Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood named as next hosts of Saturday Night Live UK
By Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood have been named as the next hosts for the upcoming episodes of the UK edition of Saturday Night Live (SNL).
Irish actress Coughlan will front the comedy show on April 25, where she will be joined by rock band Foo Fighters as the musical guest, while Lou Wood will host on May 2, accompanied by British breakthrough artist Meek.
The actresses will both open the show with a monologue and take part in skits throughout the 75-minute episode, following in the footsteps of recent hosts including Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Riz Ahmed and Jack Whitehall.
Galway-born actress Coughlan, 39, is best known for playing panicky student Clare Devlin on Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls and quiet wallflower Penelope Bridgerton in the Netflix regency series Bridgerton.
Her host will mark the return of SNL UK after its one-week pause, and she will be accompanied by the chart-topping group Foo Fighters, who have appeared on the US version of the sketch show nine times.
Award-winning actress Lou Wood, 32, is best known for starring in TV dramas including Sex Education and The White Lotus and is also set to star in the upcoming Beatles biopic films from Sir Sam Mendes.
As Lou Wood takes the stage to host the comedy sketch show, she will be joined by singer-songwriter Meek, whose real name is Georgia Meek, as a musical performer.
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.
Actor and comedian Whitehall, known for starring in comedies such as Bad Education and Fresh Meat, was the latest celebrity to host the show.
During his opening monologue, he compared wedding planning to “like planning a royal wedding”, adding: “Literally, in that the whole thing could be ruined if my uncle turns up.”
The joke took aim at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was recently stripped of his titles by the King because of his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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 25.
