing on this show by this point, it's definitely him.

• That was a fun Update even if it was very mildly uneven, too. B-

 

British Armageddon

• It's a bit strange to see a sketch that just opens with a (probably A.I. generated, sadly...knowing this show) shot of an asteroid heading toward Earth get an extended round if (possibly canned if Hammed is just straight up delivering his lines over it) applause (maybe not that strange in 2026, but still...)

• This sketch feels a little too SNL US but I like how it's being played by Danny and Hammed. I'm getting slight "Alas Smith & Jones" vibes from it. 

• I don't love or hate this one. It's a semi- unique and quirky premise that's just kinda...there and being elevated as much as it can be by its performers. C+

Boy Band Reunion (Older And Wiser)

• This was another very simple premise but it was pretty perfectly cast and performed. The way this was written really made this pop, too since the song had plenty of great lines.

• Given that Celeste is quite prominently featured in this and it's basically the type of musical number her group/show "Lazy Susan" would do all the time...I'm assuming she had a major hand in writing this? Maybe she saw how the X-Factor sketch blew up online and was inspired to create something similar?

• I'm guessing this is a riff on the group "Take That"? I'm not familiar with the UK boy band scene of the early 2000s but I have heard OF "Take That" so I'm guessing this mostly them and an amalgam of some others? Ah, it doesn't totally matter. I've seen enough US boy bands have years later middle aged reunion tours. This is a universal concept.

• I liked Larry's inclusion as the incredibky cheesy host introducing them and Jacks' inclusion as the member who passed away in a boat "accident". 

• I do agree that Al probably had the best voice of the group. Their argument break down just before the final chorus was pretty funny. B+

Ranking SNL UK Series Two From Best To Worst

1. Amelia Dimoldenberg/Rachel Chinouriri (09.26.2026)
2. Danny Dyer/Sasha Keable (10.10.2026)
3. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
4. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)

Ranking All Of SNL UK From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Hannah Waddingham/Myles Smith (05.09.2026)
3. Amelia Dimoldenberg/Rachel Chinouriri (09.26.2026)
4. Danny Dyer/Sasha Keable (10.10.2026)
5. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
6. Ncuti Gatwa/Holly Humberstone (05.16.2026)
7. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
8. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)
9. Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)
10. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
11. Aimee Lou Wood/MEEK (05.02.2026)
12. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• Well, this episode felt just a little underwhelming compared to the past couple of shows (no real strong highs or dire lows) this season but it was still a solid, consistently decent show with a host that showed he was game for just about anything right out of the gate.

• This episode had a pretty low bar to clear with Shane Gillis hosting the US show several hours later...and it obviously cleared it and that's all I really asked of it.

• Celeste, Freddie, Emma and Jack had good nights. Al, Annabel and Hammed had decent nights. Not their absolute best nights, but they still got on a bit. George didn't have a great night, but I think they realized that and made up for it as much as they could (especially with George being presented with a cake at the goodnights).

Closing Thoughts

• Next week, SNL UK returns with James Norton and The Streets. He's certainly not the James or "Jim" Norton I know...which is actually good. It'll be fun to go blind into another SNL UK with a host I know nothing about. Hope you enjoy reading my review of that one in a weeks' time when it comes out (in the absence of a new SNL US that week, of course).

• I've also written a review of this weeks' SNL US with Shane Gillis and Rosalia which you can read here if you care to. You might find that I've been a bit more generous to that episode than some. That's probably because I saw this SNL UK episode you just read my review of first.

• I'll also be coming out with a review of the SNL US season 33 finale with Steve Carrell and Usher in the coming weeks. Deej and I will also be reviewing that one on the next We Heart Hader Podcast which we just recorded with special guests John Trumbull and Darin Patterson of the SNL Nerds podcast. 

• Speaking of which, we actually just released a new episode of We Heart Hader with returning guests Ajax from the Cover Wars podcast and Andrew Hunter Scholey from the podcast North Of Normal. We covered the "Test Pattern: Final Transmission" episode of Documentary Now Season Two. Hope you have as much fun listening to this one as the four of us did recording it. See you again real soon!

SNL UK: Amelia Dimoldenberg/Rachel Chinouriri (09.26.2026)

Oasis (ft. Andy Burnham): Don't Get Scammed In Anger

• I got a good chuckle out of the word "NORTH" bring blared out like that right at the top of the episode as well as how goofily decorated in a mod/posh fashion his office seemed to be.

• I was wondering how often they'd use George's Andy Burnham impression. Doesn't seem like he's done enough lately to warrant a cold open in the past couole of weeks but the writers found an angle somewhere between UK/Russia relations and his speech at the U.N. general assembly this week.

• Nice to see Celestes' Angela Rayner character again. I guess the real Rayner is still in government as a member of Burnhams' cabinet?

• Freddie & Jack as the Gallagher bros from Oasis? Pretty solid impressions from both (better than their Russian accents anyway). I guess this sorta makes up for the poor response that James Austin Johnson and Sarah Shermans' Oasis/Gallagher impressions got from actual Brits a while back.

• Ooooooooooh, I see. Burnhams' being scammed by two Russian spies/Oasis catfishers...who are also the actual Gallagher brothers because Oasis was been a 30+ year Russian Psyop this whole time. Funny concept. 

