“SNL U.K.” returns to screens on Sep 12 for season 2, Sky’s high-profile U.S. import splashing down into Britain’s nascent live TV sketch show waters for a second time.
But while the first season was largely pre-empted by cock-eyed curiosity, not to mention a large dose of classic British skepticism, season two arrives with the show having already largely proven the doubters wrong. “SNL U.K.,” was not, as many commentators had gleefully anticipated, a failure, landing solid reviews, some 1.9 billion social media impressions and — perhaps most importantly — a renewal.
For the second roll of its comedy fluffy dice, Sky has brought out the big guns, having tapped Jeff Goldblum as host for the launch and with Amelia Dimoldenburg set for episode 3. Meanwhile, the initial cast of 11 fresh faces has expanded (just by one, mind) to include Freddie Meredith.
Ahead of its return to screen, Variety sat down with three “SNL U.K.” stars in Jack Shep, Paddy Young and Al Nash to talk season 1 jitters and what they want from season 2. Sadly, they had other ideas and wanted to discuss the need for more sex sketches, slicing their hands open on set and why, actually, “SNL U.K.” is just like a mid-sized gig.
How have you enjoyed your time off between seasons?
Jack Shep: It felt like school holidays, because the timing of it was May to August, so it’s felt really like being on on summer break…
Al Nash: … waiting for our results.
Paddy Young: I got three funnies!
Shep: Basically it’s a B-Tech in funny, but it’s technically 3 A-levels.
Young: You still can go to funny college.
If the first season of SNL U.K. was the new launch of something that we haven’t had on TV in the U.K. before, how would you describe season 2?
Young: Nash crosses his arms, cockily.
Shep.. Things are — dot dot dot — going to be a little different around here. But I think the beautiful thing is it’s just nothing, none of it exists. I think we all learned the best way through it is just to be ready for anything. I think everyone’s ready for when it starts, that’ll be when we kick in. But in terms of what we want for it, I personally would go for bigger swings and some sex sketches.
Nash: Thicker, longer and uncut is what we’re going for.
Is there not enough sex in the show?
Shep: I just think we can have more raunchy, crude, lewd, punny…
Young: But I’d like less backstage. Because then we’d have no time to put it on screen. It’s like, sorry, just eaten thanks.
Did you take a look at everything in the first season and think, well, that worked really well so we’ll keep doing that? It is more of the same, but with tweaked elements, or are there going to be completely new bits that we haven’t seen before?
Paddy: I think we just know what we’re doing a little bit more. How many seasons are there in America? 53 or something. The format is the format. You’re not on the show each week thinking we need the show to be like this. You’re just thinking, ‘I need my bit to be good, I need my bit to make it onto telly.’ And I don’t think that will ever change. You always think other people’s bit will get on telly.
Shep: I think it’s just really pure. Like the format is the format, and then it’s just you within the week. You incubate an idea and just try and get it away and it’s almost ephemeral what that thing will be. It’s sort of different week by week. So I think the show will be different because everyone will be trying to run in a different direction to what they did. But obviously, we do know what hit and what people like.
Nash: Less so for you Paddy, because you’re always guaranteed your screen time.
Young: He said bitterly.
Nash: We’ve all had like quiet weeks, which I think at the start it was like, ‘Oh god, I’m awful at this.’ But I think once you’ve had one quiet week, actually it’s all right.
Shep: There’s less anxiety.
Nash: You can be around people and be a bit of a cheerleader, which I often do for these lads!
Young: Dancing in front of us.
Shep: I’m a cheerleader for these guys … he says unconvincing.
Obviously you’ve got a team of writers. But how much can you guys, as comedians yourselves, step in and go, I’ve got this idea?
Young: Episode 8 was all written by us, I think.
Shep: I’m pretty sure every cast member wrote a sketch or wrote on a sketch. It’s a room of 30 writers on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then the split happens and the writers will take over cast sketches.
