...but only if we don't try to be a carbon copy of the original, says Burt Williamson

So, the American late-night TV juggernaut, Saturday Night Live is coming to the UK. But what does this mean for British comedy, and crucially will it be any good?

Known as a career-launcher across the globe, SNL is an interesting and unusual prospect for a comedy scene already in flux. With online comedy undoubtedly king in a digital age, the introduction of a new, made-for-TV format in the UK remains as curious as it is exciting.

At a time when Donald Trump insists America’s trade deficit must be corrected, it is reassuring to know that Lorne Michael has taken the president's words to heart and chosen to export his beloved comedy format.

The idea of a late-night comedy variety show is not a new one in Britain. There is plenty of historical precedent, starting from the music hall and variety shows of the early 1900s that combined dozens of different comedy and speciality acts into one show and endured until the 1980s. 

As with many things, America experienced a trend that was at once similar and entirely different with vaudeville – less censored, more raucous and often faster-paced with more jokes – which gave rise to the monologist, where stand-up  originated. There’s a straight line from that tradition to SNL.

Will SNL UK be able to appeal to our unique cultural tastes? The Atlantic has often been a treacherous water to cross for hopeful British TV execs. Among the shipwrecks at the bottom of the comedy ocean you can find failed American reboot after failed American reboot of UK hits, each crashing on the rocks with a whoosh of canned laughter. 

Of course some shows do indeed make the journey, with The Office the most notable example. Yet even that became so  fundamentally different to what it was when it aired on the BBC in 2001. Some would argue it's an entirely different show, retaining only the name.

Can SNL survive going the other way? The original's strength is in its broadness, its polished sheen and bright lights, one built on a history of American comedic norms and innovation. While slick execution and showmanship is impressive in a New York skyscraper, it can feel garish when blared at full volume at midday in a Wetherspoons. We are a quirky nation that relishes gloomy understatement, heroic failure and a comedic tradition that branched off a hundred years ago.

Yet, we are an island brimming with comedic talent and variety with a mix of influences. Whether you are watching TV or starting at your smartphone screen, a Brit won't be waiting far away to make you laugh. 

Be that the bizarre and enthralling Twitch streams of Limmy or the pitch perfect cryptic crossword parodies of Charlie Bowers, innovator after innovator can be found, likely champing at the bit to be associated with the American glamour we all pretend not to love. 

Everything from the brilliant quintessentially British improv of troupes like Murder She Didn't Write and Austentatious, headliners of a burgeoning scene, to our world-leading stand-up that brings travellers from across the globe to Edinburgh each year. The infrastructure here exists to build the greatest comedy show in the world. But it requires a bespoke approach, a custom fit. Not a carbon copy.

There is a reason Brits swarm Hollywood, sell out world tours and top the Netflix charts with smash hits like Baby Reindeer. We certainly have the nous, should we choose to use it. The key to success is to embrace the difference and allow the British SNL reincarnate into something entirely new. As with The Office, don't get hindered by an exact formula, let the show loose among our brilliant creative minds and you're on to a winner.

While it is tempting to be cynical, hilariously so, sometimes, it is important not to dismiss what an opportunity and investment this is. 

This is a chance to have the premiere worldwide comedy show made here on our drizzly shores. Something we can take, make our own and create into something bigger, better and more brilliant thanks to a plethora of talent, be that the brilliant stand-up of acts such as Josh Pugh, and breakout acts like Ben Pope and Chelsea Birkby, or to the incisive satire of Nish Kumar and Munya Chawawa.  The alternative brilliance of Spencer Jones, Rosalie Minnitt and Lorna Rose Treen, all to name but a few. 

My goodness, do we have the skillset to pull this off. Build the SNL factory within our shores and then, and only then, will we be on our way to levelling our global cultural trade deficit and any pesky tariffs.

• Burt Williamson is a stand-up, improviser and producer, part of the team behind the The Bristol Comedy Festival and the city’s Gaffe Comedy Club. His Edinburgh show, 104kg of Pure Banter will be at The Voodoo Rooms, August 1-25 @ 3:05pm

Published: 12 Apr 2025