British Comedy Is Back: How the U.K.’s Funny Business Is Rallying Thanks to ‘SNL U.K.’ and ‘Mock the Week’

By K.J. Yossman

K.J. Yossman

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British comedy once dominated the small screen, spawning iconic shows and formats from “Monty Python” to “The Office.” But the last decade hasn’t been a bundle of laughs as sketch shows and sitcoms fell out of fashion, partly due to traditional broadcasters’ shrinking budgets while awards-hungry streamers were focused on prestige dramas that grabbed headlines and travelled internationally – something comedies struggle with.

Over the past year, however, there has been a shift, with commissioners taking big swings on shows like Sky’s “Saturday Night Live U.K.,” TLC’s “Mock the Week” – both of which return for a second season this weekend — and “L.O.L: Last One Laughing U.K.” on Prime Video, which drops a Halloween special next month followed by a third season in 2027. So busy is the landscape that Variety hears shows are even competing over studio space.

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