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Hammed Animashaun on SNL UK, finding his funny and the joy of live chaos
- Ope Oduwole
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
I caught up with Hammed Animashaun on the Monday after the first episode of Saturday Night Live UK aired. From the moment he joined the call, he radiated a kind of excitement that felt almost childlike. It set the tone perfectly: this was going to be a conversation rooted in gratitude, unadulterated laughter and the surreal reckoning of stepping onto one of comedy’s most iconic stages.
Still recovering from the whirlwind of opening night, Hammed admitted he hadn’t had time to properly sit with it. There was no space for reflection because the machine keeps moving. With the next episode already in motion, featuring Jamie Dornan, it was straight back into the process.
So what was that first experience like?
“Incredible,” he says, almost shaking his head at the thought of it. “What a feeling.”Indescribable, even. After six weeks of working intensely with the cast, crew, writers and production, reaching that launch moment was emotional. “There was nothing more exciting and rewarding,” he tells me, clearly still riding the high. More than anything, he felt honoured to share that stage and that moment with everyone involved.
Finding “one big funny”
Six weeks isn’t long to build chemistry, especially with a cast of strangers. But for Hammed, that time became something of a comedic bootcamp.“We didn’t know each other before,” he explains, “so it was about figuring out everyone’s individual funny.”
What makes me laugh? What makes you laugh? And more importantly, how do you merge all of that into “one big funny”?
It meant watching each other closely, studying process and understanding instincts. By the time the first episode arrived, Hammed felt all the feels except nerves. “I was just so confident in the team,” he says. “Borderline arrogant!”
And yet, those six weeks didn’t feel rushed. If anything, they felt necessary. Enough time to build trust, sharpen instincts, and step into the unknown with conviction. In true comedic and dramatic fashion, he flips the question back on me: how would I describe his comedy?
Caught slightly off guard, I tell him that his humour plays with perception: leaning into what people expect him to be, before turning it on its head entirely. He grins. He likes that.
When I return the question to him, his answer traces a lineage. He grew up on slapstick like the Carry On films, Only Fools and Horses but also the cultural specificity of shows like The Richard Blackwood Show, Chappelle's Show, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. All of it feeds into what he does now: a blend of British dryness and physical comedy, sharpened through years in theatre.
That theatre background, close to a decade he states, is key. It taught him how to be malleable, how to experiment and how to understand himself as a performer. Now, on SNL UK, he gets to access different versions of that self depending on the sketch.
“It’s like dipping in and out of characters,” he says, comparing it to drama school. “Seeing what works and what doesn’t.”
And when it doesn’t work? Even better.
“Falling flat on your face can be the funniest thing.”
Because that’s the magic of live television, the sheer unpredictability of it all. A missed cue, a dropped prop… Anything can happen. And instead of breaking the moment, it often makes it. Within the pressure, there’s freedom and chaos has the potential to become comedy.
No agenda, just laughter
For Hammed, the mission of SNL UK is refreshingly simple: make people laugh on a Saturday night.
“That’s it,” he shrugs. “There’s no point overthinking it.”
In a media landscape often weighed down by commentary and expectation, there’s something disarming about that level of clarity, especially given the discourse surrounding the show’s UK debut. There were questions and discussions about whether it would translate, whether British humour could hold its own within an American format.
But Hammed isn’t interested in proving a point.
“Brits are inherently funny,” he says. “This is just an opportunity to show why.”
Living the dream (literally)
When I ask about standout moments from the first episode, he struggles to isolate one.
And can you blame him?
To Hammed, the whole night felt like a dream. From the performances to the energy and sequencing - everyone was operating at their highest level. He shouts out Wet Leg, the crew, the writers, the house band.
And then there’s Tina Fey. “I shared the stage with Tina Fey,” he says, still in disbelief. “I never thought I’d be able to say that.”
Every moment, then, becomes the standout moment.
The great British rebirth
The conversation bends into the wider state of British comedy, where Hammed describes it as a “rebirth.”
“It never died and it never went away,” he clarifies. “It’s just been in a cocoon.”
For years, British comedy has been anchored by staples like Have I Got News for You and 8 Out of 10 Cats. Essential and beloved, but now, there’s both the space and time for something new. For emerging comedic actors, writers and stand-ups to step forward and reshape the landscape.
If platforms like SNL UK continue to invest in that talent, he believes the future is bright.
There’s also something else he feels has been missing: simplicity. “Why can’t we just watch things for the sake of watching them?” He points to the enduring appeal of Friends, The Office, and PhoneShop. Shows you can throw on, switch off, and just laugh for 25 minutes.
That ease, that escapism it’s something he feels has dwindled. And something he wants to bring back.
Playing with the line
Part of that involves risk. Going into the show I assumed they might play it safe, mindful of Britain’s often cautious media landscape. But the opposite proved true. The sketches pushed the boundaries whilst testing and prodding.
Hammed agrees.
“There’s always something funny in the news,” he says. “It’s about asking, what’s funny about this?”
From there, it’s about subversion. Finding the angle and then expanding the joke. “It’s interpretive,” he explains. “We think it’s funny and then you decide.” If it makes you laugh, great. If it sparks conversation, even better.
Building the machine
Behind the scenes, the relationship between cast and writers is constant, collaborative and evolving. One exercise stands out: a kind of press conference where each cast member fields questions from the writers.
“Can you do accents? Play instruments? Impressions?”
It sounds simple but it’s effective. It gives writers a well rounded picture of both talent and possibility.
Beyond that, it’s just time. Conversations about everything from world affairs to random observations, slowly forming the seeds of sketches that might later appear at a table read.
From Shadwell to Studio 8H (well, almost)
When I bring up his Meet the Cast video, where he mentioned watching Saturday Night Live auditions to cheer himself up (especially Will Ferrell’s), I ask what his own audition looked like.
He laughs to himself before answering.
It turns out it was rooted in memory. Stories from his mum’s fruit and veg stall in Shadwell, where he spent years helping out before and after school. Characters, impressions, observations all drawn from real life.
“I guess they seemed to like it,” he says, modestly.
The controlled chaos of live TV
The structure of the show itself is fluid. Each week, they pitch both live and pre-recorded sketches. A handful get filmed midweek, while others are blocked and rehearsed ahead of Saturday.
But nothing is fixed. Sketches get cut, orders reshuffled at a moment’s notice and ideas reworked.
“No week is ever the same,” he says.
It’s demanding, he jokes about losing sleep but it’s all worth it. (And, apparently, his therapist is on speed dial).
The perfect collision
So, has anything prepared him for this moment? Yes and no.
Theatre gave him confidence. Screen work gave him awareness. But SNL? That’s something else entirely.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” he says. Stage and screen, happening at the same time. And while he insists nothing can truly prepare you for it, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
He pauses then adds, that being on camera has also made him realise just how “darn good looking” he is.
Although he insists he was joking, like comedians always do, I recognised the glimmer in his eye only that happens when you stare at yourself for too long on a video call. Or rather - in that moment, he was simply a man on top of the comedy world.
Catch Saturday Night Live UK every Saturday at 10pm on Sky One.
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