Does the UK "yearn" for sketch comedy? Taskmaster's Alex Horne gives his verdict on SNL UK

Saturday Night Live UK made its long-awaited debut last weekend and for the most part, the public was impressed!

The series, already so beloved in the US, had a lot of doubters before its first episode – some of whom thought the show was destined to fail despite it not even airing yet, while others didn't think the promo clips delivered.

The UK iteration of the comedy sketch show was watched live by 226,000 viewers, though this doesn't include those who watched via streaming or subsequent catch-up audiences, and early musings from a promo clip released for Jamie Dornan's forthcoming episode suggest excitement is brewing for the second instalment.

One sentiment shared online is the idea that a lot of young adults in the UK yearn for sketch comedy, particularly because of Horrible Histories, a classic children's series that is beloved by many.

So, Radio Times posed this question to Alex Horne who delivered his thoughts on Saturday Night Live UK, which features two former Taskmaster contestants in its cast: Ania Magliano and Emma Sidi.

"I don't know what the British public wants," he said in an exclusive chat at the Royal Television Society Awards. "I don't think the British public knows what it wants, but as soon as it sees it, it goes, 'Oh yeah, it's good.'"

He continued: "I think there was a lot of scepticism before SNL UK started and I think within the first minute everyone went, 'It's OK. It's gonna be OK.' It's great!"

Horne added that he is looking forward to watching the upcoming episodes, sharing that he is most excited about seeing "the dynamic between the cast".

He told Radio Times: "They are genuinely an exciting bunch of people who people think of as new, but they're not, they're so experienced. They've done Edinburgh for years. I can't wait to see what they come up with on the Monday and put on the Saturday."

Horne shared that he feels "weirdly proud" of Magliano and Sidi, adding: "They're friends and they're so talented and I'm very, sort of, weirdly proud of them and pleased for them. They're good people [and] they're funny people."

Saturday Night Live UK continues on Sky One and NOW on Saturday 29 March at 10pm.

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