The UK’s Saturday Night Live confirms its inaugural cast

An image of the comedians cast for the first british season on snl

(Image credit: SKY)

The arrival of a UK version of the hit US chat show Saturday Night Live was met with a mix of excitement and skepticism as Brits raised an eyebrow over how the legendary late-night series would work across the pond.

However, with the new cast of 11 comedians confirmed for the first-ever series, all eyebrows should be firmly back in their usual place.

The cast members include: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi, and Paddy Young.

an image of the comedians as part of the promotional shots done for the new SNL series

Rather than relying on household names to prop up the viewings, the lineup is a brilliant showcase of some of the UK’s hottest and freshest talent, with familiar faces from the circuit and TV appearances. Honestly, give the casting director a raise.

The plans for a British incarnation of SNL were confirmed back in April 2025, with the first six-episode instalment set to premiere on Sky on March 21st.

Wondering where you’ve seen the cast before? You’ll have spotted Ania Magliano and Emma Sidi in the hit UK comedy show Taskmaster. As well as comedy, a lot of the cast are familiar faces from theatre and musicals across London, including Annabel Marlow (SIX), George Fouracres (Hamlet, The Globe), and Hammed Animashaun (A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Bridge Theatre).

Plus, you’ve got a whole host of TV credits, from Royal Variety (Larry Dean), This Country and The Windsors (Celeste Dring), Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (Al Nash), Big Boys, Wanting to be Cool (Jack Shep), and Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping (Paddy Young).

Basically, even if your (uninformed) gut reaction is that you don’t know any of them, we assure you that by the first SNL episode, you’ll be saying, wait, where do I know them from? approximately every fifteen seconds.

The new series will also be airing on NOW streaming platform.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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