TIna Fey has made TV history, delivering the opening monologue on the debut episode of “SNL U.K.”
As she herself noted on Saturday’s inaugural show, she was now “the youngest person ever to host ‘SNL U.K.’,” to cheers from the live audience. “Here in the U.K., you might know me as the teacher from ‘Mean Girls,’ or you might remember a long time ago when I played Sarah Palin on ‘SNL’ U.S., or maybe you feel like you recognize me as the lady from the show ‘Veep,’ and that’s fine too.”
Fey then dipped a comedic toe into current political waters when she looked to answer “why do a U.K. version” of “SNL”?
“Well, like so many large scale American operations these days, no one really knows why,” she said.
It was then up to a series of celebrity guests to crash Fey’s monologue, including Nicola Coughlan, Michael Cera and Graham Norton. Asked by Coughlan why an American was hosting the debut “SNL U.K.” rather than a Brit, Fey said that it was valid question.
“The way it was explained to me was that for this first episode, anyway, how do I put this politely, none of you fuckers would do it. Does that make sense?”
Fey also managed to showcase an impressive knowledge of British comedy in front of Norton, delivering lines from a series of shows such as “Keeping Up Appearance,” “Fawlty Towers,” “Are You Being Served,” “Monty Python,” “Eastenders” and even several recent adverts (notably the much-memed “Jet 2 Holidays” voiceover).
Fey’s casting as the solitary American in the inaugural episode of the first British “SNL” no doubt weighed heavily on both her status as one of Hollywood’s most powerful comedy icons and her legendary connection with the show on home soil.
First joining as a writer in the 1997, she would soon become “SNL’s” first female lead writer and by 2000 was performing in sketches, also joining Jimmy Fallon as co-anchors of the “Weekend Update” segment. Before she left after the 2005-2006 to develop “30 Rock,” Fey had become the longest-serving “Weekend Update” anchor, credited with reviving both the segment and the show. Since then, Fey has made numerous guest appearances on “SNL,” most notably for her impersonation of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Fey’s status as “SNL U.K.’s” youngest host will sadly only last a week. Jamie Dornan is set to host on March 21, with Riz Ahmed booked for April 4.
