British comedy once dominated the small screen, spawning iconic shows from “Monty Python” to “The Office.” But the last decade has not been a bundle of laughs. Sketch shows and sitcoms fell out of fashion as traditional broadcasters cut budgets, while awards-hungry streamers chased prestige dramas that grabbed headlines and traveled internationally — something comedies struggle with.
Over the past year, though, there has been a shift. Commissioners are taking big swings on shows like Sky’s “Saturday Night Live U.K.,” TLC’s “Mock the Week” — both returning for a second season this weekend — and “L.O.L: Last One Laughing U.K.” on Prime Video, which drops a Halloween special next month followed by a third season in 2027. So busy is the landscape that Variety hears shows are even competing over studio space.
“I definitely do [think comedy commissioning is bouncing back],” says “Mock the Week” host Dara Ó Briain. “‘L.O.L,’ ‘SNL [U.K.]’ and us are being used to push channels, which is the first time that’s happened in a while.”
Auditioning For “SNL U.K.”
“SNL U.K.” has injected some pizzazz into British TV comedy since its March debut, partly thanks to its cast of mostly fresh faces. Three comedians Variety spoke to for this piece, two of whom auditioned for the show, all said they’d expected “SNL U.K.” to feature the “usual suspects”: British panel show regulars such as Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan.
“I think it’s really exciting and brave of them to take those risks and cast new people because that should be what that show is for,” said one of the two who auditioned, agreeing to speak on condition of anonymity.
Still, the cast’s inexperience — coupled with plenty of good old British skepticism — added to the trepidation over the show’s potential. “Certainly [there was] a risk of ‘Oh this could be diabolically terrible on a very global stage’ and I think that was a concern,” said the comedian. “I was always quite enticed by that risk because I thought if it all went terribly and blew up it would be quite a good story to be part of the first — and only — cast of ‘SNL U.K.'”
Castmember Jack Shep recently admitted the negativity in the lead-up to launch had been “deeply stressful.” There are even rumors one up-and-coming comedian turned down a cast role after a bad experience on another pilot, saying they couldn’t risk a second public flop; Sky declined to comment.
The Pay Gap
As well as risking their nascent careers, “SNL” is notoriously labor-intensive, requiring six-day weeks for months at a time. After Season 2 was confirmed for this fall, a number of castmembers including “Weekend Update” hosts Paddy Young and Ania Magliano had to postpone solo tours.
“By comparison, ‘L.O.L,’ is shot over the course of six hours (barring the confessionals) and ‘Mock the Week’ is also a one-day-a-week commitment for its regulars, aside from a day or two’s worth of material prep.”
The remuneration for “SNL U.K.” is decent — Variety understands the cast were initially offered around £40,000 to £50,000 ($54,000 to $67,000) each for Season 1 — but it’s a full-time commitment. “It’s so intensive, they own you for 12 weeks,” said the comedian who auditioned. “I would make more on my tour spanning the same length of time.”
The original “SNL” also pays relatively little at least for newbies, with Pete Davidson saying he earned around $3000 per episode when he started in 2014. By contrast, Channel 4’s long-running comedy gameshow “Taskmaster,” which reportedly requires only a week’s filming, albeit spread out over a number of months, is said to pay £50,000 per season.
The Cost Of “SNL U.K.”
The eleven cast members (upped to twelve for Season 2) represent just a fraction of the show’s total staffing costs. Around 300 people work each episode, including 20 writers, dozens of costume designers and makeup artists, an in-house band and even a team dedicated to writing and holding cue cards.
“The cue card team are amazing,” Liz Clare, the director, recently said during a panel at the Edinburgh TV Festival. “It’s a dark art.”
As Variety previously reported, the show’s budget is around £2 million per episode, roughly four times the cost of other flagship comedy shows, representing a huge investment for Sky. Two sources tell Variety that long-running sports panel show “A League of Their Own” was cut in part to fund “SNL U.K.” Sky declined to comment.
Ratings Tell Part Of The Story
The key question, of course, is whether that investment has paid off. In terms of ratings, the answer is “kind of.”
The show’s premiere, hosted by “SNL” alum Tina Fey, garnered 226,000 viewers, the most-watched episode of the season. Ratings steadily declined until the mid-season hiatus, after which they increased each week, peaking with Hannah Waddingham at 197,200 before hitting a series low for the season finale, hosted by Ncuti Gatwa, which garnered 86,420 viewers.
The last episode went head-to-head with the Eurovision Song Contest grand final on the BBC, which scored an average of 5.2 million viewers.
By contrast, “Mock the Week,” which also aired eight episodes (plus an end-of-season special) this past spring, saw a peak of 337,000 viewers for episode 5 while its lowest-watched episode was episode 3, with 223,000 viewers. Its season finale, airing the day after “SNL U.K.” launched, scored an average of 328,000.
Meanwhile “The Graham Norton Show” — although not strictly comedy, it’s stars’ number one choice when they’re in town to promote a project — consistently gets over a million views each week in its Friday night slot on BBC One.
The Free-To-Air Difference
There are caveats. Firstly, Sky One is only available to subscribers, while both the BBC and Warner Bros. Discovery-owned TLC, which broadcasts “Mock the Week,” are free-to-air (albeit TLC only became free-to-air in February and is much harder to find than Sky One).
Secondly, the shows are competing in different markets. “SNL U.K.” is a premium channel product, while “Mock the Week” reaches a broader audience through free-to-air broadcasting.
What Comes Next
The second seasons of both shows start this weekend. “L.O.L: Last One Laughing U.K.” drops a Halloween special next month before its third season in 2027.
Whether the current wave of British comedy can sustain itself remains to be seen. But for now, the funny business is rallying.
Key Facts Box
– “SNL U.K.” premiere: 226,000 viewers, hosted by Tina Fey
– Peak episode: Hannah Waddingham at 197,200
– Season finale: Ncuti Gatwa, 86,420 viewers
– “Mock the Week” peak: 337,000 viewers, episode 5
– “Mock the Week” season finale: 328,000 viewers
– “The Graham Norton Show”: over a million weekly views on BBC One
– “SNL U.K.” budget: around £2 million per episode
– “Taskmaster” pays: £50,000 per season
Source: variety.com