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13 Saturday Night Live UK cast and writers to see at Edinburgh Fringe

  • 3 days ago
  • 9 min read

Live from Edinburgh, it's the Saturday Nighters!



Saturday Night Live UK certainly made its mark on British television earlier this year, and with a second series on the way this September, I thought I'd take a look through this year's Edinburgh Fringe programme to pick out which cast members and writers will be appearing at the festival this August.


Here are 13 cast and writers from Saturday Night Live UK to see at Edinburgh Fringe, including Ayoade Bamgboys, Paddy Young, Jack Shep and more...


AL NASH

AL NASH & FRIENDS


13th to 15th August at 11pm at the Pleasance Courtyard



From his memorable Weekend Update appearances as Captain Birdseye, a racehorse or even a son who still has skin-on-skin contact with his father, to his impersonations of Winston Churchill and England's World Cup hero Harry Kane, Al Nash has become a firm favourite amongst Saturday Night Live UK viewers,


Not originally meant to be performing at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, Al Nash has thankfully added three dates for Al Nash & Friends, which promises to be an evening of sketch, character, stand-up, and general silliness.


Before SNL UK, Al was best known for his digital presence, where his well-crafted sketches achieved millions of views.


ANIA MAGLIANO

PEACH FUZZ


7th to 22nd August (not 11, 18, 25) at 1.25pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Together with Paddy Young, Ania Magliano smashes Saturday Night Live UK's Weekend Update every week. In her new Edinburgh show, Peach Fuzz, she's returning to the Fringe with her signature laid-back storytelling style and relatable humour, discussing all of her unhinged and hinged inner thoughts.


Before SNL UK, she took part in the 20th series of Taskmaster, tying for first place with Maisie Adam, but ultimately lost the tiebreak to be crowned series champion, performed on Live at the Apollo, and this Fringe run comes as Ania tours across the UK and Ireland on her biggest tour to date.


AYOADE BAMGBOYE

SMALL TALK (WIP+Q&A)


16th to 20th August at 12.05pm at Monkey Barrell Comedy


SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS


20th to 22nd August at 10pm at the Pleasance Courtyard



Ayoade Bamgboye has won Saturday Night Live UK audiences over with her impressions of Mary Seacole and Kemi Badenoch, as well as her memorable appearances on Weekend Update, especially when she appeared alongside Martin Lewis!


This August, Ayo is returning to Edinburgh with a new work-in-progress and Q&A show, called Small Talk, which runs for five nights from the 16th August.


The blurb for the show reads Small talk is easily the most woefully misunderstood phenomenon. As the glue that keeps us together, it deserves more than it gets. I will give it everything I have. This is my ministry.


Plus, from the 20th to 22nd August, she'll be giving her new fans another chance to watch her debut Fringe show from 2025, Swings and Roundabouts, which is about suffering (and smiling). It's about going nowhere fast, being too British to stop apologising, and too Nigerian to stop shouting.


Before SNL UK, in 2024, Ayoade wrote and starred in Channel 4's comedy short Rise and Shine with Channel 9. In 2025, she appeared in an episode of Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping and was recently seen in Sam Campbell's Make That Movie.


AYO ADENEKAN

HOMELAND INSECURITY


4th to 30th August (not 17th) at 1.30pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Ayo Adenekan is one of the incredible writers on Saturday Night Live UK, and following a sellout debut run in 2025, returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with his second show, Homeland Insecurity, which promises to be a romantic hour.


A summer fling in hospitality spirals into something far messier. Ayo explores summer romance and the cost of chasing your dreams. It promises big laughs and beautifully observed storytelling about work, desire and the chaos of catching feelings when you really shouldn't.


Before SNL UK, Ayo has supported Sarah Keyworth, Olga Koch and Amy Matthews on tour and in 2025, was a finalist in the BBC New Comedy Awards and his debut Fringe show, Black Mediocrity, was a joint winner of the Best Newcomer award at The (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Awards.


BELLA HULL

MAD COW DISEASE


3rd to 30th August (not 19th) at 12.30pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Another brilliant writer on Saturday Night Live UK is Bella Hull, whose new Edinburgh show, Mad Cow Disease, comes ten years after her first gig, and sees her reflect on a decade of telling jokes in dark basements. Was it worth it? What other lives could she have led? How is it that she still does not have a driving licence?


