Saturday Live was a British television comedy and music show broadcast by Channel 4 from 1985 to 1987, and in 1988 as Friday Night Live. Influenced by the American show Saturday Night Live, it was produced by Paul Jackson.
The series made stars of Ben Elton, Harry Enfield, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, and featured appearances by Patrick Marber, Morwenna Banks, Chris Barrie, Emo Philips, Craig Ferguson, Craig Charles and many others. The show featured comic duo Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall in their act The Dangerous Brothers.
All episodes were transmitted live, although some material was pre-recorded. Recordings of shows were edited into compilation repeats, retitled Saturday Almost Live.
The show was succeeded by Friday Night Live, a shorter and slightly more tightly-formatted show with Elton as the permanent host, which ran for a single series in 1988. The show's titles consisted of reforming clay animations, highly comparable to early MTV idents.
Episodes
S01E01 Tracey Ullman 1986-01-25
Tracey Ullman Introduction
John Sparkes Shadwell (character)
music INXS This Time
The Oblivion Boys Staring contest
Tracey Ullman, Jon Glover, Mac McDonald (pre-filmed) The River Country
John Bird An unemployed defence minister (character)
Tracey Ullman, Amanda Dickinson Kay Clark (character) (Almost:2) (DVD:SL1)
Robin Driscoll, Rebecca Stevens, Pete McCarthy, Tony Haase, Suggs Rich (soap opera parody)
Pete McCarthy News Flash
Sam Kinison American Stand-up (Almost:4) (DVD:SL1)
Pete McCarthy Snooker
Wizardz Fire dance
Pete McCarthy News Flash
John Wells (pre-filmed) A Life of Reilli
music Squeeze King George Street
Tracey Ullman Stand-up
Fry & Laurie Chocolate Goodies (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
The Dangerous Brothers (pre-filmed) Canon/Big Stunt (DVD:DB, SL1)
Tracey Ullman Betty Tomlinson (character) - Two years on (DVD:SL1)
Ben Elton Professional liar (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
music Feargal Sharkey You Little Thief (Almost:4) more
S01E02 Lenny Henry 1986-02-01
The compere was Lenny Henry. Guests included Fry & Laurie, Oblivion Boys, Dangerous Brothers (Rik Mayall & Adrian Edmondson), Ben Elton, Level 42, The Damned with a cameo from Gary Glitter :( more
S01E03 Pamela Stephenson 1986-02-08
The compere was Pamela Stephenson, and guests included Fry & Laurie, The Oblivion Boys, Dangerous Brothers (Rik Mayall & Adrian Edmondson), Richard Digance, Cliffhanger, Spike Milligan (Cameo only), Denis Healy, Talk Talk, Nigel Planer (Featuring Raw Sex), Ben Elton and The Inspirational Choir more
S01E04 Chris Barrie 1986-02-15
S01E05 Michael Barrymore 1986-02-22
Michael Barrymore Introduction
music Colonel Abrams I'm Not Gonna Let You Get The Best of Me
The Oblivion Boys Kidnapped
Susie Blake Rupert Bear story
Michael Barrymore Stand-up and stunt
music Mr. Mister Broken Wings
Michael Barrymore Singing
Harry Enfield, Jon Glover, Helen Lederer (pre-filmed) The Day After (DVD:FLEE)
music Johnny Hubcap and the Axles At The Hop
Arnold Brown Stand-up
Michael Barrymore (Impression) Tommy Cooper
Harry Enfield Stavros (character): First appearance (DVD:FLEE)
Fry & Laurie Poetry in Parkhurst (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
music Ruby Turner Come Go With Me
Margaret Smith American stand-up
music Mr. Mister Kyrie
Craig Charles Poetry (DVD:SL1)
Ben Elton Stand-up: Double entendres
Michael Barrymore Stand-up and singing We'll Meet Again more
S01E06 Hale & Pace 1986-03-01
Hale & Pace The Management arrive and introduction
music Madness I'll Compete
Hale & Pace Proclamation
Harry Enfield Stavros (character): My daughter Donna (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
