Riz Ahmed took aim at Britons in his opening monologue as host of Saturday Night Live UK on April 4. “We like it when things are a little scrappy,” he said.
Ahmed began by digging into his extensive list of credits. “I’m an actor, writer, producer, and rapper. So for those of you who don’t know who I am, obviously I don’t either. I’m thinking about it.”
He mentioned his Oscar-nominated performance in Sound of Metal, his role as a terrorist in the comedy Four Lions, and his latest starring role in the reckless TV comedy Bait. “It’s about an out-of-work actor who auditions for the role of James Bond, and the character is going through an identity crisis,” he explained. “And if you’re wondering why I made a comedy about someone having an identity crisis, look at me, dude, I’m confused. It’s not my fault. I grew up in Wembley, but I went to Oxford University, so I put it this way, like a mix between Stormzy and[former British Prime Minister]Rishi Sunak.”
He then beat up a fellow Englishman. “Sometimes it feels like the whole country is in this identity crisis. And that’s why we’re so divided, right? We’re divided over politics, we’re divided over the climate, we’re divided over the Beckhams. I think I know how to solve it. I think we can solve Britain’s identity crisis. I think there’s one thing that essentially unites us all. The reason we’re British is that we like things to be a little bit shitty.”
“Yes, we like to give crappy compliments. Someone says he’s a bit of a character, but you’re a knob (British slang for dick). We like sports that are bit crappy. Cricket can be a draw for five days in a row. And we like to give crappy gifts (…) We celebrate when things are a bit crappy. If someone drops a pint glass in the pub, we literally cheer.”
Ahmed recently told the Guardian: “My dream is to become a stand-up comedian, but everyone who knows me says, ‘Please don’t do that.’
The actor appeared in several skits during the show, including one mocking the British version of “Traitor” contestants who repeatedly voted to exclude people of color.
The first season of SNL, a British take on the classic American sitcom, opened on March 21st with host Tina Fey and musical guest Wet Legs.
British comedian Jack Whitehall will host the April 11 episode, which will feature R&B artist Jorja Smith as musical guest.
The series is scheduled to air for eight episodes, then take a week-long hiatus before returning for the next show starting April 25th.