• I got a kick out of Celeste taking replacing one of the framed photos on the wall with a t.A.t.U poster as well as Jacks' line about the song "Wonderwall" being originally titled "Wonderful Wall" about the Berlin wall.

• I guess they're now forming a "take" on Burnham around how much of a gullible, naive idiot they perceive him to be? Well, at least they're not portraying him as a spineless worm who can't stand up to Russia.

• I wasn't crazy about George's speech at the end. Fun cold open even if it's not my favorite of series two so far. B-

Monologue

• Ok, so...it's just about the show she's ending.

• Reminds me of Bill Haders' 2018 host monologue (the part about him thinking "Barry" was a conflict of interest specifically)

• The jabs at SNL UK and various Britich KFC equivalents having less fame and history than their American counterparts and Ed Sheerhan being an Elmo-like puppet were pretty sharp. She's doing fine for a non-actress/influencer host so far.

• This feels a lot like a typical "introduce yourself to the audience as if this is the first they've ever heard of you" SNL US host monologue, but I don't really mind. 

• This is pretty much the best I could've hoped for her monologue if it wasn't going to contain any guest out-of-nowhere guest cameos. It feels like it ran out of steam bit at the end though with the whole "be yourself" speech.

• Speaking of, upon a rewatch of this monologue, I noticed she said she had an "upcoming romcom" so I gues she is actively making the transition from "YouTuber/influencer" to "red carpet interviewer/presenter" to "actress who pretty much plays herself in her earliest roles" (which I guess makes Awkwafinas 2018 SNL US hosting stint the only true precedent for a YouTuber host pre-Amelia). So, I guess her doing this show is just part her getting her comedic acting sea legs before starting on that romcom of hers. C+

Harry Kane For Babybel Waxy Cheese

• I'm guessing this pretape is an elaborate spoof of a slightly less elaborate actual commercial for an actual waxy cheese Harry Kane endorses? 

• Seems like it's hitting all the tropes of typical big flashy athlete endorsement commercials of the past 30 years or so. 

• Nice way to work in Amelia and Freddie (who must have been parodying some specific announcer the way he was made up).

• Already, I like how they've more than made up for the severe lack of George and Al in last weeks' show by this point. George as the FIFA president was worth a chuckle.

• Nice way to work in Paddy outside of Update as "the guy who breaks up fatbergs".

• No idea who Emma was playing but i liked the Jennifer Saunders vibes she gave off and the sheer oddity of her just straight up biting George like a vampire to get the waxy cheese back.

• The show must have some pretty mixed feelings about Harry Kane. Als' portrayal of him isn't exactly the most flattering but it is a bit nicer than the rather scathing Samaritans joke Ania told about him in a previous Update this season.

• Then again, the show has also just depicted the FIFA president as basically just living in a sewer (which I totally get) along with this Fiona Bruce person who they...also have apparently depicted as a vampire? So yeah, the show must REALLY hate them.

• Not all of this hit for me, but I liked the absurdity of it. C+

Night At Madame Tussauds

• Ok, I chuckled at Amelia's "Marylin Monroe/Dua Lipa" and I liked Jacks Chris Martin impression.

• Speaking of, I was wondering who that black extra next to that one writer portraying Marilyn was supposed to be. I thought he might've been Lenny Henry until I noticed he was wearing a trench coat while also holding a sonic screwdriver so...he obviously must've been Ncuti Gatwa.

• So, I guess this is a cross between "Night At The Museum" and "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers"?

• I like these Beatle impressions and the Chaplin/Hitler gag from Larry. Speaking of Beatle impressions, George has now gone from playing Ringo to playing John and Freddie is now Ringo. That leaves...Celeste as George and Paddy as Paul. I guess that makes enough visual sense.

• I like the idea of Emma as Tom Hiddleston (just anachronistic enough to work even if her performance and general presence came off more Tom Jones than Tom Hiddleston) but this part feels like it could've been tightened a bit (and I kind of saw that "cold dead eyes" gag coming)

• Nice ending twist with Al's character having been an Elvis wax figure this whole time. I liked the writing behind this even if bordered on being a little too Rick and Morty-ish even for this show...and even if it just so happens to be the second live sketch of the night that involves people being tricked by celebrities. B+

Fashion Sense and Sensibility

• The idea of Al Nash being a male lead in a Jane Austin-esque period romance piece is intriguing enough.

• The premise of George, Emma and Amelia just ragging on Als' big cargo jorts isn't much on paper but the flourish they're putting into it is putting this over.

• I liked the gag of one pocket just containing Skittles and another just containing old, useless receipts.

• Hammed as Als' father is the icing on the cake here (although the reveal of both their pants having the word "juicy" on the back didn'tdo much for me). I got slight Brian Blessed vibes from Hammeds' performance.

• The twist ending with George and Emma putting their differences with Al aside and allowing them to marry Amelias' character when Al points out that their whole family wears five toed athletic shoes was just as strong a conclusion to this premise as anything else they could've come up with. B-

Love Is Blind

• The premise of Al's character being half horse isn't much by itself but the "glue factory" and "oats" gags being played out with typical reality show melodrama works for me.

• Amelia seems to be in her element here. I like that she played it all the way up to the ending so straight  like she didn't even notice or care Al was half horse.

