SNL UK loses almost 10% of viewers after just one episode as second instalment packed with Royal Family digs

Alex Davies
Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:46:48 +0000

Saturday Night Live UK experienced a dip in viewership for its second outing, with Jamie Dornan taking on hosting duties from Tina Fey for the latest instalment.

The Sky One premiere last week managed to attract an impressive 226,000 people as Ms Fey kicked off the series with a bang alongside the band Wet Leg.

This past weekend, however, the Mr Dornan-led episode only managed to attract 205,000 viewers on Saturday evening, representing a nine percent decline.

Despite the drop, the comedy show maintained a 3.2 per cent audience share and comfortably outperformed competitors in the same timeslot.

Terrestrial mainstay Channel 4's screening of the 2022 sci-fi film Moonfall managed just 126,000 viewers.

The Fifty Shades star was joined by musical guests Wolf Alice for the episode, alongside the show's regular cast of comics.

The ratings won't prove worrisome for bosses, as Sky is expected to assess the programme's success through broader metrics such as streaming figures and social media engagement rather than overnight audiences alone.

The programme's opening sketch imagined Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as an unwitting participant in a covert intelligence operation.

Comedian Jack Shep portrayed the 66-year-old former prince in a fictional 1997 meeting with MI5 operatives, set shortly after Princess Diana's death.

The five-minute segment depicted secret service agents explaining their strategy to rehabilitate the then-Prince Charles's public standing.

"Since the death of Princess Diana, the public have turned on Prince Charles, but still, one day he will be King," one operative tells Mr Shep's character. "We need to make him look good."

Their plan to enhance the former prince's reputation involved diminishing the popularity of other royals, requiring Andrew to embark on a "29-year plan" to transform his own image.

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The sketch alluded to Andrew's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with Mr Shep's character leafing through an extensive dossier of plans.

"And you actually want me to do all this stuff? Even the bit about befriending a notorious paedophile? Before and after he's convicted?" he asks the agents.

Cast member Larry Dean appeared as Peter Mandelson, whom Andrew's character hails as "the most honourable, ethical politician we have", while Emma Sidi made a cameo as the former prince's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.

The sketch concluded with agents promising to intervene if Andrew uttered the code words "Pizza Express Woking" — a nod to his notorious 2019 Newsnight interview.

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"I'm not sure how I'll ever fit that into the conversation, but I'll make it sound as natural as possible," Mr Shep's character responds.

The satirical segment also took aim at other members of the Royal Family. Cast member Hammed Animashaun delivered a pointed joke about Prince Harry, stating he would "marry a woman 98 per cent of the UK public will find it impossible to have a normal conversation about" — a reference to Meghan Markle.

Prince William's appearance was also mocked, with agents suggesting they were "seeing to" making him less appealing.