Sky’s upcoming Saturday Night Live UK has landed former The Late Late Show with James Cordon executive producer James Longman as its lead producer.
The creative team on the show, made by Universal Studio Group division UTAS UK Productions with Broadway Video, will also include director Liz Clare and head writer Daran Jonno.
Initially set for a six-part run next summer, SNL UK is a “big swing” for Sky and will be a “big employer” for the UK production industry, the broadcaster’s head of entertainment Phil Edgar-Jones has said.
The role marks a return to the UK for Longman, who has previously worked on British entertainment shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, The F Word and The Friday Night Project.
“Saturday Night Live has set the bar for live sketch comedy for half a century, and to help bring that legacy to London using our amazing on screen and off-screen talent, along with a tremendous investment in UK production, is a massive honour,” he said.
Clare has helmed broadcasts of live events, ranging from ITV’s An Audience with Adele and The Brit Awards to The MTV Video Music Awards and the BBC’s broadcast of the Glastonbury Festivalm and the Bafta Film Awards, as well as series such as The Voice UK and Britain’s Got Talent.
Meanwhile, Jonno is one-third of sketch troupe Sheeps who has also written for Disney+ comedy Wedding Season and BBC3’s Sibling. He is also a composer and lyricist.