• For a sketch parodying a reality show, this sure had a decent level of sweetness, charm and real heart to it with Amelia and Al seeming to make a genuine human connection with each other.

• I don't think we needed the ending button of Als' character being disappointed in Amelia's rack...but I still liked the rest of this sketch enough that that alone couldn't ruin it. B+

Apartment Fire

• Aurora Borealis?!? (sorry just had to get that out of the way)

• This is another sketch with almost too simple of a premise but the performances are selling it (especially Jack and Larry as the exasperated fire fighters). For once, Jack playing his part over the top with big line readings was actually appropriate. Al and Amelia were fine in it.

• Nice to see George as the fire chief again even if I didn't much care for this speech either. His turn in this sketch really reminded me of his performance in the sketch from Nicola Coughlans' episode where he had to land the plane (which was another sketch like this that I'm a bit more lukewarm on in hindsight).

• I'm not that crazy about George's ending speech but I loved his commitment and I liked how this ended with him suddenly saving Annabels' character who was their left behind daughter. C+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Trump Meets Burnham, Netanyahu, Paul Bros, Weinstein

• Anias' Best Jokes: Trump/Xi State Visit, Sam Altman, In Hock/Keech, Blair Workout

• Nice Chevy/Jane moment with his transition from that Netanyahu joke to that Wes Streeting joke.

• That Tommo arrest joke with the Ken dolls reminds me of a very specific and very cheap joke Tina & May did on SNL US 21 years ago.

• This East London mosquito bit feels like a VAST improvement on an SNL US Update formula that Bowen, Marcello, Kenan and Sarah have been made to follow in the last few years. Still, the general UK specific humor behind it put it over for me.

• That Labour party conference joke from Ania (the one that she broke during) had real Jost/Che joke swap energy (especially with Paddys' reaction of disgust). That had to have been a cold read, right? Like somebody threw that in between dress and air?

• Jesus, that "perv glasses" joke from Paddy has to be the absolute raunchiest and most gleefully grotesque visual joke ever pulled off on either version of Weekend Update. Sarah Sherman would be green with envy if she saw it.

• That had to be the most memorable Update SNL UK has ever produced. Holy shit, Paddy & Ania really swung for the fences tonight. A-

The One Show

• Not crazy about this being Ayoades' first appearance of the night but at least she isn't completely shut out of the show. She and George play phony pleasant morning show hosts well.

• This seems like it's going for the same level of absurdity as last weeks' "The Shape" but more chaotic. 

• I do like Freddie's commitment to the intense punishing nature of this. This is a great breakout showcase for him.

• This reminds of those sketches All That used to do with Josh Server as the physically tortured on location weatherman for Channel 6 1/2 News who would always be on the scene at the North Pole or a literal desert or some such place and Chrisy Knowings as the oblivious in studio local anchor.

• I'm surprised it took this long for a sketch where Amelia literally just plays herself but I did like how she was able to provide a warm, sympathetic ending to this with the reveal that she herself has the wide, thick feet that Freddies' character is doing the worm to raise awareness for. B-

How To How w/Hayley or Kayley

• Speaking of sketches, I'm surprised didn't air earlier in the show...

• I like how this sketch is just a blackout length jump in to an insane conversation on a "Call Me Daddy" type dumb millenial white girl type podcast just mid way through.

• This feels like a much streamlined and improved version of what that SNL US Update commentary with Chloe Fineman as Alex Cooper and Veronika Slowikoska as Alix Earle was going for. B+

Ranking SNL UK Series Two From Best To Worst

1. Amelia Dimoldenberg/Rachel Chinouriri (09.26.2026)
2. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
3. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)

Ranking All Of SNL UK From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Hannah Waddingham/Myles Smith (05.09.2026)
3. Amelia Dimoldenberg/Rachel Chinouriri (09.26.2026)
4. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
5. Ncuti Gatwa/Holly Humberstone (05.16.2026)
6. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
7. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)
8. Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)
9. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
10. Aimee Lou Wood/MEEK (05.02.2026)
11. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• This may have been the strongest episode of series two so far. It was by far the most consistently entertaining and least uneven with no real lows and one very strong high that stood out above the rest.

• I had tempered my expectations for this episode based on the host alone but Amelia really delivered. She did pretty much exactly as well as I would've expected and the show proved it was able to work with her and ingratiate her into the show rather than having to work around her.

• Plus, it helps this episodes' reputation that it aired on the same night as another dull as dishwater season premiere of Saturday Night Live US (which you can also read my review of on this very blog).

• Cast usage was pretty consistent. They seemed to have used Annabel Marlowe and Ayoade Bambogye a bit less but thankfully they evened out everyone else's airtime using George, Al and Hammed much more (and continuing to use Jack, Emma and Freddie in ways that play directly to their comedic strengths.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, we know the next episode of SNL UK airs on October 10th. As of this publishing, we now also know that the host will be Danny Dyer, a name I have only heard in an old Rubberbandits song prior to today. I had always assumed he was just a TV presenter but today I found out he is an actual character actor who's been around and working for a number of years. Hope he does well! 

• We also do know who the host and musical guest for SNL US is that same night and, well...let's just say ol' Danny Boy ain't exactly facing stiff competition.

