The future of Saturday Night Live in the UK remains uncertain, as most of the episodes from its first season have yet to air. However, one thing is clear: if the show ultimately struggles, it won’t be due to a lack of funding.
Each episode of SNL UK reportedly commands a colossal budget of approximately £2 million. This would bring the total cost of the first season for Sky to around £16 million, a substantial investment for a comedy show.
This hefty price tag is partly attributed to the exclusive booking of the largest studio at London’s Television Centre for the eight-episode season, a space that typically hosts The Graham Norton Show.
While this budget is still less than that of SNL in the US (where each episode is estimated to cost around £3 million), for a British sketch comedy show, the SNL UK budget is a behemoth, far exceeding typical investments in the genre.
What are your thoughts on SNL UK so far?