Shakespeare saves the day in SNL UK

To appropriate a Forrest Gump quote, Saturday Night Live episodes are like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.

For every fantastic bit about poorly-used emojis, you get a half-dozen ineffective skits that are as forgettable as the ads on the show’s YouTube videos on a Sunday morning. In that sense, SNL UK, which started last night on Sky One, is matching its US progenitor’s quality cheek-by-jowl.

Hang on, I hear you bleary-eyed Sunday readers ask, why is a theatre publication writing about a comedy TV show?

The answers are plentiful. As far as a live comedy show goes, SNL UK is about as close to live broadcast theatre as we can get in this country. Secondly, SNL UK’s ensemble, handpicked from seemingly one of the largest talent searches ever conducted on these shores, has some excellent theatre pedigree in its midst.

While some players barely got a look-in this episode (you assume their moments to shine will come later in the now-extended eight part series), stand-out moments came courtesy of those with strong theatre backgrounds: George Fouracres, a founding member of comedy trio Daphne, has been a wildly successful Shakespearean actor principally at Shakespeare’s Globe (where his roles have included both Hamlet, Falstaff, Andrew Aguecheek, Flute), and was sensational in the Andrew Lloyd Webber parody One Man Musical. The second was WhatsOnStage Award-winner Hammed Animashaun, one of the finest Bottoms ever to tackle act five when in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre.

It’s not really a surprise that years doing Shakespeare can help you for landing live comedy. The best Shakespearean performances involve selling unexpected situations, slightly haphazard but richly dense language, and working directly with the audience to find the laughs. Anyone who has seen Fouracres holding court in front of the Globe’s groundlings will know that SNL is familiar territory.

In fact, it was Fouracres’ performance in a sketch all about the Bard (riffing off the international success of Hamnet and one of its chain-sporting, heartthrob stars) that saw him at his most adept – the conceit only really fell apart when Fouracres exited the sketch and his “replacement” flubbed a line.

There were also strong showings as Keir Starmer, David Attenborough (“It can’t be long now”) and a fleet sketch titled “What kind of Irish is your grandad?.” Want further evidence as to Fouracres’ cut-through? His was the most-searched name on WhatsOnStage yesterday – we have to expect great things from him going forwards.

For Animashaun’s part, he sold two excellent one-joke sketches about fickle website movements and a film junket interviewer who is refreshingly honest. A very patchy Weekend Update (Ania Magliano and Paddy Young mostly need to find their own ways into fairly strong material, at the moment the format seems to be stifling them) and a flimsy sketch about Paddington immersive experience (you have to imagine producers of the actual Paddington experience are contemplating legal action) mean this was a night with a selection of laughs amongst a lot of “whelm”. Jack Shep’s portrayal of Diana, brilliant but underused, is a prime example. There’s promise, enough to keep you hoping for more.