Saturday Night Live UK continues to bolster its production team, all as we continue to await any word on the sketchy comedy series’ cast and/or premiere date.
Sky announced on Friday that Lisa Clark (Top Gear, Nightwatch) has joined SNL UK as commissioning executive, working with Phil Edgar-Jones’ unscripted entertainment team to “help shape the series.”
Edgar-Jones, Sky’s executive director of unscripted originals, said in a statement, “The SNL UK team are made up of the very best producers, writers, and department heads in the industry, so I am thrilled to have landed a true TV legend in Lisa Clark as Sky’s commissioning executive. Lisa has an incredible track record working collaboratively with some of the finest comedy talent in the business and will be a huge asset to the production.”
Said Clark: “This is an incredible team to be a part of. I have always loved the thrill of live television and there is no greater stage for live comedy than SNL.”
Saturday Night Live UK: 10 Burning Questions, Answered!
Saturday Night Live UK, which will air across the pond on Sky Max and stream on NOW, marks the first British adaptation of the long-running television institution. Produced for Sky by Universal Television Alternative Studio’s UK production team and NBC’s Broadway Video, the series promises to “follow the same live, fast-paced format as the original, featuring a new generation of comedy players in the core cast, alongside guest hosts and musical performances.”
SNL UK will broadcast from a BBC Studioworks studio in West London. Though Sky, which is bringing the international offshoot to the UK and Ireland, has yet to announce a launch date (or any cast), SNL vet/onetime head writer Seth Meyers recently teased a March timeframe.
Showrunner James Longman (formerly of The Late Late Show with James Corden), veteran live event director Liz Clare, and head writer Daran Jonno Johnson (Parlement) will lead SNL UK‘s production, direction, and writing teams. Unlike past foreign adaptions of the U.S. show, SNL creator Lorne Michaels is expected to have a hands-on role in this London-based version.