• Still, I hope you enjoy reading my reviews of the upcoming episodes of SNL US and UK in the next month (including their most recent US season premiere which aired the same night as this episode and my review of the SNL US season 33 finale with Steve Carrell and Usher which Deej and I will be covering on the podcast in a few weeks).

• See you again real soon!

SNL UK: Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)

Ed, Charles And D.I.A.N.A.

• Ok, King Charles meeting with A.I. executives. This could be interesting.

• I liked how they included Celeste in this. Is Freddie just playing Elon Musk?

• Wow, very strange way to work Jack Sheps' Princess Di and the "A.I. could very possibly kill all humans" story into the same sketch (even with the context of Charles Spencers' recent memoir) but after seeing it take on a dark anti-A.I. apocalypse bent I started to get into it.

• Larry is turning out his strongest and most engaged performance as King Charles so far.

• Annabel as Ed Sheerhan was a nice touch and a nice counter balance to the grimdark A.I. apocalypse of this sketch. It comes across more like Kate McKinnons and Noel Wells' impressions of Justin Beiber from about a decade ago (or even Kate McKinnons impression of Ed Sheerhan from that time) but its' still a nice use of her musical background and singing voice.

• It's pretty funny how the writers' attempt at a pastiche/style parody of mid-2010s Ed Sheerhans' music just ended up sounding like that "10,000 Hours" song by Dan & Shay with Justin Beiber. Just speaks to how cookie cutter most male pop stars of that time were.

• A bit odd that both of this seasons SNL UK cold opens have followed the same structure of "other British people in the news this week suddenly intrude on King Charles" but it just goes to show you that even when SNL UK attempts one of these "let's just jumble every big news story of this week into a sketch" type cold opens they have a better handle on how to make those work effectively and actually NOT seem jumbled together. It's something SNL US needs to learn thing or two about.

• Quite a bleak, nihilistic ending with Larrys' King Charles suddenly declaring that "nothing matters" but it's the same kind of take on mocking world leaders I have come to expect from SNL UK by this point (and unfortunately the same approach to making the entire show I've come to expect from SNL US). B+

Monologue

• Quite an odd entrance. Not a bad one, though. I liked him tripping over the stairs, followed by his cousin suddenly tripping over him followed by the first words out of his mouth being a blunt "I was in Fleabag".

• I also liked his line "It's so fun and creative and comedy to be here."

• I wanted to like the premise of a host struggling to remember what he was in but until the song came on, I wasn't into the execution. It reminded me of John Goodmans' monologue from season 25 of SNL US only slightly more charming and less exploitative.

• Hey, Ncuti Gatwa has returned to remind Jamie which one of them was in Sex Education! Funny how he makes this cameo just as I get to appear on a podcast discussing the episode he hosted.

• Between this and Jeff Goldblums' monologue from last week, this might be my favorite musical monologue of SNL UK series two so far. 

• However, if you ONLY are able to view this episode on Peacock here in the states you might like to know that in the live Sky TV airing Jamie broke out giggling after the first line of his song and joking said something like "can we start over? No? Ok." Apparently, Peacock saw fit to cut that moment for some reason.

• Hey, it's...Al Roberts, Jamies' costar from "Steth Lets Flats". It's a shame I haven't seen that show but based on this interaction between the two of them it sure looks neat. This adds quite a bit of charm to the ending to this monologue. I especially liked the gag of him cold reading an upcoming acting credit of his.

• After chewing on this one a bit, I actually liked this more on rewatch and appreciate what a strong subversion of typical SNL host tropes this turned out to be. B-

The E-Bike Song

• I appreciate that we're really getting to see this different, more gleefully dangerous and reckless side of Jack Shep that we didn't get to see in series one (even if its just in service of one tongue in cheek joke about how e-bikes and lime scooters are dangerous as hell and expensive)

• I liked the inclusion of a rapping Freddie & Celeste, Jamie as a cop and Annabels' face on the green bike bucket (smart of them to get someone who can actually sing on this one). I even got a kick out of the older gentlemen playing Jacks' loved one in the middle.

• That musical mix of modern day PinkPantheress/Charli XCX-lite style dance pop and early millennial Albie Wobble Selekta style of British rap that permeated this short dovetails nicely enough with this. (Yeah, that's right. I just dropped a Kyle Gordon reference for lack of a better comparison. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?)

• Still, even though this got a bit catchier and funnier on rewatch, between this and Wednesday nights new South Park episode...I'd say the latter was my preferred bit of e-bike based humor from the week. C+

The Rower

• Wait...so, this ISN'T an Odyssey parody?

• Weird time for Jamie to be doing a Bronson Pinchot impression.

• Yeah, this is definitely another sketch archetype I know I've seen on SNL US numerous times. One of the lesser known deep cuts from the classic Peyton Manning episode of SNL US immediately jumped to mind when I saw that (and so did the Riverdale sketch from Halseys' 2019 SNL US episode now that I'm thinking about it). Even if I hadn't seen either of those sketches, I'm sure I would've found the execution of this too awkward and lame to get into it.

• I liked how well Celeste played the role of the exasperated director, but other than that Jamie was playing this like either he didn't know what this sketch was supposed to be or was gently trying to take it in his own direction. D+

The Shape

• Ok, this looks pretty funny. It may actually make this sketch better for me that I have no fucking clue if it's parodying a real game show or not.

