Saturday Night Live UK Delivers Laughs and Earworms, Sparks AI Debate
The UK’s rendition of the iconic sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live, has been making waves on Sky One, with its recent episodes offering a blend of celebrity guests, topical humour, and memorable musical numbers. The second episode, which aired on Saturday, 28 March, featured The Fall star Jamie Dornan as host and the acclaimed band Wolf Alice as the musical guest.
Last week’s debut episode, helmed by Tina Fey with musical support from Wet Leg, set a high bar. It kicked off with a topical cold open addressing UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s (fictional) attempts to connect with US President Donald Trump. The show also boasted guest appearances from chat show host Graham Norton and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan, alongside a humorous sketch imagining Sir David Attenborough’s “last supper.”
This latest instalment continued the trend of engaging content. The programme opened with cast member Jack Shepherd, following up his widely praised portrayal of Princess Diana in the previous week with a turn as Prince Andrew, prior to his title being revoked. The episode also included sketches exploring a pedantic hostage situation and a spectral encounter with musician Jools Holland.
However, the undisputed standout, and the sketch that has lodged itself firmly in the minds of viewers, was a comedic musical number. Simply titled “Pub Song,” the skit begins with Shepherd’s character explaining that the group is at Bristol Airport, preparing for a flight to Spain.
“The most beautiful place in the world. A country of art, culture and culinary delights,” he declares.
Fellow cast member Annabel Marlow then chimes in, adding a crucial detail: “And when we get there, there’s only one place we’re going to go…”
This sets the stage for the infectious tune, “to the British-themed pub, pub, pub, pub,” which has quickly become an earworm for many across the nation.
The song has clearly resonated with a significant portion of the SNL UK audience.
One viewer took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their delight, tweeting: “This song is so catchy.”
Another referenced a sketch from the previous week, humourously asking: “what kind of irish is your themd pub.”
A third fan quoted the song’s chorus and enthusiastically commented: “Proper banger that, another moment I’ll be singing out loud all week.”
The sentiment was echoed by a fourth viewer, who admitted: “Fear british themed pub is going to be stuck in my head.”
Despite the overwhelmingly positive reception to the “Pub Song” and the episode as a whole, not all viewers were impressed. A segment of the audience voiced concerns on X/Twitter, criticising the programme – and specifically this sketch – over the alleged use of “generative AI.”
One user expressed their apprehension, writing: “Pleeeease tell me this isn’t AI slop,” while sharing a screenshot of three on-screen postcards featured during the sketch.
Another tweet highlighted the same issue: “snl uk… I’m gonna need you guys to stop using gen AI for random onscreen graphics etc.”
A third viewer offered a more nuanced critique, stating: “SNL is so brilliant but the use of generative AI has to stop for next week.”
Sky UK has been approached for comment regarding these claims.
The upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live UK promises more entertainment, with Sound of Metal actor Riz Ahmed scheduled to host and the band Kasabian set to perform.
