17 Shocking 'SNL UK' Moments From The First Episode

by Spencer AlthouseBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI’m the Editorial Director at BuzzFeed — where I’ve reported on TV, film, and lifestyle trends (travel, fitness, and food) since 2013 — and I also post about the latest in pop culture news to my 850k+ followers on TikTok.

Tina Fey just hosted the very first episode of SNL UK, and there were a tonnnnnn of awkward, funny, and "different" moments from the live show, especially when you compare it to the US version. Here's everything you missed.

Sky TV

1.

For starters, Tina Fey dropped an F-bomb during her opening monologue, and it wasn't even censored or bleeped. This has actually gotten some American cast members in trouble in the past — like Charles Rocket, who was literally fired after ad-libbing "f*ckin'" during a 1981 sketch — but Tina explained that "we are allowed to swear in this version of the show." The audience then cheered verrrrry loudly. Later in the episode, a cast member even said the word "cunty" during a Hamnet sketch, which, yeah, has definitely never happened on the US version of SNL.

Sky TV

2.

Something that hasn't changed is the number of celebrity cameos. During Tina's opening monologue, they did a "questions from the audience" segment, which featured both Nicola Coughlan and Michael Cera. Nicola was especially good and even questioned why Tina, an American, was the first person to host the show, rather than a British icon like David Beckham, Judi Dench, or Shrek.

Sky TV

3.

That's when Tina dropped the first curse word of the night, responding with, "The way it was explained to me was that, for this first episode anyway, uh, how do I put this lightly? None of you f*ckers would do it. Does that make sense?"

Sky TV

4.

Michael Cera then jumped in on the fun and said he wanted to try cursing on live TV, too: "Shit-bird! Just, f*cking...bullocks! Yeah, I think I would use it sparingly. It feels kind of unclassy." Tina Fey agreed.

Sky TV

5.

Wildly enough, the SNL UK studio is actually the same exact studio where they tape The Graham Norton Show. They even had Graham pop out to start interviewing Tina, to which he rightfully exclaimed, "Let me help you. I have a gift for making American celebrities likable to a British audience."

BBC One / Sky TV

6.

Unlike the US version, where the host ends their monologue with "so stick around, we'll be right back" before heading into a commercial break, the UK monologue ended with "so stick around, and watch this" before jumping right into a pre-taped commercial parody.

Sky TV

7.

The interesting part about the UK's main stage is that there are audience members seated on three sides in a "U" shape. However, in the US version, the audience on the floor is only allowed to sit directly in front. This is because there's suchhhhh little space, and the sides are where they film most sketches.

Sky TV / NBC

8.

Just like the US series typically does, the UK's episode started with a political "cold open." This sketch was centered around Sir Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, being too scared to call and stand up to D*nald Tr*mp. It was realllllly interesting to see how other countries joke about the US and our political climate. It was also shocking to see how many jokes they made about the TV show Friends. Like, I couldn't tell if Friends is still super big in the UK or if they were trying to make jokes for potential American audiences who might be watching. Either way, they compared the US and the UK to Ross and Rachel being on a break, saying, "I think perhaps that's what we need. Not forever. Just until you've got all this war out of your system."

Sky TV

9.

Then, obviously, instead of reciting the standard "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" line, they shouted, "Live from London, it's Saturday Night!"

Sky TV

10.

One of the weirdest moments of the episode happened immediately after a particular sketch ended. The camera continued to follow Tina as she walked offstage, still in costume, until she got to the part of the studio where Wet Leg was performing. Then she introduced the musical guest. On the US show, the musical guest always performs after a commercial break, so this completely caught me off guard.

Sky TV

11.

Their first proper sketch of the night included all nine UK cast members (not counting the two Weekend Update hosts [also, unlike the US version, this cast doesn't include any "featured players"]). This sketch revolved around David Attenborough's Last Supper, so each cast member dressed up as an iconic British figure. Tina Fey did an English accent as Agatha Christie, but for most of the sketches she kept her American accent. And it somehow wouldn't be SNL without a man dressing up as a woman, I guess, so they had cast member Jack Shep dress up as Princess Diana. He was spot on, and the audience loved it.

Sky TV

12.

Just like the US version, SNL UK had a Weekend Update segment, and their hosts (Ania Magliano and Paddy Young) did NOT hold back. This was literally their