• This is decently absurd right out the gate. I'm getting some slight Mitchell & Webb "Numberwang/Remain Indoors" vibes.

• I actually like everyone's performances here. Jamie and Emma do a great job leading this. The various audience asides from Jack, Ayoade and Freddie were OK. A-

Why Did You Dump Me?

• I can sense that this is going for a similar level of absurdity as "The Shape". I like it as a vehicle for Emma, but I didn't like it as much as "The Shape".

• I liked that this did eventually switch gears into self awareness but I didn't care for how abruptly they made that shift or how long they lingered on Jamie explaining to Emma exactly how weird and crazy she is.

• I can tell this is a bit too weird to be that closely based on a real thing (except maybe Billy On The Street but like...an extrapolation of it?) so the closest thing from SNL US I can compare this to is...The Denise Show with Adam Sandler. Not bad. B-

Entertainment Exchange 

• I like that we're getting a lot of Celeste and Freddie this week (and way more Hammed than last week). I was even fine with the way Emma played the straight woman. 

• I'm not crazy about this sketch, though. It feels pretty empty and I've know for sure I've seen this premise on SNL before (specifically with the Spectrum cable sketches in recent years and the "Gym Call" sketch with Timothee Chalamet from 2023 that doesn't appear to legitimately be on YouTube for some reason).

• Heck, this even reminds me of the famous "change for a dollar" sketch from Mr. Show but much weaker.

• I did like Emmas' closing line just being her straight up wishing she never had kids. I would have placed this elsewhere in the rundown so it didn't end up being one of he sketches that leads into the host introducing the musical guest. D+

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: Kraft/Epstein, Piddington/Paddington, Pond Sex

• Anias' Best Jokes: Sheerhan/Macklemore, Robert Kraft, Roast Prices Rise

• Yeah, the whole Sheerhan/Macklemore/Kraft run of jokes were the strongest part of Update for me. Maybe the Paloma Faith joke would've hit harder if I knew who she was?

• That non-joke of briefly mentioning the lib dem party without a punchline and then quickly moving on to the Spencer memoir jokes was such a Chevy Chase/Jance Curtin level bit of humor from Ania.

• Again, I haven't seen "Stath Lets Flats" but what I could parse out from what I did see was charming enough. Jamie and Al have good enough chemistry to have made this level of silly bumbling fun to watch. Maybe I should check out Stath Lets Flats if it's streamable somewhere? B-

Woman Of Darkness

• Hmm, let's see where this goes...

• Seems like Jack found a version of his character from last week's Bi King Kong sketch that actually works

• Ok, this is a decent Sarah Sherman-ish performance from Emma I could jive with.

• ...and Jamie's character thinks she's hit and wants to hit on her. Fantastic.

• ...and he wants Jack's character to wingman him after his first failed come-on. Now, he wants to bail because she wants kids.

• ...and there's a button that turns this into a safe sex PSA. Yes, that's something we always want to see at the end of an SNL sketch.

• Ok, so...this went nowhere interesting. Not even the performances could save this lame premise.

• The fact that I can't really remember another time I've seen this exact premise speaks volumes. The closest thing I've seen to this on SNL US was The Twilight Zone sketch with Pamela Anderson but even that had a better ending. D-

The X-Factor Final 12 Performance

• Ok, how the FUCK is this the first we've seen of Al Nash or George Fucking Fouracres all night?

• So...is this just 2011 era X-Factor nostalgia and the only thing even close to approaching a joke is the height of Jamie's hair as he realizes his wig is too large on air and the camera rig rips it off?

• This reminded me a lot of the opening of the 2003 SNL US Super Bowl Halftime show where pretty much the entire 2002-03 cast portrayed different American Idol auditioned as well as the SNL US Digital Short from 2012 where Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig just had really huge afros (and just a hint of WIll Ferrells' "Mark Jensen Family Christmas" from every SNL US Christmas special you've seen in the past 20 years).

• I liked Celeste, Paddy and Anias' appearances in this. Celestes' whole look was pretty funny. I dug the throwback to Paddys' running BTS gags. I heard Ania was apparently supposed to be playing a member of Little Mix. If so, she actually does make a pretty damn convincing Jesy Nelson and/or Jade Thirlwall.

• Actually, upon rewatch this was pretty funny and charming if you view it more as just a fun end of show musical number with the cast...y'know, like the exact thing it's meant to be parodying. I can't believe it took me a whole day to realize that this was just another example of SNL UK just parodying a specific piece of viral media from several years ago (even certain hosts from series one have done this in their monologues). Fun way to end the episode. B-

Ranking SNL UK Series Two From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
2. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)

Ranking All Of SNL UK From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Hannah Waddingham/Myles Smith (05.09.2026)
3. Jamie Demetriou/Royal Blood (09.19.2026)
4. Ncuti Gatwa/Holly Humberstone (05.16.2026)
5. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
6. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)
7. Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)
8. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
9. Aimee Lou Wood/MEEK (05.02.2026)
10. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• I will admit, I struggled with this episode a bit because I may have went into it with the wrong mindset. Before I actually saw any of it, I had heard from a trusted source in a certain Discord server I tend to frequent (who lives in England and saw the live airing in real time) that this episode wasn't particularly good.

