- Last Week Tonight host John Oliver blasts British SNL
- He called it a terrible idea
- Oliver compared the show to a cult
Late night host John Oliver didn’t mess around when discussing the idea of a British SNL.
During a recent interview with fellow late night host Seth Meyers, British comedian Oliver called the prospect of translating Saturday Night Live for UK audiences a “terrible idea.”
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The news that a British Saturday Night Live broke earlier this year and was met with mixed opinions. This new take on an iconic US show will come with the involvement of series mastermind Lorne Michaels and feature a cast of brand new British comedians.
That said, the plan wasn’t enough to convince Oliver who said that it “sounds like a terrible idea,” when asked about it by Myers.
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As if that wasn’t enough, Oliver also compared the show’s obsessive all-night writing processes to something akin to cult behavior.
“I don’t know how you can impose that on the U.K”
“We have had sketch comedy before, and I just feel like something like this is such a unique group,” Oliver began, when asked about the idea of a British take on Saturday Night Live.
“It’s a cult. I’m trying to not say the word — it’s a cult. And so, I don’t know how you can impose that cult onto the U.K.”
When asked to expand on this cult comparison, Oliver pointed to its long-held tradition of staying up all night in order to write sketches for the show.
“That’s ridiculous,” continued Oliver. “I’m saying that’s the kind of thing a cult leader would make you do. We stay up all night on Tuesdays, by the way!”
“I think it’s been proven that ‘SNL’ is the outlier,” he continued. “It doesn’t have to be dictated to the day that you must not sleep on that day or the great leader will be irritated.”
What else do we know about the British SNL?
A British version of SNL was confirmed in early April. The show will be produced by Sky and feature Michaels as its executive producer. While no casting details have been announced thus far, the creators of this new take have teased a “star-studded lineup of hosts.”
Elsewhere, they’ve also confirmed that it will stay true to the “live, fast-paced style” of its American original.
Comedy-wise, Sky also said that the show will feature “the funniest British comedians around”.
