Below is an episode list for both the British TV series Saturday Live and Friday Night Live which were essentially the same production. The series originally aired on Channel 4 between 1985 and 1988, but it briefly returned in 1996, and there have also been a number of one-off special shows. [1] This was a variety show transmitted live, showcasing a mix of comedy and music. For the pilot and the first 3 series, after the live shows aired, they were edited into shorter compilation shows which were shown a few months after each series ended.
Series | Season | Slot Time | Episodes | Originally released | Director | Producers | ||||||
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First released | Last released | Network | ||||||||||
Live Shows | ||||||||||||
Saturday Live | Pilot show | 90 mins | 1 | 12 January 1985 | Channel 4 | Paul Jackson | Paul Jackson | |||||
Series 1 | 90 mins | 10 | 25 January 1986 | 29 March 1986 | Channel 4 | Geoff Posner | Geoff Posner and Paul Jackson | |||||
Series 2 | 75 mins | 10 | 7 February 1987 | 11 April 1987 | Channel 4 | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner and Geoffrey Perkins | |||||
Friday Night Live | Series 1 | 75 mins | 10 | 19 February 1988 | 29 April 1988 | Channel 4 | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner and Geoffrey Perkins | ||||
Saturday Live | Series 3 | 60 mins | 8 | 1 June 1996 | 20 July 1996 | ITV | Ian Hamilton | Ian Hamilton and Susie Dark | ||||
Highlights Shows | ||||||||||||
Best Of Saturday Live | Pilot show highlights | 60 mins | 1 | 4 January 1986 | ITV | Paul Jackson | Paul Jackson | |||||
Saturday Almost Live | Series 1 highlights | 60 mins | 6 | 13 September 1986 | 18 October 1986 | Channel 4 | Geoff Posner | Geoff Posner and Paul Jackson | ||||
Series 2 highlights | 60 mins | 8 | 3 October 1987 | 21 November 1987 | Channel 4 | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner and Geoffrey Perkins | |||||
Friday Night Almost Live | Series 1 highlights | 60 mins | 8 | 12 October 1988 | 30 November 1988 | Channel 4 | Ian Hamilton | Geoff Posner and Geoffrey Perkins |
Title | Description | Slot Time | Air Date | Network | Director | Producers |
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Saturday Live | Re-edited show for ITV's 1986 Golden Rose of Montreux entry [2] | 45 mins | 22 April 1986 | Channel 4 | Geoff Posner | Geoff Posner and Geoffrey Perkins |
Friday Night Live Lives Again! | Comic Relief Special [3] | 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 and David Tyler |
Friday Night Live | One-off revival for Channel 4's 40th anniversary | 95 mins | 21 October 2022 | Channel 4 | Geoff Posner | Susie Hall |
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. [4]
Where known, the lists below are annotated to indicate if an individual performance later appeared in a re-edited show, or in a DVD release.
All performers and performances are listed in their original running order for each show.
Show | Host | Air Time (with ads) | Original release date | |
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~ | Lenny Henry | 90 mins. | 12 January 1985 | |
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Re-edited show for ITV's 1986 Golden Rose of Montreux entry. Material used is mostly from S1E06, but also taking the Dangerous Brothers sketch from the pilot show, and the Blind Date sketch from S1E04.
Show | Host | Air Time (with ads) | Original release date | |
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~ | Hale & Pace | 45mins. | 22 April 1986 | |
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Show | Host | Air Time (with ads) | Original release date | |
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1 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 7 February 1987 | |
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2 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 14 February 1987 | |
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3 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 21 February 1987 | |
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4 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 28 February 1987 | |
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5 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 7 March 1987 | |
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6 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 14 March 1987 | |
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7 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 21 March 1987 | |
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8 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 28 March 1987 | |
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9 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 4 April 1987 | |
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10 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 11 April 1987 | |
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Show | Host | Air Time (with ads) | Original release date | |
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1 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 19 February 1988 | |
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2 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 26 February 1988 | |
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3 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 4 March 1988 | |
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4 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 11 March 1988 | |
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5 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 18 March 1988 | |
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6 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 25 March 1988 | |
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7 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 8 April 1988 | |
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8 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 15 April 1988 | |
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9 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 22 April 1988 | |
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10 | Ben Elton | 75 mins. | 29 April 1988 | |
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Shown as part of BBC's Red Nose Day telethon for Comic Relief.
Show | Host | Air Time | Original release date | |
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~ | Ben Elton | 60 mins. | 12 March 1993 | |
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[9]
This series was directed by Ian Hamilton, and produced by Ian Hamilton and Susie Dark. [10]
Show | Host | Air Time (with ads) | Original release date | |
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1 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 1 June 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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2 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 8 June 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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3 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 15 June 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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4 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 22 June 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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5 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 29 June 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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6 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 6 July 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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7 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 13 July 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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8 | Lee Hurst | 60 mins. | 20 July 1996 | |
* Details incomplete
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One-off 2007 special.
Show | Host | Air Time | Original release date | |
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~ | Marcus Brigstocke | 90 mins. | 1 December 2007 | |
* Details incomplete
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A one-off show commissioned to celebrate 40 years of Channel 4 which began broadcasting in November 1982.
Show | Host | Air Time | Original release date | |
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~ | Ben Elton | 95 mins. | 21 October 2022 | |
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