Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team

SNL UK today announces the full writing team for the upcoming Sky Original series Saturday Night Live UK, launching Saturday 21 March on Sky and NOW.

Bringing together some of the most exciting comedy talent from across the UK and beyond, the writers’ room features award‑winners, acclaimed stand‑ups, established television writers and breakout voices.

Jonno Johnson, previously announced as Head Writer for the series, leads a team that blends seasoned professionals with emerging talent. Comedy writer and journalist, Charlie Skelton (10 O’Clock Live; 8 Out of 10 Cats), serves as Weekend Update Head Writer.

The SNL UK writers are:

• Al Roberts (Stath Lets Flats; Starstruck)
• Ayo Adenekan (ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer for Black Mediocrity)
• Bella Hull (Have I Got News For You; Stand Up Sketch Show)
• Celya AB (Live At The Apollo; James Acaster’s Springleaf)
• Charlie Skelton (10 O’Clock Live; 8 Out of 10 Cats)
• Chris Cantrill (Icklewick FM; Alma’s Not Normal)
• Ellie Fulcher; (Dramaturg on Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x) for Soho Theatre)
• Gráinne Maguire (The Last Leg; Late Night Mash)
• Hari Kanth (The Now Show; Horrible Science)
• Humphrey Ker (Mythic Quest; Welcome to Wrexham)
• James Farmer (The Last Leg; 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown)
• Jonno Johnson (Co-creator of Year Friends; Writer on Parlement)
• Joseph Moore (Guy Montgomery’s Guy-Mont Spelling Bee; Two Hearts)
• Keith Akushie (The Franchise; Siblings)
• Laura Claxton (Never Mind The Buzzcocks; Have I Got News For You)
• Lorna Rose Treen (BBC Radio 4’s Time of the Week; Chortle’s Best Sketch Act Award)
• Louis Waymouth (The Late Late Show with James Corden; The Armstrong & Miller Show)
• Nathan Foad (Newark, Newark; Our Flag Means Death)
• Omar Badawy (So You Think You’re Funny winner)
• Omodara Olatunji (Say! Less!)

Jonno Johnson, Head Writer, commented: “The number of funny, talented writers we have got to work on SNL UK is ludicrous. Some of them have been doing this for years, some of them it’s their first ever writing job. All of them make me giddy to come to work each day. Could not imaginably feel luckier that we get to make this show together.”

Phil Edgar Jones OBE, Executive Director, Unscripted Originals, Sky said: “As SNL UK races towards launch our brilliant team of writers are already hard at work crafting some sublime and (importantly) funny sketches for our equally brilliant cast to perform. I’ve been lucky enough to attend a couple of table reads and I am delighted to report I cried laughing. We cannot wait to share the fun with a wider audience.”

SNL UK will be produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio’s UK production team and Broadway Video for Sky and NOW. Lorne Michaels is executive producing, James Longman will serve as Lead Producer, Liz Clare as Director and Jonno Johnson takes on the role of Head Writer. UTAS UK Productions is overseen by Managing Director Helen Kruger Bratt. Shanna Baynard will serve as Executive in Charge of Production; Andy Charles Smith is the Lead Producer for UTAS UK Productions alongside Sam Salter, Production Executive. SNL UK was commissioned by Phil Edgar Jones, Executive Director of Unscripted Originals at Sky, for Cecile Frot Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios & Chief Content Officer for Sky, with Lisa Clark serving as Commissioning Executive.

Saturday Night Live UK comes to Sky and streaming service NOW on 21 March 2026.

Notes for Editors

Full writer bios

Al Roberts

Al is one third of sketch group Sheeps and is best known for Stath Lets Flats and Starstruck. He has appeared in Man Like Mobeen, Everyone Else Burns, This Is Going To Hurt, Industry and more.

Ayo Adenekan

Ayo is a stand-up comedian and joint winner of Best Newcomer at the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2025 and won the Bestie Award for Emerging Talent. He was also a BBC New Comedy Award finalist in 2025. His debut show Black Mediocrity sold out its Edinburgh Fringe run with additional dates added.

Bella Hull

Bella is a stand-up comedian and writer who has appeared on Have I Got News For You, Stand Up For Live Comedy, The Stand Up Sketch Show, and Comedy Central. She has taken three shows to Edinburgh, including her sell-out 2025 show Doctors Hate Her.

Celya AB

Celya is a writer and standup comedian originally from Paris. She has written for The Great British Sewing Bee, Channel 4 and Comedy Central, as well as James Acaster’s Springleaf. She won Chortle

Best Newcomer in 2022 and was a Funny Women finalist. She is a regular writer on various radio shows and has appeared on Live At The Apollo and The News Quiz. She has millions of views across social platforms.

Charlie Skelton

Charlie Skelton is a comedy writer and journalist. He has worked as a script editor on shows including Channel 4’s 10 O’Clock Live, Frankie Boyle’s New World Order, You Have Been Watching, and the radio show So Wrong It’s Right. His writing credits include Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. He co-wrote Once More, With Feeling with Victoria Coren Mitchell, and reported on the Bilderberg Group for The Guardian from 2009 to 2014. Charlie also co-founded The Friday Thing and The London News Review.

Chris Cantrill

Chris is a 3-time Edinburgh Comedy Award–nominated comedian, writer and actor. He co-created and stars in BBC Radio 4’s Icklewick FM. He is one half of double act The Delightful Sausage, with panel, radio and TV credits across BBC and Channel 4.

