UK comedy veteran Lisa Clark comes aboard Sky’s Saturday Night Live UK
Sky has tapped UK comedy veteran Lisa Clark as commissioning executive on its forthcoming version of long-running US comedy format Saturday Night Live (SNL).
Clark will work with Sky’s unscripted entertainment team under Phil Edgar-Jones to help shape SNL UK, which will launch on Sky and streaming service Now later this year.
As previously announced, James Longman (lead producer), Liz Clare (director) and Daran Jonno Johnson (head writer) will lead the show’s production, direction and writing teams.
Produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio’s UK production team and Broadway Video, it marks the first British adaptation of the long-running institution, which has shaped comedy and pop culture for five decades.
The forthcoming series will follow the same live, fast-paced format as the original, featuring a new generation of comedy players in the core cast, alongside guest hosts and musical performances.
Sky said more details on the show’s UK debut, including cast, hosts, musical guests and premiere date will be announced soon.
A leading creative force in British entertainment and comedy, Clark’s career spans some of the UK’s best known television series and live events.
Clark has served as executive producer on hit shows including BAFTA-nominated series Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Top Gear and Daisy May & Charlie Cooper’s NightWatch, as well as major live broadcasts such as the BAFTA TV Awards and Comic Relief.
Her producer credits include cult favourites like My Dad Wrote A Porno, Shooting Stars, League of Gentlemen Live Again and Vic & Bob’s Big Night Out.
Clark has also held senior roles at BBC Entertainment, LWT and Pett Productions, the UK prodco she set up alongside comedians Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves in 2001.
Edgar-Jones, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky, said: “The SNL UK team are made up of the very best producers, writers, and department heads in the industry, so I am thrilled to have landed a true TV legend in Lisa Clark as Sky’s commissioning executive.
“Lisa has an incredible track record working collaboratively with some of the finest comedy talent in the business and will be a huge asset to the production.”
Elsewhere, Sky Documentaries today confirmed it has greenlit a premium documentary series exploring the the legacy of ITV talent show The X Factor.
The documentary will speak to those closest to The X Factor story, both in front of and behind the camera, including Simon Cowell. The series is produced by independent production company 72 Films, whose hits include Grierson-winning The Zelensky Story and Emmy-winning 9/11: One Day in America, and will build on Sky Documentaries’ reputation for critically-acclaimed unfiltered documentaries, with recent highlights including Boyzone: No Matter What, Hatton, and Klitschko: More Than a Fight.