Partly a dissociative fantasy, and partly a love letter to stand-up itself, Mad Cow Disease promises to be a surreal new hour from perhaps the only woman who is able to romanticise a dual carriageway.


As she looks up at the sparkling sky and then down at the hundreds of ants in her kitchen. After a decade choosing gigs over life, she’s run out of road. Maybe she’s ready for the wilderness.


Before SNL UK, Bella appeared as a guest on shows such as The Last Leg and Have I Got News for You, and has starred in a couple of episodes of ITV2's The Stand Up Sketch Show and offered tour support for the likes of Chelsea Handler, Phil Wang, Russell Howard and Paul Chowdhry.


CELYA AB

WE MUST STOP MEETING LIKE THIS


4th to 30th August (not 12th, 19th, 26th) at 6.10pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Celya AB is another hugely talented writer on Saturday Night Live UK, and in her fourth Edinburgh Fringe hour, We Should Stop Meeting Like This, Celya explores breaking free from shame and what happens when you do and promises to be full of deftly charismatic, joke-packed stand-up.


Have you ever forensically overthought your life choices? Are they all somehow connected to a passing comment your Spanish teacher made when you were 15? Has it impacted everything from your love life to your career?


Before SNL UK, Celya was a Funny Women finalist in 2019, won Chortle's Best Newcomer award in 2022, performed on Live At The Apollo and appeared on Ed Gamble and James Acaster's hugely successful podcast Off Menu.


CHRIS CANTRILL

REWILDING


3rd to 30th August (not 17th, 18th) at 12.10pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Chris Cantrill is part of the brilliant team of writers on Saturday Night Live UK and is returning to the Fringe with a brand new hour, Rewilding, which he took up to Edinburgh for a few days in 2025 as a work-in-progress show.


Rewilding is described as a Sycamore Gap Tree-style community caper about action against vandalism. A twisted tale of community, justice and mushrooms.


Former city slicker Chris finally found peace in the countryside and was happy to see out his days whittling, until a heinous act of vandalism drew him back into the fray... Writer


Before SNL UK, Chris Cantrill's 2024 Edinburgh Fringe show, Easily Swayed, was nominated for Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards alongside his comedy partner Amy Gledhill, who was also nominated for her solo show and eventually won. Before Amy's win, she and Chris were nominated twice as The Delightful Sausage.


On telly, Chris has appeared in several hit shows, including Alma's Not Normal, Avoidance and Don't Hug Me I'm Scared.


JACK SHEP

WANTING TO BE COOL, HAVING TO BE FUNNY


17th August at 8.30pm at Shedinburgh



Winning over a legion of new fans on Saturday Night Live UK, thanks largely to his exceptional Princess Diana impression, Jack Shep is appearing at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, for just one night with his cult comedy night Wanting to be Cool, Having to be Funny, reimagined and stripped-back for Shedinburgh.


The night promises a line-up that includes some of the best comics in the world. At least to those who are freaky and know how to have a laugh. Previous line-ups have included Sam Campbell, Leo Reich and Ele McKenzie.


Before SNL UK, Jack was a finalist at the BBC New Comedy Awards and is a regular on the stand-up circuit, often featuring on the line-ups of London’s best comedy nights, including Knock2Bag, The Paddock and Country Mile Comedy Club.


JONNO JOHNSON

HERE COMES MR FUNNY


3rd to 30th August (not 17th) at 7.10pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Daran "Jonno" Johnson is the Head Writer on Saturday Night Live UK, and this year he's returning to the Edinburgh Fringe after sixteen years as one third of cult sketch favourites Sheeps, with his debut solo stand-up hour, Here Comes Mr Funny.


It promises to be a joyful, gag-heavy hour packed with whimsical, odd tangents and nonsensical comedy. Touching on the low- level panic of trying something on your own for the first time, whilst always prioritising laughs over lessons.


The show explores friendship, ambition, and the experience of watching your peers become successful while you eschew the auditions and solo shows that could mean the same for you.


