SNL UK announce ex BBC star as next celebrity host

Jack Whitehall has been named as the latest host for the UK edition of Saturday Night Live.

The actor and comedian, 37, will front the comedy show on April 11, joined by singer-songwriter Jorja Smith as the musical guest.

Whitehall is expected to open the show with a monologue and take part in skits throughout the 75-minute episode as he follows in the footsteps of recent hosts Tina Fey and Jamie Dornan.

He will be the fourth host to front the comedy sketch show before it takes a one-week pause. It will return for four more episodes from April 25.

The London-born comedian is known for starring in shows such as BBC’s Bad Education and Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and various programmes with his father, Michael Whitehall.

He is also known for his risque sense of humour, having hosted this year’s Brit Awards, where he made jokes at the expense of Lord Peter Mandelson and his ties with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

SNL made its debut in the UK on March 21, with a star-studded episode fronted by US actress Fey, who was previously the head writer and lead cast member on the sketch show’s US version.

Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan, known for the Fifty Shades film trilogy, was the latest celebrity to host the show and his opening monologue included a surprise appearance by comedian Chris O’Dowd.

Since it kicked off two weeks ago, the show has featured Wet Leg and Wolf Alice as its musical guests.

The next episode of Saturday Night Live will air on April 4, with Four Lions star Riz Ahmed to host and 2000s indie band Kasabian as the musical guest.

The Sky Original show follows NBC’s late-night comedy show with a number of segments including an opening monologue, topical sketches and a UK version of “The Weekend Update”.

The show is broadcast live from London and sees a different host each week alongside the show’s cast, which includes actor Hammed Animashaun and comedians Ayoade Bamgboye and Larry Dean.

SNL UK returns on Sky and Now TV on April 4.