Saturday Night Live UK has been met with a flood of complaints ahead of its premiere after broadcaster Sky released the first trailer for the show.
American comedy legend Tina Fey is taking over hosting duties for the debut and appears in the trailer alongside the new cast of comics tasked with providing the laughs.
In Sky’s inaugural promotional sketch, Ms Fey is dressed as Mary Poppins and lowered awkwardly from the studio ceiling on a winch.
“Gather round, children,” Ms Fey announces in an affected British accent before quickly abandoning the impression.
SNL UK: Tina Fey stars in a Mary Poppins ensemble in the trailer
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“Nanny’s here with everything you need for a practically perfect— you know what, I’m gonna drop the voice. I’ve got everything you need for your first-ever SNL UK.”
The teaser, titled Tina Fey – A practically perfect host, sees her produce various comedic props from a bottomless bag.
The sketch introduces all 11 cast members who will form the show’s resident ensemble: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.
From her Mary Poppins-style bag, Ms Fey extracts an assortment of items, including wigs, an oversized lamp, a crown “in case you guys want to do royal stuff”, and an eel pie “with extra eel” specifically for cast member Shep.
SNL UK: The cast go over ideas in the clip
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The sketch’s most pointed moment arrives when Ms Fey produces a large case marked “The Epstein files” in red lettering.
“We’re not in them, we’re just going to do jokes about them,” quips cast member Ms Magliano.
Ms Sidi then interrupts Ms Fey’s routine, noting that the cast are simply trying to work out how to promote the programme.
The scripted routine wasn’t exactly met with the warmest of receptions from social media users once it dropped online to promote the first episode.
SNL UK: Tina Fey has been an integral part of the US show for years
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LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
“This looks horrifically bad. I love Tina Fey but I won’t be watching this garbage,” one X user brutally reacted to Sky’s post, while a second similarly weighed in: “British comedy died here.”
“That’s f***ing awful,” a third said. “Clearly targeted at lefty under 30s. You might miss it if you’re too busy getting l**d? What an utterly embarrassing thing to say.”
“Embarrassingly unfunny,” a fourth remarked, while a fifth critic also shared: “That’s a perfect example of an ad that convinces me not to watch.”
Meanwhile, a sixth similarly wasn’t setting their expectations high: “Yeah, this is gonna be awful, isn’t it?” (sic)
SNL UK: The trailer was met by a flood of negative reactions
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But it wasn’t all negative in response to the trailer, with Sky also receiving a smattering of excitable reactions from fans keen to see how Ms Fey will try to replicate the show’s success this side of the Atlantic.
“Impressive to have Tina Fey launching the British version of Saturday Night Live UK,” one X user argued, while a second rather enthusiastically penned: “OH MY GOD! TINA FEY! IM SO HYPED!” (sic)
Ms Fey’s selection to launch the British edition carries considerable weight, given her history with the franchise.
She joined the American programme as a writer in 1997 and became SNL’s first female head writer two years later, before joining the cast in 2000 and remaining until departing to create 30 Rock in 2006. She has hosted the US show on six occasions.
Jamie Dornan will host the second SNL UK of the series
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Lorne Michaels, who has overseen the American SNL since its 1975 inception, serves as executive producer on the UK version rather than simply licensing the format.
Jamie Dornan takes the hosting chair for the second episode, accompanied by Wolf Alice as musical guests. Riz Ahmed follows the week after with Kasabian performing.
Each instalment will run for 75 minutes, slightly shorter than the 90-minute American format, though the structure remains faithful to the original with an opening monologue, topical sketches, live music and the satirical Weekend Update segment.