Sky is progressing in its Saturday Night Live United Kingdom casting.
The show that has got the UK comedy community talking is taking new steps since Deadline revealed the month of its creative team, according to Sky’s unscripted boss Phil Edgar-Jones, speaking to Content London.
“Casting is currently well underway,” Edgar-Jones said. “We are looking for writers and have received a great response from the comedy community. This is an opportunity for us to nurture this next generation of comedic talent.”
Sky’s briefing document from earlier this year stated that applicants had to present each sketch with potential SNL guest host, with successful contestants expected to be available from mid-January to early April before the show launches later next year.
In a hurry to give more information about SNL, Edgar-Jones stressed that he must remain discreet.
“I get phone calls all the time from people saying, ‘Don’t say anything,’” he added. Edgar-Jones joked that it had been difficult because his nickname at Sky is ‘Leaky Phil’.
SNL UK revealed the creative team last month. Daran Jonno Johnson, who helped write the Disney+ series Wedding seasonis head writer and Liz Clare, an experienced live television director behind events such as the BAFTA Film Awards, has been hired as series director. Both join James Longman, executive producer of The Late Show with James Corden.
Edgar-Jones has a broad mandate, but one area he won’t delve into is the kind of guessing game made famous by The traitors. “There is a danger right now that everyone is considering a grand strategy, Traitors“-y formats,” he added. “I think we need to be careful in the marketplace by looking for products that are already best in class.”
“No more soap or fun”
Meanwhile, the Sky drama is looking for a change in tone.
The pay-TV giant is looking for drama series that have “more soap or fun,” according to executive script director Meghan Lyvers.
“They can feel really messy,” Lyvers added. “They don’t have to feel like guilty pleasures, just pleasures. We do do big, heavy drama but we’d like to diversify our offering in terms of tone.”
In other news, Sky’s long-running hit comedy Brassic is coming to an end and Lyvers said his team is “looking for a new Brassic-like a show and it’s not an easy question. “It’s a big challenge, but we’ve been talking about it more and more with producers in recent months,” she added.
Lyvers also said that Sky wanted to try to increase its number of limited series, such as the upcoming Amédée starring Will Sharpe, and made more tentpoles like his hit adaptation of THE Day of the Jackalwhich is in season 2.