Before the first season launch, there was some classic British negativity and people saying that it wasn’t going to work. And then the first episode came out, and it was like, oh, all right, this does work. What was that experience like from your side, dealing with-the pre-launch nerves and jitters and all of the noise then it finally coming out and people seeing exactly what it was?
Shep: I would say it felt like we just really wanted to get through the first episode, make it as funny as we thought it could be and wanted it to be. This sounds like such a cop out, but by the time it was the week of the first show, we were just so in the zone that it kind of melted away. But then obviously it was a massive relief. But as I’ve said like before, I think the fact that people met it on the level of what it is, which is a sketch show, and you tune in. And there’ll be some sketches you’re like, what the fuck was that? But some sketches you’ll be like, wow, I really resonate with that.
Young: And also because we’re in front of an audience, you feel it in the room. So I was sort of terrified of bombing in front of the however many people, 200 people. So you can see people either laughing or not laughing. So then, episode one, they were laughing. And I thought, that’s pretty good. That literally was it. That’s how small-minded I am.
Nash: I think it’s really helpful and that’s my mentally too. People often say, you must get so nervous. And I’m like, well, it’s like a mid-sized gig, I guess.
Shep: Brag!
Nash: It’s a small gig, really, in many ways. But all your lines are written down for you!
Have there been any moments where a sketch went down really well and you thought, ‘Oh, I thought it was good but not that good,’ or other moments where you just weren’t expecting the response that you got?
Young: There are also sketches that I thought were funny that other people wrote that I thought were good, but I didn’t know would resonate and then they really did, and that’s really nice to see.
Nash: And vice versa, there’s stuff that’s done really well in the dress rehearsal and you’re like, this is amazing. And then you do it, and it just goes okay. So we can’t rest on our laurels of being like, well, we’ve done it now, so whatever we do, everyone’s going to eat up and love. The process makes sense now.
Young: The process makes sense now, but each individual thing that you write to try and be funny is still a complete mystery, until it works. Every time.
Doing it all live, what we see on screens look pretty slick, but is there any chaos and carnage going on behind the scenes?
Nash: I’ve had one. Me and Celeste [Dring] were doing a Grand National bit where I got stabbed in the hand with a safety pin. My hand was bleeding, and then I went backstage to put hooves on and they broke, seconds before going on. So you’ve got someone running over and taping it up, but nobody sees that. Inside you’re head, you’re like: I’m bleeding.
Shep: I cut the fuck up out of my hand on a George Foreman grill. There was blood dripping down my hand. It was during the sketch with Aimee Lou Wood and I sliced my hand open. I also had a thing where I was dressed as Pinocchio. We were running behind and I had a Pinocchio nose glued on and an eye patch and the glue from the nose went over my eyelid. And then they gave me wooden shoes, like wooden hardwood shoes. And I’m holding the nose, with this one eye glued shut, running around, and I get in the chair, put the clogs in my lap and I’m like: my eye is glued shut! So they switched the eye patch to the glued eye, ran off and we were on TV.
How have you’re lives changed since the first season? Are you getting stopped on the street?
Nash: Probably a bit more, yeah.
Shep: The babes have been off the chart! But I’d say it’s been pretty chill my end. But Al, you’re 6 foot 6.
Nash: I’m a big lad. But I do think what was cool was the BAFTAs and a certain calibre of person recognizing you.. it was quite weird.
When you say a ‘certain calibre of person’ who are we talking about?
Young: We hate name dropping.
Nash: Saying names like Seth Rogan is embarrassing, isn’t it really?
Young: Yeah, it was weird. I hate bringing it up.
Final question: will Princess Diana be coming back?
Shep: Your guess is as good as ours! Listen, I’d love that. But I think it’s like with anything, and this is such an annoying and sanctimonious answer, but we just have to find a joke for her. There has to be a reason. But we’re really excited for Al to play Beatrice.
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