Riz Ahmed takes SNL UK to a new league with its best joke yet

Riz Ahmed hosted the best SNL UK episode yet (Picture: Sky) Saturday Night Live UK’s launch was an unbelievable – and unexpected – feat of brilliance. Everything was riding on the opening night, but winning over doubters is one thing; getting them to stay on side is another. Last night, Riz Ahmed was the third SNL UK host, following Tina Fey and Jamie Dornan. Fey, an SNL veteran, was merely a name to launch the whole thing, largely standing back to let the new batch of comedians shine – it was a wise move that paid off. Dornan is perhaps less known for his comedy chops, though he does have them – Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar was a surprisingly well-executed and genuinely funny gear change for the brooding actor best known for playing sex addicts and psychopaths. But I didn’t always feel like I was in the safest hands during his time in the hot seat. A lot was resting on Ahmed. Another less-than-spectacular week and SNL UK could have begun its gradual descent into irrelevance. But the actor-musician-producer steered the ship back into dock so seamlessly that it felt like watching great comedy at its very best. I’m yet to love an SNL opening monologue on either side of the Atlantic. Even the funniest stars can’t—and shouldn’t – try stand-up; but Ahmed skipped onto the stage with such confidence, charisma, and self-deprecation that it instantly felt like watching a pro totally at ease. ‘I sound like a mixture of Stormzy and Rishi Sunak’ was chef’s kiss. But SNL UK’s longevity will inevitably be determined by its sketch comedy. A mediocre monologue is forgivable, but this is a show that isn’t afraid to push its own limits, working out its parameters with an entirely new audience. It feels fearless, and Ahmed was the perfect host to match that energy. Ahmed’s first sketch of the night was quite easily the best joke of the series so far. If you’ve been on social media at all, you’ve probably already seen it – ‘The Great Big Crab Man’, a stroke of genius parody of The Traitors’ unconscious bias, where each series non-white players are voted out in the earliest rounds, while players like Linda Rands can quite literally say they are traitors and slip under the radar. A Traitors parody already feels tired – there have been so many – but SNL UK is determined to pull the punches no one else will. The Traitors parody was chef’s kiss (Picture: Sky) From there, it was wall-to-wall bangers, not a single dud all night. If anything, tonight felt like every SNL UK comic had found their stride – and the only way is up. The bloodbath operation sketch was genuinely shocking; the Easter Bunny skit was a masterclass in laughing with the LGBTQ+ community, not at it; and Ahmed’s rap as a TV doctor played into his greatest strength, which is evidently being irritatingly great at everything. The Weekend News Update has very swiftly become my highlight of the week. Ania Magliano and Paddy Young are clearly having a ball, successfully drawing gasps from their spicy quips about the week’s news. From Scott Mills’s sacking to police murdering women and strikes in Iran, absolutely nothing was off the table – and it proved that comedy isn’t getting softer, no matter what the right-wing press would have you believe. Kasabian also performed on the night (Picture: Sky) The interview interruptions have been hit and miss; more often than not, they’ve felt like an unnecessary interlude to Magliano and Young’s rhythm. But Jack Shep, as an ‘adorable dormouse’ doing Vogue’s ‘What’s In My Bag?’ was another utterly brilliant, off-the-wall impersonation that is clearly lining him up for a humongous career beyond SNL UK. Right now, he looks set to become the show’s first truly big breakout star. Reason Scott Mills was axed 'revealed' after he releases statement 'BBC approached me to replace Tess and Claudia on Strictly - but I'm too busy' Iconic ITV channel 'ending for good' over 40 years after launch  Saturday Night Live UK already feels so accomplished three episodes in that it’s genuinely quite staggering to think where it might go by the end of its eight-episode run. Ahmed could be the toughest act to follow. Every host in his wake should be taking notes. However, Jack Whitehall takes the reins next week – perhaps the most natural fit imaginable, given that early in his career he could easily have been an SNL UK cast member himself. If anyone can keep the ship sailing in the right direction, it’s him. Saturday Night Live UK airs Saturday nights at 10pm on Sky One and is available to stream on NOW. Got a story? 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