The SNL UK series premiere featured some wonderful work from guest host Tina Fey, but the buzziest conversation to come out of the spinoff’s debut was definitely Jack Shep’s wild impression of Princess Diana. The comedian’s shy and flirty tribute to the beloved Royal was shared widely across social media, and to everyone’s delight, he busted it back out last night.
This time, it was in an attempt to roast King Charles and take some shots at AI and Ed Sheeran at the same time. Mission accomplished. The roughly five minute cold open was well-received by the audience and featured some big laughs, mostly thanks to the aforementioned impression and some cold references from King Charles about his frustration over not being able to control her. You can watch the sketch in its entirety below…
This was the second episode of SNL UK’s second season, and I think it’s notable that both weeks have started with a cold open featuring King Charles. Just as the flagship SNL typically starts with Trump, it seems like the spinoff may be getting into a rhythm of beginning each week with the Royal Family. That makes a lot of sense, given the wall-to-wall press coverage of the Windsors, and as we saw this week, they can also be used as a lens to comment on popular culture.
The path in to talk about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle doesn’t need much explanation, as we saw last week, but then again, the path in to talk about Ed Sheeran and AI doesn’t need much explanation either. Just like with President Trump, the Royal Family’s reaction to anything is, well, interesting, whether they’re comedically depicted as being on the same page as everyone else or comedically depicted as being out of touch with how most of us think.
Regardless, it’s a great time to be an SNL fan. The flagship US version is about to return for Season 52 with a stacked cast that’s really coming into its own. Meanwhile, the UK version is really finding its footing and starting to figure out how to carve out its own unique identity and show off that eccentric British humor so many have fallen in love with.
You can catch the first episode of SNL’s new season this coming Saturday at NBC or Peacock when it hits the network television schedule. Jalen Brunson will be the debut host. As for SNL UK, you can check out the next episode this coming Saturday on Sky, as well. It’ll feature Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg, who should be a ton of fun.