Before SNL UK, Jonno was a writer on several sitcoms, including Flat TV, Siblings and Wedding Season and is one third of comedy trio Sheeps, alongside another SNL UK writer, Al Roberts.


LARRY DEAN

HELLBENT


5th to 30th August (not 16th) at 6.30pm at the Pleasance Courtyard



Whether it's his King Charles or his immaculate Louis Theroux, Larry Dean has become a firm fan favourite on Saturday Night Live UK, and ahead of his new Edinburgh show, Hellbent, he describes himself as recently married and emotionally feral. And the show promises to be about refusing to grow up.


Before SNL UK, Larry had appeared on many TV shows, including The Royal Variety Performance, Live at the Apollo, Richard Osman's House of Games, Mock the Week, The Stand Up Sketch Show and more.


LORNA ROSE TREEN

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CHARACTERS


17th to 23rd August at 9.30pm at the Pleasance Courtyard


LORNA ROSE TREEN (WIP)


19th August at 3.15pm at Shedinburgh


WORK IN PROGRESS


26th to 30th August at 12.05pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Lorna Rose Treen is another one of Saturday Night Live UK's wonderful writers, who herself has appeared in multiple sketches and has written the topical cold opens on the show.


After three sellout Edinburgh Fringe runs, she's returning to the festival to launch her debut tour, Now That's What I Call Characters, which promises to be a silly and joyful hour of nonsense character comedy. A collection of the best sketches from her critically-acclaimed live shows, plus some new characters too.


Lorna has been pretending to be other people for fun since she could dress herself, and her characters often spring from skewering how women are perceived and portrayed. Mining a series of recognisably weird and wonderful characters, alongside a nostalgic mix of TV, film and music tropes.


Everything from your militant High School netball coach and Love Actually to an overly keen Brownie Girl Guide and Normal People, she invites audiences inside her daft, surreal and whimsical world.


Whilst up at the Fringe, Lorna will also be performing a number of work in progress shows, at Shedinburgh on Wednesday 19th August, and then at Monkey Barrel Comedy from the 26th to 30th August.


Before SNL UK, Lorna appeared in The Emily Atack Show and stars in her self-written comedy series for BBC Radio 4, Time of the Week, a surreal parody of women's news and current affairs shows.


OMAR BADAWY

GUIDED DETOUR


5th to 30th August (not 17th) at 4.35pm at the Pleasance Courtyard



Saturday Night Live UK writer Omar Badawy is performing his debut hour at this year's Edinburgh Fringe with Guided Detour, which tells of the moment last year when he accidentally found himself in the middle of a far-right march. And somehow that still wasn't the hardest part of his day.


It promises to be a collection of stupid little tales about the comfort and cost of avoidance, The Daily Mail and nose jobs.


Before SNL UK, Omar began stand-up in 2019 and, in his first year, won the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny award at the Edinburgh Fringe.


PADDY YOUNG

WILL SIR BE LAUGHING ALONE?


4th to 16th August at 9pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy


PRESENTS: A NIGHT WITH THE STARS


12th August at 11.20pm at Monkey Barrel Comedy



Together with Ania Magliano, Paddy Young smashes Saturday Night Live UK's Weekend Update every week, and in his new Edinburgh show, Will Sir Be Laughing Alone?, he explores what happened to that bit in between being born alone and dying alone. He'll talk about falling in love more times than you’ve had hot dinners, and how he's fumbled every single one.


Aside from Will Sir Be Laughing Alone?, Paddy will be presenting A Night With The Stars, which promises to bring together the SNL UK favourite with some of the biggest stars of the Fringe for the showbiz event of the year. Described as a wild late-night mash-up of stand-up, sketch and character comedy (the good kind). Featuring Ed Night, Sam Campbell, Bella Hull, Dan Tiernan, Horatio Gould, Mike Rice and loads more.


Before SNL UK, Paddy was no stranger to the Edinburgh Fringe and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Awards for his debut show, Hungry, Horny, Scared. And on television, he has appeared in Timewasters, Everyone Else Burns, Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping, and most recently, Sam Campbell's Make That Movie, which he also helped write.

 
 
 

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