• Still, I had to reserve my actual judgement for after I actually SAW the episode and the first two times I watched it in full (through my own personal means and connections I won't explain further here) I got a strange vibe and noticed how each sketch felt a bit derivative of something else (in various ways, some more than others).

• After watching this episode twice with two completely different groups of online fans (including the whole crew I recorded those podcasts with where I talked about Ncuti and Riz Ahmeds' episodes) I was able to parse out what actually worked and what didn't (much moreso with the second group, sorry ladies).

• I also grew to like Jamie more as a host. He was clearly a better fit for SNL UK than Jeff Goldblum was (since he IS an actual British actor, after all). Jamie truly blended in seamlessly with this cast while still bringing his own unique off beat vibe to the proceedings.

• Yes, it did feel like an uneven episode but that was because they took more chances than last week which naturally resulted in a few things here and there that didn't work here and there but what worked grlt really solid and hit harder than any of last week's high points.

• I do like that they took some swings at some more absurd dadaist level humor (most of which landed).

• As for cast usage, my biggest problem with this episode was the lack of George and Al, of course. However, I do like how they used Jack & Emma this episode. They were two cast members I was on the fence about (to borrow a phrase from Ed Sheerhan) but I'm now fully sold on by how they pur certain sketches over.

• I liked how they worked in the rest of the cast as well (especially Celeste, Freddie, Annabel and Hammed). Everyone else dud some solid support work. Heck, I even liked Royal Bloods' performances just fine. They were pretty good for a band who's sound could best be described as "heavily, heavily watered down Motorhead".

Closing Thoughts

• Next week, serial Chicken Shop Dater Amelia Dimoldenberg will be hosting this show. I know that she has rather tenuous connections to both versions of SNL but this sets something of a dangerous precedent for booking content creators and influencers with no real acting experience as hosts. I think the best we can hope for is that Amelia will just gel and vibe well with the rest of that cast as I'm sure they'll be able to carry her.

• I'm sure I'll also have my review of the upcoming season premiere of SNL US airing the same night, hours later posted here even sooner with host Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks. It's funny how this happens as I'm about to wrap up my coverage of an old SNL season that also had a premiere hosted by an NBA MVP (funny how things sometimes come full circle like that sometimes) but I've heard that Jalen doesn't quite have as much charisma off the court as Lebron or Michael Jordan or even Charles Barkley did. 

• I think the best we can hope for THAT SNL episode is that any number of the seven (!) featured players on SNLs' current cast get to do something that really makes them stand out from the bunch. See you again real soon!

SNL UK: Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)

Harry & Megan's Return Home

• Hmm...I was so preoccupied with how they would handle Andy Burnham sketches I completely forgot that a sketch about Meghan, Harry and the royals right now would probably make much more of an impact right now.

• I still like these Charles & Camilla impressions. Emma seems to have reigned hers in and toned hers down a bit while Larry has incorporated some C. Montgomery Burns into his King Charles?

• I guess Jack as Harry and Ayoade was an inevitable sight. I can't say I was that impressed by Jack's Harry (I don't think the real Harry is that gruff so I'm not sure what he was going for). I did like Ayoades' American accent, though. The PDA between the two of them felt like it went on a couple of beats too long, though.

• I did like Larry-as-Charles' line about being grateful that Harrys" father isn't still around to see what a waste he's become for the reaction it got. I'm guessing that must be a reference to some affair of Diana's (possibly Dodi Fayed?) and not just a joke about King Charles' possibly becoming senile in his old age and it being kept from the British public?

• Wait, that's...George Fouracres as new Prime Minister Andy Burnham? I thought Paddy was the one who was being groomed to take on that role? Did he not want it or was it taken from him at the last minute? Was this just done by the writers in service of their own (possibly one off) meta joke about there being "no difference" between Burnham and Starmer?

• Ah, I shouldn't complain or nitpick too much. George Fouracres may be my favorite member of this cast. He pretty much saved this sketch and I'm glad to see he still gets to keep his position as SNL UKs' PM impersonator.

• Seriously though, I was wondering what they're take on Burnham as a person and a politician would be...since he's only been in office a couple of months now and may not have done much of note. I'm a bit surprised that the shows' take isn't just that they hate Burnham because the English people have always hated all their prime ministers except for Winston Churchill. 

• Rather, their take seems to be that Burnham tries too hard to be seen as a "relatable" British guy from your average northern everything when there's enough evidence out there to refute that claim...and that Harry and Meghan Markle may be the only ones dumb enough to buy that crap. 

• I mean, even George himself must find Andy Burnham pretty damn relatable since it sounds like he's mostly just using his own voice and accent to play him.

• I actually got a chuckle out of the "Makerfield? Maybe I'll make a field!" joke. This cold open got off to a bit of a shaky start but had a strong finish. B+

Montage

• I like this new intro. They sure injected a whole lot more color and life into it.

• I've seen someone say this reminds them of the SNL season 32 intro. I'd say the SNL UK Series One intro is more reminiscent of seasons 32-34 SNL US. To me, the SNL Series Two intro is more reminiscent of the SNL seasons 35-37 intro.

• It also reminds me a lot of the season 14/15 and season 21 SNL US intros in that there's brief shots of the cast interacting with each other in certain shots (which I guess the SNL US season 32-34 intro might have as well, so there's that).

