These two breakout Saturday Night Live UK stars have already blown me away

Last night, I watched Saturday Night Live UK live for the very first time.

And my expectations were high.

Legendary SNL star Tina Fey hosted the opening episode in week one, and it was an absolute blast.

After catching up on Sunday morning, I couldn’t stop replaying Jack Shep’s uncanny impression of Princess Diana in my mind, or the shockingly daring ‘Underáge’ skit.

Amidst the praise SNL UK has received, there have been naysayers who have said throughout the week that they found the show unfunny, or that the multi-million-pound Sky project will only last for one season.

(Honestly, if it bothers you that much, don’t tune in).

So on Saturday March 28 at 10pm, I settled onto my sofa, covered in a cosy blanket and snacking on some mini eggs, ready to watch the comedic chaos unfold as it happened.

There were several standout players – but two shone the brightest for me.

Episode two began with a cold open taking full aim at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

(If anyone thought that SNL UK would hold back from ridiculing the royal family, those doubts have now been firmly quashed).

At one point in the skit, Jack – playing the disgraced brother of King Charles – held up a newspaper with Princess Diana’s photo on the front cover… well, a photo of him as the late Princess of Wales from last week’s ‘The Last Supper’ sketch.

It’s only been a week, and yet it already feels as though Jack’s impression of Princess Diana could become as popular as some of the most well-known recurring characters on SNL.

From Tina as Sarah Palin to Kenan Thompson as Steve Harvey, it’s time for Jack’s Diana to join their ranks.

I wouldn’t complain if Jack sets himself a challenge of playing as many members of the royal family as he can.

Two down, how many to go?

Naming Jack as one of my standout SNL UK performers might not come as too much of a surprise after his epic turn last week.

But in episode two, Annabel Marlow stepped fully into the spotlight in stupendous fashion.

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We’re only in week two, and the show’s already produced a catchy earworm that’s going to be stuck in my head until next Saturday.

Then, host Jamie Dornan played a kidnapper in a one-on-one sketch with Annabel, taking inspiration from his sadistic killer from The Fall, Paul Spector.

He goes from being Annabel’s kidnapper to her girlie, dishing out romantic advice for her situationship while she’s still tied up.

But Annabel’s most dazzling moment of stardom came during her Les Mis-inspired skit, when she played one of a few workers in a factory whose job it is to make McDonald’s wraps stick to the packaging.

Annabel leapt up onto the table, singing at the top of her lungs, and leaving everyone in awe.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Annabel was one of the original cast members of the musical Six playing Katherine Howard, so it should come as no surprise that she has West End-worthy vocal talents.

I hope that this is only the start of her bringing the house down with her melodic voice on SNL UK.

And it seems I’m not the only one with that wish.

‘I think Annabel Marlow might be my MVP this week,’ a fan called Rehana wrote on X, while Erin remarked: ‘Oh Annabel Marlow’s a star!!’
Hannah also celebrated that Annabel was able to ‘use her musical genius tonight.’ Micaela also tweeted: ‘As a musical girlie….

I’m obsessed.’
The second episode of SNL UK sparked a mixed bag of reactions, ranging from people saying that they found the show hilarious to others lambasting what they felt was a lack of humour.

I definitely count myself among the former group.

Episode two wasn’t perfect, but Jamie brought effortlessly funny charm to the programme.

His final skit of the night, which involved him cutting off his own testicles and sticking them to his hips, felt like a jarring end to the show, but I was thoroughly entertained throughout.

Remember: SNL in the US has been going for over 50 years.

SNL UK has been on for two episodes, and it’s already taken big swings that have paid off.

If you want to turn it off, you do you, but you’ll be missing out.

Saturday Night Live UK is available to stream on Sky, and airs at 10pm on Saturdays.
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