Sky had been developing a British version of Saturday Night Live since at least December 2021, when representatives from the American show were reportedly in London discussing the deal, with comedians said to be lining up to be involved.

Lorne Michaels was confirmed as executive producer of the British adaptation in April 2025, with the show initially ordered for six episodes before being extended to eight just one day before its premiere.

The show is broadcast live from Television Centre in London, in studio TC1, with the BBC's commercial subsidiary BBC Studioworks providing the studio space and post-production, and each episode has an estimated production budget of £2 million.

Around 30 to 35 sketches are developed for each live show each week, but only about eight make it through to the final broadcast selection, aided by test audience feedback.

Ahead of launch, cast members visited the studios of the American Saturday Night Live during production of its 1000th episode, and the cast and writers were trained by the US show's longtime cue-card handler, Wally Feresten, to prepare for using cue cards.

Comedian Jamie Demetriou and writer James Graham joined the production as consultants starting with the second episode, with Demetriou also having been involved in casting selection.

Director Liz Clare left the show after the fifth episode due to prior commitments clashing with the extended episode order, and Richard Valentine took over to direct the final three episodes of the first series.

Viewers watching the live broadcast through the NOW streaming service briefly experienced a technical fault during the monologue of the second episode.

The series' final episode of the first run registered a series-low audience, attributed to being broadcast opposite the Eurovision Song Contest.

On Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 16 critics' reviews of the show were positive, with the site's consensus praising its confident, loose identity.