SNL UK After Party 5/9/26 - S1 E7 “Brett Goldstein is a Very Hairy Man”

Host: Hannah Waddingham

Musical Guest: Myles Smith

Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham helmed an episode of SNL UK that was oddly heavy in David Attenborough references and singing. Did this weird combination pay off? Let's find out at the SNL UK After Party.

Cold Open

In a dystopian vision of 2046 London, Reform Party’s Nigel Farage (played here by Peter Serafinowicz, an actor who you have certainly seen or heard somewhere, even if you don’t know his name) is Britain’s prime minister. He starts off by making a Cameo video (a cameo doing a cameo!) to Sir Richard Attenborough on his 120th birthday. And, if that’s not enough Attenborough material, well, pal, just you wait.

Farage’s Deputy, Kemi Badenoch (Ayoade Bamgboye) and the two discuss recent news, again, from 2046. For example, King Trump has assured the PM that he has almost worked out a cease-fire in the Straits of Hormuz.

When the two leave the room, current PM Keir Starmer (George Fouracres) and Angela Rayner (Celeste Dring) emerge from the bookcase, which is also a time machine in an effort to, I think, fix the future or something. Soon, Farage returns to fetch his “legal gun” at which point Starmer and Rayner tell him that the PM has always had a time machine.

At that point Winston Churchill (Al Nash) pops in and says, “Meep Meep”. Kind of like the Road Runner, I guess. And then they intro the show.

There is no doubt that this sketch went over better for Brits than for their American cousins, and that’s as it should be. Still, this cold open - despite the mandatory appearance of Starmer - at least tried to do something different and had a few clever lines that took it out of the routine these pieces tend to develop in both the American and UK iteration of the show.

Monologue

Hannah Waddingham arrives on the stage full of energy but bereft of shoes for her monologue. It seems odd, but then it turns out that the missing shoes thing is a bit, and some of the cast members come on stage to give her shoes. This seemed like an exceedingly odd choice that didn't really make a lot of sense.

Waddingham went on to show pictures of her in roles, somewhat less glamorous than Rebecca from Ted Lasso. These roles included the "Shame Nun" from Game of Thrones. Waddingham then went on to showcase some characters that she would like to play sometime. This was a very strange bit that included:

- a cab driver from Belfast who gives romantic advice

- Debbie, a bad girl (who was quite reminiscent of a Kristen Wiig character)

- Chewbacca

Overall, a bit of fluff, but it did demonstrate Waddingham’s enthusiastic energy for the the show.

Sunburnt Lawyers

This sketch was a little too self-aware. The concept was that this is a promo for a show about two lawyers (Waddingham and Emma Sidi) are always extremely sunburned. As they bust into court, they inform the judge about their client's quote, "You have read him his rights, but we're red and right."

The sketch points out repeatedly that there is no point to this show other than the fact that it features two sunburned lawyers. The problem is the sketch is correct when it says, "It's exactly what it sounds like." The joke here is that it's a show about two lawyers who are sunburnt. As a result, they are often uncomfortable. This is making fun of high-concept shows, I suppose, but it also highlights the fact that this is a one-joke sketch.

Drama class

Waddingham and Anabel Marlow are theater teachers who are both named Janet. Instead of letting their students perform a show that they would like to, the teachers voiced upon them a musical about their lives.

This is the first of what will become many sketches that are designed primarily for the purpose of letting Waddingham sing. And while she is certainly a talented singer, a little of this goes a long way in a sketch show, and the episode goes well beyond that point. As for this sketch, it turns more annoying than funny fairly quickly.

Speed Awareness Class

Waddingham gets a chance to show off her comedy acting chops as a northern instructor for a traffic class, but the material doesn’t match her gusto here. She engages her students in various role-playing scenarios about driving. These become increasingly bizarre as she refers to all the students in the role plays as Martin. She then talks about how the government is releasing a gas that creates cyclops babies. The punchline of the sketch arrives when Nash appears as a cyclops whose father is named Martin.

It's about as good as it sounds.

Triplet’s Birthday

Two parents (Sidi and Fouracres) wish their triplets a happy 18th birthday. When dad says its time to go to the pub to celebrate, mom says she’s not going anywhere ever again, and rips off her face to reveal that she is in fact Daniel Day-Lewis (Larry Dean) who has been preparing for a role for 18 years.

The family starts to identify clues such as that time when mom went through her Abe Lincoln phase. (The dad remarks that was a good time sexually).

In the end, Day-Lewis learns he did not get the part in question (it went to Reese Witherspoon), and he puts his mom mask back on and heads out with the family for the night.

Points for originality on this odd and weirdly funny sketch.

Weekend Update

Ania Magliano and Paddy Young have found their groove in Update. Their manner is relaxed and fun. In this episode, they take on British politics, noting that the Reform Party is doing well, which Magliano points out is good unless you are a member of certain groups, which she proceeds to list. It's a long list.