music Roger Daltrey Under A Raging Moon
Hale & Pace Singing Doctors (DVD:SL1)
A Whitney Brown American stand-up
Pierre Hollins Alfonse (character) daredevil act
Hale & Pace Club 18-30
music The Walkers Hey! Don't Waste My Time
Jeremy Hardy Stand-up
Hale & Pace St. David's Day
music Madness Sweetest Girl
Hale & Pace Billy & Johnny (characters)
The Wow Show/The Oblivion Boys E.B.T. (DVD:SL1)
Norman Pace The world's greatest lover (character)
The Dangerous Brothers, Norman Lovett (pre-filmed) Torture (Almost:4) (DVD:DB, SL1)
Ben Elton Stand-up: Girlfriend Threw Me Out (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
music Madness, Hale & Pace See You Later Alligator / Let's Have A Party / Roll Over Beethoven (Almost:2) more
S01E07 Ben Elton 1986-03-08
Ben Elton Introduction and stand-up: Club 18-30 (Almost:1) (DVD:SL1)
music Buddy Curtess and the Grasshoppers Real Girl (Almost:1)
Ben Elton, Hugh Laurie Pop Show (DVD:FLEE)
Harry Enfield Stavros (character): Today newspaper (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
Ben Elton Taxi driver (DVD:FLEE)
music The Blow Monkeys Digging Your Scene
music Denise Black and the Kray Sisters Acapella singing (Almost:1) (DVD:SL1)
Emo Phillips Stand-up (Almost:1) (DVD:SL1)
Ben Elton, Hugh Laurie Simon Ploppy at drama school (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
music Hipsway The Honey Thief
Craig Charles Poetry (DVD:SL1)
Fry & Laurie, Emma Thompson Hush child (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
Ben Elton Stand-up: Students
Ben Elton Metamorphosis (DVD:FLEE)
The Dangerous Brothers (pre-filmed) Exploding politicians (DVD:DB, SL1)
Ben Elton, Stephen Fry As nuns: One little thing (Almost:1) (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
Jasper Carrott Stand-up
Jasper Carrott (pre-filmed) animation
Ben Elton Stand-up: Double Seat
music Buddy Curtess and the Grasshoppers Let My Love more
S01E08 Fascinating Aïda 1986-03-15
Fascinating Aïda Introduction
The Wow Show/The Oblivion Boys Wow Fashion (DVD:SL1)
Harry Enfield, John Sessions Stavros (character): Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster (DVD:FLEE)
music Kissing the Pink One Step
Fascinating Aïda Pretend You're German
Craig Charles Poetry
Fry & Laurie A Good Night's Sleep (DVD:FLEE)
Rita Rudner American Stand-up (Almost:6) (DVD:SL1)
music Somo Somo Masikini Ya Mola
Emma Thompson Stand-up (Almost:3) (DVD:SL1)
The Dangerous Brothers, Jennifer Saunders (pre-filmed) How to get off with a lady (DVD:DB, SL1)
Fascinating Aïda England's Green And Pleasant Land
Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie Photographs (DVD:FLEE)
Ben Elton Stand-up: Brush with the bomb (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
music Girlschool and Gary Glitter Leader of the Gang (Almost:5) more
S01E09 Peter Cook 1986-03-22
Peter Cook (Impression) Ferdinand Marcos (DVD:SL1)
music The Communards Disenchanted
The Oblivion Boys Pot Snooker (DVD:SL1)
Kate Robbins (Impression) Sarah Ferguson
Peter Cook, John Bird Lord Stockton (character) (DVD:SL1)
music Twisted Sister I Am, I'm Me
Peter Cook, John Fortune E.L. Wisty (character) - Interesting things (DVD:SL1)
Harry Enfield Stavros (character): Video Box (DVD:FLEE)
music Hitlist Into The Fire
Louie Anderson Stand-up (Almost:5) (DVD:SL1)
music Twisted Sister Leader of the Pack
French & Saunders, Raw Sex Studio direction (Almost:5) (DVD:SL1)
Peter Cook, John Bird Workmen in Kubla Khan
music The Communards, The Oblivion Boys La Dolarosa
Fry & Laurie Flight to Tokyo (DVD:SL1, FLEE)
Peter Cook (pre-filmed) (impression) James Last's Britain
Ben Elton Stand-up: The budget (DVD:SL1)
Peter Cook (Impression) James Last's orchestra more
S01E10 Steven Wright 1986-03-29
