Sky Commits to SNL UK "for the Long Run" as Season 2 Prepares to Launch
Sky says it is in no hurry to let go of Saturday Night Live UK. The broadcaster has committed to the British remake of the American late-night staple "for the long run" after a first season that made it Sky's biggest show among 16-34-year-old viewers, according to Philip Edgar-Jones, Sky's unscripted chief, speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival on 26 August 2026 (Deadline).
"We're in this for the long run, and we're super proud of it, and super proud of the team," Edgar-Jones said. He suggested the show could continue beyond its second season, which is set to premiere on 12 September 2026.
That second season will run for six episodes before taking a break and returning in early 2027. Sky confirmed the same eleven cast members from Season 1 are all 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. The first season drew guest hosts including Tina Fey, Hannah Waddingham and Nicola Coughlan.
Behind the camera, the production structure stays intact. Lorne Michaels, the creator of the original American Saturday Night Live, serves as executive producer through his company Broadway Video. The show is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio's UK production team alongside Broadway Video, with James Longman as lead producer. It airs on Sky and its streaming service NOW.
For a format that has run on NBC since 1975, the UK adaptation represents a rare transatlantic leap. The American original built its identity around weekly topical sketches, celebrity hosts and a rotating cast of comedians — a formula Sky has transplanted into a British context with a fresh ensemble and a different roster of guest hosts each episode.
The show also has a chance at recognition this week. Saturday Night Live UK is nominated for Best Entertainment or Reality Series at the 2026 Edinburgh TV Awards, with the ceremony taking place on 27 August at the EICC in Edinburgh (Edinburgh TV Festival). Sky picked up eight nominations across the shortlists overall.
The commitment to SNL UK lands at a busy moment for Sky's parent company. Sky is owned by Comcast and is currently in the process of securing regulatory approval for a takeover of ITV, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster. That deal, if approved, would reshape the British television landscape, though Edgar-Jones's remarks at the festival focused on the show itself rather than the broader corporate picture.
For viewers, the message from Edinburgh is straightforward: the late-night sketch show Sky launched earlier this year is not a one-season experiment. Season 2 arrives in September, a second batch of episodes follows in 2027, and the people who make it are planning to keep going.
