| Saturday Live | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 39(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 12 January 1985 (1985-01-12) – 29 April 1988 (1988-04-29) |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 12 March 1993 (1993-03-12) |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 1 June (1996-06-01) – 20 July 1996 (1996-07-20) |
| Release | 1 December 2007 (2007-12-01) |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 21 October 2022 (2022-10-21) |
| Related | |
| Saturday Night Live[1] | |
Saturday Live (retitledFriday Night Live for the 1988 series and 2022 one-off special) is a Britishtelevisioncomedy andmusic show, made byLWT[2] and initially broadcast onChannel 4 from 1985 to 1988, with a brief revival on ITV in 1996.[3] A few one-off editions have also been screened sporadically, including a contribution to the BBC's 1993Comic Relieftelethon. It was based on the American sketch comedy showSaturday Night Live but otherwise had no direct connection to the show.
The series made stars ofBen Elton andHarry Enfield, and featured appearances (in some cases first television appearances) byStephen Fry andHugh Laurie,Patrick Marber,Morwenna Banks,Chris Barrie,Julian Clary,Emo Philips,Tracey Ullman,Craig Ferguson,Sam Kinison,Craig Charles,Josie Lawrence and many others.[4] The pilot show and first series featured comic duoAdrian Edmondson andRik Mayall in their actThe Dangerous Brothers each week. The introductory theme was an original composition byPaul Hardcastle.
All episodes were transmitted live but contained a small proportion of material recorded beforehand. Recordings of shows were edited into compilation repeats, titledSaturday Almost Live.
The third series,Friday Night Live, renamed to reflect its scheduling move to the titular day, is the last of the programme's original iteration. A shorter and slightly tighter-formatted show, it retained Elton as regular host. The show's title sequence consisted of re-forming clay animations, highly comparable to earlyMTV idents.
The show was resurrected as a segment for 1993'sRed Nose Day BBC telethon, hosted byBen Elton, with appearances byReeves and Mortimer,Eddie Izzard, Hugh Laurie, andNewman & Baddiel.
The show made a return in 1996 on ITV, regaining a Saturday slot and retitled accordingly. Hosted byLee Hurst, it featured comedians includingHarry Hill andSimon Munnery. The series lasted eight episodes before being axed.
On 1 December 2007, the programme was revived by ITV for a one-off titledSaturday Live Again, presented byMarcus Brigstocke.[5] Comedians includedJimmy Carr,Lee Mack,Mitchell and Webb, andJocelyn Jee Esien. The original show's regular hostBen Elton also performed. There were musical performances byBon Jovi andHard-Fi.
In August 2022, it was announced the programme was being revived for a one-off special, as part of Channel 4's 40th-anniversary celebrations, and would again be hosted by Ben Elton.[6] The special aired on 21 October 2022. The special gained notoriety for a musical performance in whichtransgender comedianJordan Gray stripped nude to a live audience.[7][8]
| Series | Season | Slot Time | Episodes | Originally released | Director | Producers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||||||||
| Live Shows | ||||||||||||
| Saturday Live | Pilot show | 90 mins | 1 | January 12, 1985 (1985-01-12) | Channel 4 | Paul Jackson | Paul Jackson | |||||
| Series 1 | 90 mins | 10 | January 25, 1986 (1986-01-25) | March 29, 1986 (1986-03-29) | Geoff Posner | Geoff Posner andPaul Jackson | ||||||
| Series 2 | 75 mins | 10 | February 7, 1987 (1987-02-07) | April 11, 1987 (1987-04-11) | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner andGeoffrey Perkins | ||||||
| Friday Night Live | Series 1 | 75 mins | 10 | February 19, 1988 (1988-02-19) | April 29, 1988 (1988-04-29) | Channel 4 | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner andGeoffrey Perkins | ||||
| Saturday Live | Series 3 | 60 mins | 8 | June 1, 1996 (1996-06-01) | July 20, 1996 (1996-07-20) | ITV | Ian Hamilton | Ian Hamilton and Susie Dark | ||||
| Highlights Shows | ||||||||||||
| Best of Saturday Live | Pilot show highlights | 60 mins | 1 | January 4, 1986 (1986-01-04) | ITV | Paul Jackson | Paul Jackson | |||||
| Saturday Almost Live | Series 1 highlights | 60 mins | 6 | September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13) | October 18, 1986 (1986-10-18) | Channel 4 | Geoff Posner | Geoff Posner andPaul Jackson | ||||
| Series 2 highlights | 60 mins | 8 | October 3, 1987 (1987-10-03) | November 21, 1987 (1987-11-21) | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner andGeoffrey Perkins | ||||||
| Friday Night Almost Live | Series 1 highlights | 60 mins | 8 | October 12, 1988 (1988-10-12) | November 30, 1988 (1988-11-30) | Channel 4 | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner andGeoffrey Perkins | ||||
| Title | Description | Slot Time | Air Date | Network | Director | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Live | Re-edited show for ITV's 1986Golden Rose of Montreux entry[9] | 45 mins | 22 April 1986 | Channel 4 | Geoff Posner | Geoff Posner andGeoffrey Perkins |
| Friday Night Live Lives Again! | Comic Relief Special[10] | 60 mins | 12 March 1993 | BBC1 | ? | ? |
| Saturday Live Again! | One-off 20th anniversary revival show | 90 mins | 1 December 2007 | ITV | Geoff Posner | Geoff Posner andDavid Tyler |
| Friday Night Live | One-off revival forChannel 4's 40th anniversary | 95 mins | 21 October 2022 | Channel 4 | Geoff Posner | Susie Hall |
A compilation doubleDVD set,Saturday Live: The Best of Series One, was released on 16 April 2007, containing almost two-and-a-half hours of material. No music performances from the shows were included.Saturday Live: The Best of Series 2 was released on 4 February 2008, andThe Very Best of Friday Night Live was released on 2 June 2008. On 5 October 2009, a fourth release, a 3-disc set collecting all the show's Fry & Laurie and Harry Enfield sketches and the best Ben Elton monologues, was released.
| DVD title | Discs | Year | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Live: The Best of Series 1 | 2 | 1986 | 16 April 2007 |
| Saturday Live: The Best of Series 2 | 2 | 1987 | 4 February 2008 |
| The Very Best of Friday Night Live | 2 | 1988 | 2 June 2008 |
| Saturday Live: Fry and Laurie, Harry Enfield and Ben Elton | 3 | 1986–1988 | 5 October 2009 |