Saturday Night Live UK Returns September 12 for Season 2 on Sky
Sky has set September 12, 2026 as the premiere date for Saturday Night Live UK Season 2, bringing the sketch show back for an expanded run on Sky One and streaming service NOW (Deadline).
The new season will run for six episodes before taking a break and returning in early 2027, according to Deadline. That split structure adds up to the 12-episode order Sky confirmed when it renewed the show in May 2026 — double the six episodes of the first season, which premiered on Sky One at 10 p.m. GMT on 21 March 2026 straight after a football broadcast (Deadline; NBC Insider).
The entire Season 1 cast is coming back. Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young all return to the studio 8H-style ensemble (Deadline).
Behind the scenes, there is a new addition to the writers' room. Laura Claxton has been promoted to co-head writer, joining existing head writer Jonno Johnson. Liz Clare returns as director. Heather MacVean joins as costume designer, and Sinead Oldnall continues to head up the talent team as director of onscreen talent (Deadline).
Guest presenters for the new season have not yet been announced. Season 1 drew some notable names: Tina Fey hosted the very first episode, with Hannah Waddingham and Nicola Coughlan also appearing across the run. The first episode was also made available to stream on Peacock in the US the day after its UK broadcast, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (Deadline).
Lorne Michaels, the creator of the original American Saturday Night Live, continues as executive producer through his company Broadway Video. The show is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio's UK production team and Broadway Video, with James Longman as lead producer. UTAS UK Productions is overseen by managing director Helen Kruger Bratt, with Andy Charles Smith as lead producer and Shanna Bayard as executive in charge of production. Hannah Peddar serves as production executive (Deadline).
On the commissioning side, the show was greenlit by Phil Edgar-Jones, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky. Alex Moody, Sky's head of comedy commissioning, oversees it, with Cecile Frot-Coutaz — CEO of Sky Studios and chief content officer for Sky — in overall charge (Deadline).
Sky itself is in the middle of a significant corporate moment. The Comcast-owned broadcaster is currently securing regulatory approval for a takeover of ITV, the UK's largest commercial terrestrial network. That deal, if cleared, would reshape the British television landscape while Season 2 is still on air (Deadline).
For viewers, the split-season format means a concentrated burst of live sketch comedy in September and October, then a gap before the show returns in the new year. The doubled episode count signals Sky's confidence in the format's British iteration after a single six-episode season.
