List of Saturday Live (UK TV series) episodes

Last updated

Below is an episode list for both the UK TV series Saturday Live and Friday Night Live, which were essentially the same production. The series aired on Channel 4 between 1985 and 1988. [1] This was a variety show transmitted live, primarily with a mix of comedy and music. Shows were later edited into compilation shows which aired a few months after the end of each series, and retitled Best of Saturday Live, Saturday Almost Live and Friday Night Almost Live.

Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television over the internet. In most cases live programming is not being recorded as it is shown on TV, but rather was not rehearsed or edited and is being shown only as it was recorded prior to being aired. Shows broadcast live include newscasts, morning shows, awards shows, sports programs, reality programs and, occasionally, episodes of scripted television series.

Contents

The show format and name were copied in subsequent decades in 1996 and 2007. These series are not included here.

Overview

Live ShowCompilation Show
SeasonSlot TimeEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
Saturday Live (Pilot) 901January 12, 1985 (1985-01-12) Channel 4
Saturday Live 1 9010January 25, 1986 (1986-01-25)March 29, 1986 (1986-03-29) Channel 4
Saturday Live 2 7510February 7, 1987 (1987-02-07)April 11, 1987 (1987-04-11) Channel 4
Friday Night Live 7510February 19, 1988 (1988-02-19)April 29, 1988 (1988-04-29) Channel 4
SeasonSlot TimeEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
Best of Saturday Live601January 4, 1986 (1986-01-04) ITV
Saturday Almost Live 1606September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13)October 18, 1986 (1986-10-18) Channel 4
Saturday Almost Live 2608October 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)November 21, 1987 (1987-11-21) Channel 4
Friday Night Almost Live608October 12, 1988 (1988-10-12)November 30, 1988 (1988-11-30) Channel 4

Episodes

Full episodes of the live shows have never subsequently been aired since their original showing, nor have they been made commercially available. Instead, individual performances have been re-edited into compilation shows aired by Channel 4 in the same year, or for DVD compilations released between 2007 and 2009. [2]

Channel 4 British free-to-air television channel

Channel 4 is a British public-service free-to-air television network that began transmission on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially-self-funded, it is ultimately publicly-owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the station is now owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, a public corporation of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which was established in 1990 and came into operation in 1993. With the conversion of the Wenvoe transmitter group in Wales to digital terrestrial broadcasting on 31 March 2010, Channel 4 became a UK-wide TV channel for the first time.

All performers and performances are listed in their original running order for each show. Where the performance details are incomplete, the details are highlighted.

Saturday Live (Pilot)

[3]

No.HostSlot TimeOriginal air date
~ Lenny Henry 90 mins.12/01/1985 (12/01/1985)

Saturday Live - Series 1

[4]

No.HostSlot TimeOriginal air date
1 Tracey Ullman 90 mins.25/01/1986 (25/01/1986)

2 Lenny Henry 90 mins.01/02/1986 (01/02/1986)

3 Pamela Stephenson 90 mins.08/02/1986 (08/02/1986)

4 Chris Barrie 90 mins.15/02/1986 (15/02/1986)

5 Michael Barrymore 90 mins.22/02/1986 (22/02/1986)

6 Hale & Pace 90 mins.01/03/1986 (01/03/1986)

7 Ben Elton 90 mins.08/03/1986 (08/03/1986)

8 Fascinating Aïda 90 mins.15/03/1986 (15/03/1986)

9 Peter Cook 90 mins.22/03/1986 (22/03/1986)

10 Steven Wright 90 mins.29/03/1986 (29/03/1986)

Saturday Live - Series 2

[5]

No.HostSlot TimeOriginal air date
1 Ben Elton 75 mins.07/02/87 (07/02/87)

2 Ben Elton 75 mins.14/02/1987 (14/02/1987)

3 Ben Elton 75 mins.21/02/1987 (21/02/1987)

4 Ben Elton 75 mins.28/02/1987 (28/02/1987)

5 Ben Elton 75 mins.07/03/1987 (07/03/1987)

6 Ben Elton 75 mins.14/03/1987 (14/03/1987)

7 Ben Elton 75 mins.21/03/87 (21/03/87)

8 Ben Elton 75 mins.28/03/1987 (28/03/1987)

9 Ben Elton 75 mins.04/04/1987 (04/04/1987)

10 Ben Elton 75 mins.11/04/1987 (11/04/1987)

Friday Night Live - Series 1

[6]

No.HostSlot TimeOriginal air date
1 Ben Elton 75 mins.19/02/1988 (19/02/1988)

2 Ben Elton 75 mins.26/02/1988 (26/02/1988)

3 Ben Elton 75 mins.04/03/1988 (04/03/1988)

4 Ben Elton 75 mins.11/03/1988 (11/03/1988)

5 Ben Elton 75 mins.18/03/1988 (18/03/1988)

6 Ben Elton 75 mins.25/03/1988 (25/03/1988)

7 Ben Elton 75 mins.08/04/1988 (08/04/1988)

8 Ben Elton 75 mins.15/04/1988 (15/04/1988)

9 Ben Elton 75 mins.22/04/1988 (22/04/1988)

10 Ben Elton 75 mins.29/04/1988 (29/04/1988)

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References

  1. "BFI ScreenOnline: Saturday Live / Friday Night Live". British Film Institute. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. "Saturday Live DVDs". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  3. "12-18 Jan 1985". TV Times. Jan 1985. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  4. "1986 Issues". TV Times. 1986. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  5. "1987 Issues". TV Times. 1987. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  6. "1988 Issues". TV Times. 1988. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
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British Comedy Guide

British Comedy Guide or BCG is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media. At the time of writing, BCG has published guides to more than 7,000 individual British comedies - primarily TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, variety and panel games. Other notable features on BCG include a news section, a message board, interviews with comedians and actors, a series of comment and opinion articles, a searchable merchandise database, and a section offering advice to aspiring comedy writers. The website also runs The Comedy.co.uk Awards and hosts several podcast series, some of which have won awards.