Monologue

• Is it just me or does Jeff Goldblum now sound a lot like a cross between Alan Alda and Elon Golds' impression of him from the Dana Carvey show at this point?

• Wasn't expecting a smooth jazzy musical number from Jeff, but it's charming enough. I'm OK with it, forced cockney Britishisms and all.

• Hell, I'm even getting slight Walken vibes from it. Even in general, this whole thing feels like a 1995-2002 era SNL US musical monologue with a modern intro. Is this supposed to be a parody of "My Way" or "Mac Tonight" because it sounds like a cross between both.

• Even the seemingly obligatory Jurassic Park callback was fun. Nice way to work in CMAT (who sounds like they couldn't get Ella Langley or Chappell Roan so they went with her non union British equivalent). B-

Gregor J. Dupont: Professional Baby

• This is already making my night. I'm ecstatic that we're getting another absurdist pretape with an original George Fouracres character.

• So, this character hs basically a cross between Peter Serafinowicz's "Brian Butterfield" and Jon Lovitzs' "Master Thespian"? It's still very fun. I'm not complaining.

• The highlights of this for me were the haunting, ghostly playtime/sleepy time noises, the line running and union rule that he doesn't have to play a baby after 6pm and the sea chanting.

• Who were the ones playing Larry & Ayoades' partners in their uniformly negative testimonials? Were they writers or extras? 

• I also liked the added absurdity of Jeff playing George's father who is also a working actor and does a similar gig to his son as a professional ending.

• I also thought that Emma videotaping George's play as if he actually were her son was the best possible ending this could've had. A+

Invisible Friends

• Strange that they're essentially doing two sketches in a row with male cast members playing children, but OK. I'm not mad, but it's certainly a choice. Jeff playing this role as basically himself was a nice touch that didn't steal focus from the rest of this sketch.

• I do like that this escalates beyond just Als' initial "WTF is this grown ass man doing in my child's bedroom reaction" into Celeste knowing Jeffs' character, Hammed as an "invisibility maintenance man" repairing the entire "invisibility network" that went down and Als' character having his own "invisible friend" who's basically just Annabel in a blatant sexpot role that probably would've gone to Emma is this were last season (which shows just how much range Annabel has since she handles this just as well).

• I even got a kick out of the Twilight Zone-esque twist of Al's entire family being "invisible". Decent first appearance from Freddie. B+

Cyrano De Goldblum

• Nice that they're essentially giving Freddie his first showcase sketch in his first episode (but boy does that line about him being "five sad wanks away from a trip to the gun store hit hard in 2026...especially coming from a British show).

• I do like the twist that Annabels' character is some how responding positively at first and then reasonably concerned with her responses to Freddie's statement before catching on to what's happening. That's a nice counter to the very predictable premise of Freddie repeating Jeffs' exact words and directions in the most literal verbal way possible, even interpreting directions of physical actions as lines to repeat.

• I also liked the gag of Freddie basically narrating Jeffs' mugging and police encounter followed by Annabels' character recognizing Jeff from "Cats And Dogs" of all things.

• Speaking of Jeff...did he just flub a line or miss a cue? Did Freddie or Annabel miss a cue? What the hell happened there exactly that botched that ending? B+

The Piano

• Is this a parody of an actual British reality show? I think it must be if it has so many impressions of specific British celebrities (and I'm guessing Ayoade is playing a real British musician as well?)

• Speaking of impressions, I liked getting to see Celestes' Claudia Winkleman again and Jack Sheps' Mika wasn't as much of a demerit against this sketch as I was thinking it would be. He and Ayoade bought a nice sinister, blithely cynical energy to this that helped sell it.

• If this is a real show, I'm guessing either tightly controlled public reactions may be part of the gimmick behind it (like with all reality shows) but the gag may be "what if this got the worst reactions possible that all just centered on peoples' real airport hassles?"

• Ah, I shouldn't overanalyze this sketch. I don't need all this background info to get what it's going for.

• Is Annabel just playing the same generic drunk bridesmaid she played in the Paddington pretape from Tina Feys' episode? 

• Somehow I knew this would include some out of nowhere vomiting. Nice breakdancing from Freddie angrily reacting to all the flights being canceled flight from Larry.

• This feels like it was modeled after a specific late 2010s/early 2020s type of SNL US pretape (the one with Nate Bargatze as a golfer comes to mind for some reason...I'm sure there's several others that parodied various types of US reality competition shows that I'm forgetting).

• Most importantly, this felt like SNL UK  attempting their own version of "Farewell, Mr. Bunting" or any of the several gratuitous gore heavy Sarah Sherman pretapes SNL US has given us in recent years (except the SNL UK writers know how to reign it in properly and contain the comedic value of it as tightly as possible). 

• My only question would be how that bomb detonation would kill Jeffs' character but only leave Celeste covered in dust but otherwise unharmed? B-

Yoga Class

• Nice to see them give Celeste Dring a character showcase of her own. I'm getting slight "David S. Pumpkins by way of Kate McKinnon/Kristen Wiig character choices and Chloe Finemans' accent work" vibes from this but I don't even mind. Freddie was a nice addition.

