{"id":2087,"date":"2026-10-24T17:28:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T17:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opencomedy.com\/news\/?p=2087"},"modified":"2026-10-24T17:28:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T17:28:40","slug":"snl-uk-filming-location","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opencomedy.com\/news\/snl-uk-filming-location\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Is SNL UK Filmed? Inside Studio TC1 at Television Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

SNL UK is broadcast from studio TC1 at Television Centre, London, according to Wikipedia’s article on the show. It is a BBC Studioworks stage opposite Wood Lane and White City Underground stations. Wikipedia’s article on the show places it in TC1, and BBC Studioworks lists Saturday Night Live UK among the 10,800 sq. ft. studio’s credits. The title sequence was shot elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The studio booking is a matter of record. TV Studio History’s page on the building says BBC Studioworks announced that “the new UK version of Saturday Night Live had booked a seven-week block in TC1 early in 2026.” The eight-episode first series premiered on 21 March 2026. A twelve-episode second series began on 12 September 2026. If you came here for the ballot rather than the building, our pieces on the SNL UK cast and tickets<\/a> and the series two ballot<\/a> handle that side.<\/p>\n

Sky’s own announcement in August said “the live comedy sensation returns to Sky and streaming service NOW on Saturday 12 September.” Chortle reported on 12 August 2026 that the series would “run for six weekly episodes, with a hiatus on October 3, then return for an additional six shows in early 2027,” while Wikipedia separately lists a twelve-episode second series that began on 12 September 2026. Neither source says the early-2027 six are part of that twelve, and the arithmetic is theirs to settle.<\/p>\n

How do you get to Television Centre?<\/h2>\n

By tube, mostly. Television Centre’s own transport page puts the site “opposite Wood Lane and White City underground stations”. It also says “Three underground lines, an overground station and bus terminal serve public transport”. That page lists the site address as Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London. BBC Studioworks, which runs the stages inside, gives its own postal address for the studio block as 6 Television Centre, Wood Lane, White City, London.<\/p>\n

Two addresses for one site matters exactly once, at the moment a cab app makes you pick one of them. Studioworks’ TC1 page also promises that “BBC Studioworks Television Centre is highly accessible by car, taxi services and public transport.” A facilities page writes a line like that, and then a driver sits on Wood Lane having feelings about it. I’d get the tube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Detail<\/th>\nWhat the source says<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Studio<\/td>\nTC1, Television Centre, London (Wikipedia)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Site address<\/td>\nTelevision Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London (Television Centre transport page)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Studio block address<\/td>\n6 Television Centre, Wood Lane, White City, London (BBC Studioworks)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Floor area<\/td>\n10,800 sq. ft. (BBC Studioworks)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nearest stations<\/td>\nOpposite Wood Lane and White City Underground stations (Television Centre)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Studio opened<\/td>\n15 April 1964 (Wikipedia)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SNL UK studio booking<\/td>\nA seven-week block in TC1 early in 2026 (TV Studio History)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Series one<\/td>\nEight episodes, premiered 21 March 2026 (Wikipedia)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Series two<\/td>\nTwelve episodes, began 12 September 2026 (Wikipedia)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Title sequence location<\/td>\nDeptford High Street, Lewisham (Lewisham Film Office)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audience access<\/td>\nTicket ballot announced on 12 August 2026 to open on 14 August (Sky)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

TC1 opened in 1964, and the BBC agreed to sell the site for \u00a3200 million<\/h2>\n

Television Centre “was the headquarters of BBC Television from 1960 to 2013,” according to Wikipedia’s article on the building, “when BBC Television moved to Broadcasting House.” The BBC agreed to sell the site to the developer Stanhope for \u00a3200 million on 16 July 2012. The building “closed on 31 March 2013 and was redeveloped to include flats, office space, a cinema and hotels.” BBC Studioworks lists Saturday Night Live UK among TC1’s credits on its own studio page.<\/p>\n

On the studio itself, two sources frame it differently and I’m not going to pretend they agree. Wikipedia dates Studio 1 to 15 April 1964 and says “it was the fourth-largest television studio in Britain.” LateNighter, writing in February, has it as a bigger beast: “Opened in 1964, TC1 was once billed as the largest television studio in Europe.” BBC Studioworks publishes the floor area, 10,800 sq. ft., and LateNighter calls it a room “with seating for hundreds”, which is as close to a capacity as anyone here gets. None of these sources gives an audience number I’d print, so I’m not printing one. LateNighter also notes that Fawlty Towers is “said to have shot a few of its episodes on the iconic stage”, and I’d leave that hedge exactly where LateNighter put it.<\/p>\n

Where was the SNL UK title sequence filmed?<\/h2>\n

On Deptford High Street, in the borough of Lewisham, where the Lewisham Film Office reported in April 2026 that SNL UK filmed its intro. Lewisham Film Office, the borough’s own film office, included the shoot in a round-up of filming on its patch:<\/p>\n

\n

Filming the intro on Deptford High Street roots the show firmly in its new home<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That round-up is up at lewisham.filmoffice.co.uk<\/a>, and it marks out the one documented piece of SNL UK that was not made at Television Centre. Whoever handled a high street on a filming day earned their money, though none of the reports says what the location cost or how long the unit was there.<\/p>\n

Can you get into the SNL UK studio audience?<\/h2>\n

Only through Sky’s ticket ballot, which is the single documented route the public has into TC1. Sky’s August announcement carried the line “Sky announces SNL UK ticket ballot will open on 14 August,” and Chortle reported that fans hoping to be in the live studio audience could “apply for tickets via a ballot which opens at 10am” that Friday. Ten in the morning on a Friday, which rules out most of the people who were on a stage the night before. Chortle reported in August 2026 that the series would pause on October 3 and return for six more shows in early 2027, so more studio dates are expected.<\/p>\n

Wikipedia lists flats, office space, a cinema and hotels among the redevelopment, and the ticket ballot Sky announced is the only route the public has into the studio. If you’re a comic reading this hoping for a floor-spot route into the building, there isn’t one on the record: the broadcast ladder in this country still runs through commissions and pilots<\/a> and the support slots in the smaller type<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong> Saturday Night Live UK, Wikipedia<\/a>; TC1, BBC Studioworks<\/a>; Transport, Television Centre<\/a>; TV Studio History<\/a>; Television Centre, Wikipedia<\/a>; LateNighter<\/a>; Lewisham Film Office<\/a>; Sky<\/a>; Chortle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One more thing from Chortle’s August report: the run pauses on October 3 before six more shows in early 2027. The booking that put the show in TC1 in the first place was announced by BBC Studioworks back in October 2025, which is where I’d look again before anyone sends out a press release.<\/p>\n