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SNL UK parodies British television shows in latest cold open

Saturday Night Live UK satirised recent television appearances by British politicians and royals during its latest broadcast.

FTMQ Film & TV, written by our newsroom0 views

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Picture: Deadline

Saturday Night Live UK opened its latest episode with a cold open sketch parodying recent television broadcasts, Deadline and Variety reported. The sketch featured George Fouracres portraying Prime Minister Andy Burnham alongside Emma Sidi as Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram. [1][2]

According to Deadline and Variety, the opening scene focused on the duo channel-flipping and discussing top British television moments. The parodies targeted Burnham's recent appearance on a Stand Up to Cancer special of Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4, alongside spoofs of The Graham Norton Show, The Celebrity Traitors, and The Great British Bake Off. [1][2]

Variety reported that guest host Cynthia Erivo delivered the opening monologue. Erivo joked about seeking a handshake from judge Paul Hollywood on The Great British Bake Off, contrasting the television food award with her existing Emmy, Grammy, and Tony accolades. [3]

Celebrity Gogglebox features public figures watching and reviewing weekly television broadcasts for Channel 4. The Great British Bake Off returned for its seventeenth series in September 2026, featuring judges Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson. [7][8]

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In short

  • George Fouracres played Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the Saturday Night Live UK cold open.
  • The sketch satirised Burnham's real-life appearance on Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox.
  • Cynthia Erivo hosted the episode and performed the opening monologue.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

  1. [1]‘SNL UK’ Pokes Fun At PM Andy Burnham’s Gogglebox Special In Cold Open With ‘Celebrity Traitors’, ‘Graham Norton Show’ & ‘Great British Bake Off’ ParodiesDeadline, 10d ago (the report this story comes from)
  2. [2]‘SNL U.K.’ Cold Open Spoofs Andy Burnham on ‘Gogglebox,’ Prince William on ‘The Graham Norton Show,’ ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ and MoreVariety, 10d ago
  3. [3]Cynthia Erivo Imagines Competing on ‘The Great British Bake Off’ in ‘SNL U.K.’ Opening Monologue: ‘I’ve Got a Soggy Bottom and I’m Freaking Stressed!’Variety, 10d ago
  4. [4]Andy Burnham fights back tears on Celebrity Gogglebox as young father dies week after cancer diagnosisThe Independent, 10d ago
  5. [5]‘SNL U.K.’ Cold Open Spoofs Andy Burnham on ‘Gogglebox,’ Prince William on ‘The Graham Norton Show,’ ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ and MoreIMDb, 10d ago

Background

  1. [6]List of actors who have played the Doctor on Wikipedia
  2. [7]List of Gogglebox episodes on Wikipedia
  3. [8]The Great British Bake Off series 17 on Wikipedia

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 8 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

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