Live from London, its Saturday Night!

That phrase may not be familiar yet, but that will change next year when NBCs long-running live sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live hits the U.K. with an official local adaptation.

Comcast-owned Sky and SNL creator Lorne Michaels are taking the venerable old comedy institution across the Atlantic, with Saturday Night Live UK set to air sometime in 2026. The live, fast-paced sketch format will remain the same for the adaptation, with a star-studded lineup of hosts and musical acts complementing a cast of British comedians and comedy writers. More details on when SNL UK will debut, as well as news on casting, hosts and musical guests will be announced in the coming months.

For over 50 years Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture, reflecting and creating the global conversation all under the masterful comedic guidance of Lorne Michaels, said Ccile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and Skys chief content officer, in a statement. The show has discovered and nurtured countless comedy and musical talents over the years and we are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the SNL team to bring an all-British version of the show to U.K. audiences next year all live from London on Saturday night!

Michaels is the creator and executive producer of SNL UK, and the show will be produced by his company Broadway Video and Universal Television Alternative Studios U.K. production team. SNL UK is commissioned by Philip Edgar-Jones, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky.

Its been a long time coming for an official SNL adaptation for the U.K., despite the show boasting local offshoots in countries like Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Japan, South Korea Russia, Finland and Poland although it must be said, all the local versions were short-lived and went off the air some years ago.

An unofficial, but heavily inspired by, version of SNL aired in the U.K. under the title Saturday Live on Channel 4 from 1985 to 1988 and then was resurrected for a short-lived run on ITV in 1996, as were a few specials. Saturday Live was notable as it showcased a number of U.K. comedians and comedy writers who would go on to have enduring success including Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Ben Elton, Harry Enfield, Patrick Marber, Morwenna Banks, Chris Barrie, Julian Clary, Emo Philips, Tracey Ullman, Craig Ferguson, Craig Charles, Josie Lawrence, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson.