I was an SNL UK audience member – I can’t believe what I just saw

It’s a strange experience walking into the Saturday Night Live UK studio. If anything, the energy is quite literally the polar opposite of everything I imagined it to be.

The first face I see is a giddy Nick Grimshaw and his fiancé Mesh, both so excited to be there they could be competition winners.

Then, casually walking around, are Al Nash, Larry Dean and Paddy Young. I can’t detect a single nerve or flicker of panic in any of them, which makes sense when I remember they’re riding high off the back of three colossally successful episodes, with Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed all making the hardest job on television look so easy.

Tonight, it’s Jack Whitehall’s turn – a man who, if SNL UK had launched 15 years ago, could well have been recruited as a full-time cast member himself. Arguably, they’ve never been in safer hands since SNL veteran Fey showed them the ropes.

In less than a month since launching, SNL UK already feels established, confident, and worthy of every bit of its acclaim – even being hailed as the ‘best thing for British comedy since The Office’ by Nick Mohammed.

But four weeks ago, the 10 comedians at the helm of SNL UK were relatively inexperienced in television, let alone live television. I’ve watched many a TV show being filmed, and rarely have I seen a cast so composed and unfazed by the prospect of flopping.

Saturday Night Live’s strength so far has been its ability to create sketches from scratch in a matter of days, adapting as the days leading up to each episode provide new material, with the hope that everyone will enjoy at least one sketch, if not all. If a viewer enjoys every single sketch, they haven’t done their job right – they’re catering to one person’s sense of humour, and that’s not good enough.

Whitehall’s monologue was perhaps the strongest so far, which was predictable given he’s the first enormously successful stand-up comedian the show has welcomed as a host since launching. For the first time, a monologue was a highlight of the episode – a predictable but no less funny vent about the pressure of planning his wedding next weekend, including a punchy joke about replacing Scott Mills as their DJ.

Emma Sidi (who deserves far more recognition) cold-opened the show with a Melania Trump impersonation that could well rival Jack Shep’s Princess Diana, reassuring a group of BBQ-goers in Croydon that she isn’t friends with Jeffrey Epstein – who, until her speech this week, had barely been mentioned.

Other gems to go into the SNL UK Hall of Fame included Whitehall’s drunk Peter Pan; Shep’s 1930s, cocaine-addicted drag queen; and the footballers squabbling over which child mascot they’d march onto the pitch with. The pre-recorded DadSwap sketch was a strong contender to knock Fey’s Undérage off its spot as the best of the series so far.

But the highlight of being in the audience of Saturday Night Live UK is watching such a slick operation, dependent on remarkable precision, move so seamlessly. I have barely stopped talking about how impressive SNL UK has been, but it’s an unbelievable feat of television to witness it happen before your eyes.

In one moderately sized studio space, sets are built and taken down in minutes. I took my eye off the stage for less than five minutes to watch one sketch, and suddenly an entire Mastermind studio had been built to my right without me even noticing.

Entire worlds are created for just five minutes of glory, with sketches being written, rewritten, or even scrapped right up until the final hour before going live. Costumes are made to order, often with just hours’ notice; sets the size of an average living room are masterfully designed, altered, and made TV-ready at lightning speed.

Watching Saturday Night Live UK live is, quite simply, some of the most fun you’ll ever have at a TV recording. The whole experience feels like a party thrown specifically for the audience in the room.

Before the cameras start rolling, Annabel Marlow and Ayoade Bamgboye serenade the crowd with a genuinely impressive duet of Valerie, and during ad breaks, the show’s live band keeps the audience energised, playing dancefloor bangers with an incredible vocalist. I want their mash-up of garage bangers for the wedding I may never have.

If I thought Saturday Night Live UK was a triumph before, I think it’s one of the most impressive television experiences of my lifetime now. It’s an essential pilgrimage for any fan of the show. Applications are full for series one, but will open again for season two on the Sky website.

I have endured many a disappointing TV set experience, but this is easily the best there is.

Saturday Night Live returns to Sky One on April 25 at 9pm and is available to stream on NOW.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.