Ellie Fulcher

Ellie is a writer and facilitator from South-East London. She worked at the Royal Court Theatre with a range of writers to support their development. Ellie won the OVERHEARD podcast competition hosted by Soho Theatre in partnership with NBCUniversal International Studios and StoryHunter with The Ballad of a Virgin who can’t drive in 2021, and also had a dramaturg role on Soho Theatre’s Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x).

Gráinne Maguire

Gráinne is an award-winning Irish writer and stand-up. Her credits include The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Late Night Mash, the BAFTAs and MTV Awards. She has had multiple TV and radio appearances including Dave’s UnSpun with Matt Forde, Comedy Central’s Alternative Comedy Experience, Radio 4’s The Now Show, An Idiot’s Guide, Breaking The News and Radio 2’s What If?

Hari Kanth

Hari is a writer and improviser. He has written for Horrible Science and The Now Show. His first sitcom script, Kothu, was a winner of the British Comedy Guide’s Spring Sitcom Selection and earned him a place on Andy Riley’s mentoring scheme.

Humphrey Ker

Humphrey is an actor, comedian, writer and the community director of Wrexham football club, featured in the EMMY award-winning documentary series Welcome to Wrexham. He won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer and has appeared on Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Whose Line Is It Anyway as well as hosted Sketchorama.

James Farmer

James is a Welsh writer and performer who has toured three sell-out stand-up shows. His writing credits include Frankie Boyle’s New World Order, The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Last One Laughing, Roast Battle and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

Jonno Johnson

Jonno Johnson is a writer, comedian and composer, one third of sketch group SHEEPS. His credits span Wedding Season, Siblings, Flat TV, Elliott From Earth and the award-winning Parlement. He also created Year Friends and works as a composer/lyricist.

Joseph Moore

Joseph Moore is a New Zealand-born comedian, writer and director known for Funny Girls, Jono & Ben, Taskmaster NZ/Australia and Guy Montgomery’s Guy-Mont Spelling Bee (BBC). He is one half of Two Hearts and has performed internationally, with film projects in development.

Keith Akushie

Keith is an Executive Producer and writer on HBO’s The Franchise. He began his TV career on Channel 4’s Fresh Meat. His BBC3 series Siblings ran for two seasons. His play Hostage won the 2010 Harry Porter Prize. He has produced, written and directed extensively across TV and film, including co-writing The Festival.

Laura Claxton

Laura has written for Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, BabyCow and Channel 4. She also has experience in chat shows, reality TV and scripted comedy, and is currently working on a commission with Fudge Park Productions.

Lorna Rose Treen

Lorna is a comedian, writer and actor winner of the Funny Women Stage Award, Chortle Best Newcomer, and Dave’s Best Joke. She co-wrote BBC Radio 4’s Time of the Week and has a strong online presence with millions of views.

Louis Waymouth

Louis is best known for his work on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and has written on The Armstrong and Miller Show, Psychobitches, Me and My Monsters, and the Grammy Awards. He co-created Knighthood & Decoy.

Nathan Foad

Nathan is a comedy writer and actor best known for creating, writing and executive producing Newark, Newark. He starred in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death and has written for a wide range of BBC and streaming projects.

Omar Badawy

Omar is a comedian and satirist originally from Egypt. He began stand-up in 2019 and won the So You Think You’re Funny award in his first year. His online content has attracted millions of views.

Omodara Olatunji

Omodara is a writer and performer who has been active on the stand-up circuit for two years and her writing credits include ITV’s sketch show Say! Less!

• SNL UK is commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director of Unscripted Originals at Sky, for Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios & Chief Content Officer for Sky.
• Saturday Night Live is a production of Broadway Video in association with Universal Television. Lorne Michaels is the creator and executive producer.

Broadway Video is a global media and entertainment company focused on the creation and distribution of premier content. Founded by Lorne Michaels in 1979, Broadway Video’s legacy originated with the cultural icon Saturday Night Live. Broadway Video has since built a stable of television programs, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Documentary Now!, Schmigadoon, MacGruber, The Kids in the Hall, The Other Two, Portlandia, and 30 Rock, feature films including the musical comedy Mean Girls and live theater such as Mean Girls, as well as podcasts including Heads Will Roll and Hot White Heist.

Led by President Toby Gorman, Universal Television Alternative Studio (UTAS) is a global supplier of broad, premium, unscripted programming and formats. The London and Australian-based production teams are currently overseen by Helen Kruger Bratt, who reports to Gorman. The studio develops and produces game shows, competition programs, true crime, documentaries, and docuseries. The Americas, a 10-part natural history show narrated by Tom Hanks with music by Hans Zimmer, recently launched on BBC One and NBC as the most-watched nature documentary on linear television in more than 15 years. Additionally, the studio produces hit formats that are replicated worldwide: longtime NBC favorite Hollywood Game Night, for which Jane Lynch has won two Emmy Awards as host, has been remade in 25 territories; The Wall has been sold into 29 territories internationally; and Emmy-nominated music and comedy event series That’s My Jam is fast approaching its tenth international version. The Saturday Night Live format is licensed globally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group.

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Full Image Caption

L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gráinne Maguire; Laura Claxton; Chris Cantrill; James Farmer; Humphrey Ker; Omodara Olatunji; Joseph Moore; Lorna Rose Treen; Hari Kanth; Louis Waymouth; Keith Akushie; Bella Hull; Ayo Adenekan; Nathan Foad; Al Roberts; Ellie Fulcher