They covered the Honda virus cruise ship as well as the Met Gala. "This year's theme was people you'd like to see exploded." They joked that Katy Perry's mask that covered her face with a mirror was interesting, symbolizing "what it's like to live life as a stupid moron."

Magliano mentions the upcoming release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which he says is a story about a desperate desire to go home, "loosely based on how I feel when men talk to me about Christopher Nolan."

Paddy Young mentioned a museum whose tram is being shut down, which he called "another blow to the tram community." He then went on to tell a story of how the most texted phrase in England is "I love you." Based on a poll my father didn't take part in. The anchors are joined at the desk by a dating expert named Scrimpch (Jack Shep), a man with some kind of European accent that Magliano can’t place. Shrimpch says, “I’ve been on seven dates, and I’ll probably go on more!” He gave advice for a date that is not only low cost but could actually be a moneymaker. He said, "Take your date to a wishing well. There's pennies in there!" He even gave advice on how to get away from a date if you want to end it early. He suggested saying the phrase "Eww, there's ants in here, and I have to go." He also sings some songs. This was a funny character, and it did bring some good energy to the show.

Another desk visitor was Al Nash as a shy reform voter. In this role, he would just pop out, make some inflammatory comments, and pop back behind the stage.

he final guest was brought on due to it being Sir Richard Attenborough's birthday (See! I told you.). Hammed Animashaun Appear as a rhinoceros who was angry with Sir Richard Attenborough and offered to fight him any time. At this point, George Fouracres appears as Sir Attenborough in a wrestler's onesie. (That can’t be right. It’s got to be called something else. You look it up). Sir Attenborough proceeds to take part in a long-honored SNL tradition by picking up a stuffed rhinoceros doll and throwing it to the side of the stage. He and Animashaun then duke it out, at which point several other animals appear, wielding chairs and busting into a full-on battle royale, which ultimately Sir Richard Attenborough wins. The whole thing was weird and over-the-top and original. Credit to this piece of strangeness for giving the show a powerful jolt of silly comedic energy.

Phantom of the Foot Locker

And then we get to more singing.

Wattingham and her husband are in a Footlocker when a character in a Footlocker uniform, but with a half-face mask, appears in the mirror. Yes, it is none other than the Phantom of the Footlocker (Nash).

After brief introductions, it is clear that Waddingham is Christine from The Phantom of the Opera, and she asks her husband if she can talk to the Phantom for a few minutes, to which he says, "You're not going to reignite your love through the medium of song?" before wandering off.

Waddingham and Nash then proceed to do shoe-related parodies of songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. The bit is well executed, and both Waddingham and Nash can sing quite well, but the comedy doesn't quite land here. This is not the same level as the John Mulaney musical parodies in the American version of the show, not by a long shot, but it's certainly a well-done piece. Perhaps if it had been the only singing-based sketch of the night, it would have landed better, but as it was, it was far too many notes for my taste.

How Much Wine Is Actually the Perfect Amount of Wine?

And then we get the final sketch of the night. What is it? Why, it's more singing, of course. In this sketch, Waddingham, Marlow, and Bamgboye Are singing about drinking wine, I guess? They are then joined by Dring, who is far too drunk and bursts through the fourth wall to flirt with an audience member before falling into a trash can. Then Waddingham throws up in a planter. I don't know what this was. I don't know why this was, and I'm not even sure at what level it was supposed to be funny. Again, Waddingham can certainly sing, but this sketch felt unnecessary.

The Goodbye Wave

Best sketch: I'm going to go with Sir Richard Attenborough wrestling a rhino during Weekend Update. It was fun.

Worst sketch: That wine sketch just wore me out. Again, if it had been the only singing based sketch of the night, it might get a pass. But, holy cow, much like wine, you’ve got to know when to stop.

Random notes:

- Myles Smith's numbers were fairly simply presented and were effective for that.

- SNL UK has been officially renewed for a second series (that's the British way of saying season).

This one was difficult. I genuinely like Waddingham's work on Ted Lasso, but I wouldn't want to go see a cabaret act. That's no reflection on her; it's just not something I would likely enjoy. Her energy was genuinely positive and she committed to all her sketches, but I guess this episode didn't really work for me, despite the fact that I think it could have. The show's novelty is wearing off, and it does feel like the episodes of late have been weak. I don't know what part of that is me not being at all the target audience of a British version of SNL. I acknowledge I won't get a lot of the references, though I think I find that aspect of it kind of charming. It’s just that the jokes aren't hitting their mark for me as consistently as I'd like, and I can't write off the possibility that that's a UK vs. US sensibility thing. I suspect that's not fully the case, because even when I don't get the jokes on Update, I still generally find that to be a strong segment.

All that said, I'm struggling with whether or not to keep doing the UK recaps, because I genuinely don’t want to just be a negative grump, and I think the show deserves a chance to develop over a second series. So, feel free to call me out on being a know-nothing American curmudgeon if you like. I wouldn’t blame you.

Grade: D+

As always, we grade SNL episodes in comparison to other SNL episodes. Not TV in general. If you want to support our content, consider subscribing on Substack