• Boy, I sure wanted to like this sketch more but it seemed to be entirely based around Celeste doing the worst Swedish accent you've ever heard. Besides that, it didn't escalate or go anywhere and that nothing else was...paht oof eeet. Still, I wouldn't go as far as to say that James Longman or whoever else us charge of picking which sketches go in the live rundown "dahn't dew eet" to this one.

• I did like her urging her yoga Class to help her move a family of three into a new house and the ending reveal that the whole things was a ploy to get Jeff to fix his own neck crick by turning his head. C-

Weekend Update w/Paddy & Ania

• Paddys' Best Jokes: England Till I Die, Protest Leader, Trump Punchline Taken By Legal Team, Sanctions, Monty Gone (such a Norm MacDonald ass joke), State Funeral

• Anias' Best Jokes: Migrant Protests, Trumps New Hair?, Nigel Farage, Eaton College, German AfD win

• Boy, these migrants protest jokes are more of the type of jokes that I only kind of understand if I process them as "these are the type of jokes Jost & Che might tell about Jan 6 protestors".

• Paddys' mustache looks to be a bit...wispier than it was a few months ago. So, it looks like he shaved over the summer for nothing...and may have been so bummed about losing out on a certain role that he hasn't shaved since?

• You know, as recently as July I was starting to see Paddy Young as basically England's answer to Colin Jost (both SNL Weekend Update anchors who each have to sit through the same female castmate playfully roast them at the desk) but I'm starting to see more parallels between Paddy and...David Spade circa October 1992.

• I bring that up here because I bought it up on a certain podcast that was recorded on the Friday before this episode aired live which...at this point, I think might get edited out, so...we'll see.

• So, Emmas' French maid is basically an exact cross between her "woman who can't be ignored" and Nora Dunns' "Babette the French sex kitten" from 40 years ago? Also, did this character start with Emma figuring out how to do an impression of Ayoade and get turned into something else?

• Ah, I'm not mad at this character. I mean, the premise of "French maid who's bad at cleaning but good at sex appeal" is a bit hack but she added some charm to it. B-

Bi King Kong

• PLEASE tell me that's at least Larry in that gorilla suit. This seems like a cross between two specific sketches from Jack Whitehalls episode but done in a fashion that belabors it's own point at first glance because there's only so much work they can do with inconsistently sized props and setpieces in one live sketch.

• Even if the giant nose ring felt like a big cheap laugh, this had a few small things going for it. For instance, having Jeff Goldblum essentially play himself dovetailed nicely with this conceptually and broadcasting this in 4:3 aspect ratio was a nice touch.

• Nice transatlantic accents from Al & George especially. Their performances really helped put this over. Jack seemed to be struggling a bit with his, but the moment where Al accidentally knocked his hat off might have accidentally been the funniest part of this. D+

Yet Another 45 Seconds With Fouracres

• Boy, am I glad to see this back!

• Nice that he's branching out from songs but still finding ways to incorporate fenale guest cameos in this. I guess he felt another song might have been redundant since this already featured tonight's musical guest anyway.

• I didn't even mind that it was basically another Star Wars parody since it ended in a sprawling light saber battle that was fun to watch with a sudden ending that rendered it unnecessary the whole time. B-

Now, this would normally be the point where I rank this episode among the others of its respective season so far, but I can never really do that for a series premiere obviously, so since SNL UKs' previous series was eight episodes I'd like to rank the entire run of this show as a whole...

Ranking Each SNL UK Episode From Best To Worst

1. Jamie Dornan/Wolf Alice (03.28.2026)
2. Hannah Waddingham/Myles Smith (05.09.2026)
3. Ncuti Gatwa/Holly Humberstone (05.16.2026)
4. Tina Fey/Wet Leg (03.21.2026)
5. Jeff Goldblum/CMAT (09.12.2026)
6. Nicola Coughlan/Foo Fighters (04.25.2026)
7. Riz Ahmed/Kasabian (04.05.2026)
8. Aimee Lou Wood/MEEK (05.02.2026)
9. Jack Whitehall/Jorja Smith (04.11.2026)

Overall Thoughts

• This was an episode that started out pretty strong, lost minimal steam at the end but remained consistently entertaining through.

• SNLs' season premieres usually have this "shaking off the rust and cobwebs" feeling to them as they get themselves back into the weekly grind, but even SNL UKs version of that shows a lot more effort and creativity.

• Jeff Goldblum was...basically Jeff Goldblum but still, he proved himself to be a host that the cast and writers easily worked with as they quickly figured out how to cleverly worked into the show rather than having to work around.

• Aside from another noticable lack of Hammed and a reigned in Jack, cast usage was pretty strong for everyone. Celeste and Annabel might have had the best nights they've had in the entire run of the show and they actually gave some substantial airtime to Freddie Meredith...their newest cast member. I sure wish SNL US could do this as well.

Closing Thoughts

• Well, that was fun. Next week, Jamie Demetriou hosts SNL UK. He's another one of those actors I can't say I've seen in anything but I'm sure he'll blend right in with the cast and this will be a strong show.

• I'll have a review of that posted on this blog by this time next week. Around that same time, I will have recorded the next episode of We Heart Hader reviewing the Shia Labouef/My Morning Jacket season 33 episode of SNL US which I will have a review of on my blog roughly the week after that when that podcast episode is released. See you again soon!