Saturday Night Live UK’s second episode opened with a satirical sketch depicting Prince Andrew in an MI5 meeting, hosted by Jamie Dornan
Saturday Night Live UK kicked off its second episode with a sketch depicting an MI5 scheme that requested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor befriend a “notorious paedophile” to make his brother appear more favourable.
Taking place in 1997, the sketch featured Jack Shep playing the disgraced royal in a meeting with MI5 officers – portrayed by Celeste Dring, Ayoade Bamgboye and Hammed Animashaun – who crafted a strategy to boost support for King Charles by making those surrounding him less appealing.
The sketch opened with one of the MI5 officers telling Andrew: “No-one knows better than us how charming, capable, fiercely intelligent and morally upstanding you are. You are a credit to princes everywhere.”
READ MORE: Several injured as car ploughs into pedestrians in Derby city centreREAD MORE: Moment Tiger Woods is finally released after eight hours in police custody
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
The officers outlined that to enhance the future king’s popularity, they needed to diminish the appeal of everyone in his orbit. Andrew responded: “I see, well, I love my brother, I love my country, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
He was subsequently presented with a 29-year strategy, prompting him to question whether he had to follow everything in it, including “the part about befriending a notorious paedophile”. He added: “Before and after he’s convicted?”
The sketch also poked fun at the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex, suggesting that Harry would wed a woman “98% of the UK public will find impossible to have a normal conversation about”.
Andrew concluded: “This all seems very high risk. God I’m sweating.” To assist him with the plan, they introduced Lord Peter Mandelson, portrayed by Larry Dean, who was labelled as “the most ethical politician we have”.
This follows the dismissal of Lord Mandelson, a political appointee rather than a career diplomat, from his role as Washington ambassador in September last year due to his connections with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – who passed away in 2019.
The sketch concluded with Sarah Ferguson, played by Emma Sidi, arriving late to the meeting and vowing to stand by Andrew’s side and “live with him without explanation” for the next 29 years. The officers then provided Andrew with a code word to use if he ever found himself in too deep, stating: “Pizza Express, Woking.”
Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan, famed for his role in the Fifty Shades trilogy film adaptations, took on the hosting duties for the second episode of the UK version of the US sketch comedy show, with Wolf Alice performing as the musical guest.
His opening monologue featured an unexpected cameo by comedian Chris O’Dowd.
The 75-minute episode also included a sketch about The Fall, the popular series where Dornan starred as a serial killer, as well as a digital short poking fun at British tourists who holiday abroad only to frequent a British or Irish-themed pub.
SNL UK will be back on Sky and Now TV on 4 April with actor Riz Ahmed taking on hosting duties and Kasabian as the musical guest.
