‘I know Saturday Night Live UK stars – they proved the naysayers wrong’

As a nation of sceptics, it’s perhaps not surprising that most people had their doubts about a UK version of Saturday Night Live ahead of its launch.

Would it work? Would it even be funny? Will it last beyond one season?

But following a roaring reception to the first episode, esteemed comedian Angela Barnes has said she had high hopes all along, urging everyone else to give it a chance.

On March 21, SNL UK kicked off with Tina Fey as its inaugural host, while Wet Leg was the musical guest.

Platforming up-and-coming talent, the roster comprises 11 fresh faces on the comedy scene, including Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, and George Fouracres.

And while critics were itching to slate the spin-off before the titles had even rolled, many ultimately gave it rave reviews, with its social media engagement particularly strong and now-viral clips amassing millions of views.

SNL UK launched last week with Tina Fey as its first host (Picture: Sky) The lineup features 11 up-and-coming comics (Picture: Sky)

The ways we consume comedy have changed; there’s no doubt about it, so despite building her popularity via stand-up gigs and panel shows like Mock the Week, Angela is all for moving with the times.

In an exclusive chat with Metro, she begins: ‘People will bemoan social media and lack of attention span and people not being able to watch anything long-form, but whatever.

‘The fact is, comedy has always evolved; it’s not a new thing. And you either sit in a corner and be bitter about it, or you try and go with it and adapt what you do. I think it’s really exciting.’

On SNL UK, the 49-year-old adds: ‘I was so frustrated with how everyone was determined it was gonna be awful before it started.

‘I know quite a lot of people in the cast, and I know a lot of the writers; there was no way it was going to be awful.

‘It’s got some top talent doing what they do best. I know they’re working really, really hard on it. So let’s just wait and see, shall we? Before we start tearing it down.’

Comedian Angela Barnes praises the UK spin-off for proving critics wrong (Picture: Stephen Keable/Shutterstock)

Her verdict is that the first episode was ‘great’, having taken ‘a very American product and made it suit a British audience’.

‘Good on them for challenging those naysayers saying it can’t be done here. It can, and it was.’

The live sketch show premiered to a respectable 226,000 viewers on Sky One, featuring surprise cameos from Nicola Coughlan and Graham Norton and plenty of quips at the expense of Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer (it was never going to take long, was it?)

And while the age of streaming and social media has proven beneficial for SNL UK’s launch, it’s also introduced a whole new audience to existing comedy shows – like Mock the Week.

Loyal fans were infuriated by the BBC’s decision to axe the show after 17 years in 2022. At the time, co-creator Dan Patterson said the cancellation was ‘desperately disappointing’, while host Dara Ó’Briain signed off the final episode in tears.

But to the joy of millions, earlier this year, Mock the Week was revived, this time on TLC, with a bunch of fresh faces, including Rhys James as a series regular.

She returned to Mock The Week earlier this year when the panel show was revived on TLC after four years (Picture: TLC/Dani Riot) Having been a regular on the first BBC outing, she says it was a ‘no-brainer’ that she’d go back for more (Picture: BBC)

‘When people like something, they’ll find it’

For former panellist Angela, it was a ‘no-brainer’ that she’d return, having long credited the programme for helping her ‘find [her] feet’ as a comic.

‘It was such a shame when it was cancelled, because the big names, Josh Widdicombe, Rob Beckett, and Romesh Ranganathan, all came through that show, and it was such a good breeding ground for new material.

‘As soon as I got the call to say, “It’s coming back. Will you be involved?”, it was an absolute no-brainer.’

Admittedly, the stars were ‘unsure’ how it would be received, due to its new home on a rival channel that some ‘hadn’t heard of’, and, well, four years had passed – would anyone still be interested?

‘It turns out, when people really like something, they’ll find it,’ says Angela with a smile. ‘It doesn’t matter where it is. We’ve been blown away by how well the clips do on social media, which is how people are finding it for the first time.’

She praises Mock the Week for offering audiences a ‘break’ from the often heavy news cycle, providing ‘light relief’ when it’s needed as the panel bounces off one another and creates organically funny moments.

Angela heads back on tour with the final dates of her Angst show this spring (Picture: @courtyard_arts)

Angela also notes the progress it’s made in recent years, now with lineups more diverse than before and ‘bunfighting’ between comics a thing of the past, hailing it as a ‘much more respectful show’ these days, particularly for women.

Alas, such is television that we can only be given so much. As Angela reveals filming lasts for three hours per episode, that means a great deal is cut from the final 45-minute edit.

Asked if there’s any disappointment when one of her golden gags is scrapped, she explains that, as a comic, you can’t afford to be territorial, as it’s ‘sod’s law that your favourite joke on the night won’t be used’.

‘The record is three hours long, so there’s a lot you don’t see. It might be that the lawyers have said no, or the story has changed and isn’t relevant anymore.’

The reboot has certainly toed the line on several occasions, whether it be with jokes about the Epstein files, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the Beckham family, or even mocking TLC itself.

‘Sometimes you say things and think, “That’s not gonna make the edit.” But maybe it’s to do with the freedom of no longer being on a non-BBC channel. Certainly, when it comes to things like swearing, on the BBC, we had to be a bit more careful about that.

‘I want to make my audiences feel better about their own lives’ (Picture: The Archers)

‘But I have been quite surprised by some of the jokes that slipped through the net.’

Fans of Angela’s will be able to hear plenty more of her unfiltered thoughts this spring when the self-proclaimed ‘anxious person’ heads back on the road with her Angst tour, of which the theme is something we’re all too familiar with – worries.

‘There’s nothing better than live comedy,’ she declares. ‘All the other things we do, the TV, the radio, the podcasts, all of that is to let people know we’re there so they can come to the live shows. That’s where the magic happens.’

‘I’m gonna be 50 this year, so this is my sort-of mid-life show,’ Angela teases. ‘It’s about anxiety, confidence, all those things, but you come to have a laugh – I don’t want anyone worried that they’re going to be worried throughout the show. Leave that to me!

‘I want my audience to come away having had a really good laugh and thinking, “Thank God I’m not her.” They’ll feel better about their own lives.’

Tickets for Angela Barnes’ Angst tour are available here.

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