The second season of Saturday Night Live UK is almost upon us, bringing back the sharp satire, breakout comedic talent, and high-profile international hosting roster that defined its buzzy debut earlier this year.
The next installment of the London-based sketch comedy series is officially scheduled to kick off on Saturday, September 9, opening with Hollywood icon Jeff Goldblum as host alongside acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter CMAT as the musical guest. The announcement signals the return of the British iteration of Lorne Michaels’ legendary NBC institution, airing on Sky in the U.K. and streaming on Peacock in the United States.
This sophomore outing follows a well-received first season for SNL UK, which originally aired starting in March. The inaugural run established a distinct comedic voice while borrowing the structural DNA of its American predecessor. Reflecting on the show’s launch, The Hollywood Reporter’s review aptly determined: “Good cast, spotty writing — like the mothership.” Despite early growing pains typical of any sketch comedy endeavor, the series quickly found its footing and captured a dedicated audience. That first debut episode on Sky drew over 220,000 viewers in Britain, paving the way for a stellar roster of season-one guest hosts that included Jamie Dornan, Riz Ahmed, Jack Whitehall, Nicola Coughlan, Aimee Lou Wood, Hannah Waddingham, and Ncuti Gatwa. U.S. star and SNL hall-of-famer Tina Fey also stepped in as the inaugural host of the series, successfully shepherding the show to a solid, attention-grabbing start.
Season one relied heavily on a fresh ensemble of relatively unknown stand-up comedians and social media stars. This talented core group featured Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, and Emma Sidi. Among the standout elements of the first season were the Weekend Update segments, which propelled presenters Ania Magliano and Paddy Young to particular breakout success. Both comedians scored massive career wins following the show’s wrap, securing completely sold-out runs for their respective solo comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival just last month.
Building on that foundational success, the show is expanding its roster for its return. Joining the cast this season is Freddie Meredith, an exciting comedic voice who most recently featured in Kat Sadler’s twisted, critically acclaimed, female-driven comedy Such Brave Girls on the BBC. Meredith’s addition is expected to inject even more idiosyncratic humor into the writers’ room and the live stage performances.
During its first season, SNL UK carved out a niche for itself by skewering British culture, politics, and media tropes with a uniquely sharp sensibility. Some of the group’s best sketches across the season included a memorable spoof skincare advert where the female subjects look so remarkably young that their bewildered partners are mistakenly arrested for being pedophiles. Another standout was a brilliant Traitors parody, which featured a giant crab going entirely undetected at the roundtable in a savvy piece of social satire. Viewers also praised “The Prince Andrew Plan,” a political sketch that featured MI5 staffers earnestly confirming that every single British royal family snafu over the last three decades was actually carefully orchestrated just to make King Charles look remarkably good by comparison.
Following the premiere with Goldblum and CMAT, season two will keep the momentum going when actor and comedian Jamie Demetriou takes the next hosting gig on September 19. Demetriou, widely celebrated for his BAFTA-winning work on Stath Lets Flats as well as memorable roles in Fleabag and the global blockbuster Barbie, will be joined by rock band Royal Blood as the musical guest.
The following week, on September 26, cultural fixture and Chicken Shop Date presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg will take the reins alongside rising English singer Rachel Chinouriri. Dimoldenberg’s high-profile appearance on SNL UK arrives on the heels of major career news, coming just after her public confirmation that she is finally bringing her iconic YouTube interview series Chicken Shop Date to an end after an impressive 12-year run.
Behind the scenes, several key creative updates are setting the stage for a smooth production. Laura Claxton has been officially promoted to SNL UK co-head writer, joining existing head writer Jonno Johnson to helm the writing staff. Liz Clare returns to the director’s chair to oversee the fast-paced live television production. On the visual and talent fronts, Heather MacVean joins the team as the new costume designer, while Sinead Oldnall takes over as director of on-screen talent to lead the U.K. talent team. Franchise creator Lorne Michaels continues to serve as an executive producer on the show, working alongside lead producer James Longman to ensure the transatlantic spin-off maintains the rigorous production standards of the New York flagship series.
As anticipation builds for the autumn television schedule, the production has officially confirmed the lineup of hosts and musical guests for the first three weeks of the new run. The confirmed schedule for SNL UK season two includes Jeff Goldblum and CMAT on September 12, Jamie Demetriou and Royal Blood on September 19, and Amelia Dimoldenberg alongside Rachel Chinouriri on September 26, with additional hosts and musical acts expected to be announced in the coming weeks.