Aimee Lou Wood's episode of Saturday Night Live UK is getting positive buzz, and even Doctor Who's showrunner, Russell T. Davies, approves. His comments came after attending the latest episode, in which Wood and the cast poked fun at the UK's most celebrated sci-fi series.
With the teeth jokes out of the way, Aimee Lou Wood helped poke fun at Doctor Who, playing a companion who wasn't on board with The Doctor's latest adventure. Davies was actually in the studio audience watching it all go down ahead of his show's return to the 2026 TV schedule, and gave a rave review of the series afterward on Instagram:
SNL:UK! We saw it live in studio tonight, one of the best nights ever! What a cast, what a crew, what a production. They even did a Doctor Who sketch! 'Doctor, what the fuck is that?' I love this show, it’s wildly funny, and so British, swinging from satire to the absurd to echoes of Vic & Bob, and sometimes, like with the Pig Board tonight, there’s a glimpse of something strange and dark and old lurking underneath. Genius! An absolute triumph. Congratulations @snluk and thank you for making us so welcome ♥️ @skytv
I'm not surprised to see Russell T. Davies give the program its flowers, and that Sky would invite him for SNL UK's first sketch parodying Doctor Who. I am a bit surprised, however, that the show chose now to do it when they're going to have a former Doctor host in just a couple of weeks, but before getting into that, a brief recap of the sketch for those who missed it.
How SNL: UK Parodied Doctor Who
The Doctor (played by Hammed Animashaun) and his companion Ellen (Aimee Lou Wood) arrived at Trexalor 5 to witness the "Tree of Knowledge" bearing fruit that will give whoever eats it all the answers they've ever wanted. Ellen wanted those answers, but couldn't help but be horrified by the sight of the tree, which wasn't actually a tree. It was a dripping mass of unsightly pustules that, despite its unsightly appearance, still looked like it belonged in Doctor Who.
Ellen was disgusted and admonished The Doctor for frequently taking her places she didn't want to be. She decided to head back into the TARDIS to look at videos on her phone, but before she did, The Doctor requested she vape outside of the ship because he hated the smell of her mango-flavored device. Unfortunately, the fumes of the mango were highly poisonous to the alien species, and Ellen inadvertently killed the Tree of Knowledge and its guards. The sketch ended with Ellen attacking a guard, and The Doctor fleeing the scene in his TARDIS.
My Big Question: Why Didn't SNL: UK's Wait Until Ncuti Gatwa Hosts For The DW Parody?
I loved that Saturday Night Live UK finally took a jab at Doctor Who, though, I have to wonder why the sketch comedy series didn't wait until Ncuti Gatwa hosted on May 16th. He's the first former Doctor to host the series, so it would've been fitting to feature him as The Doctor for the sketch.
While SNL UK could certainly do a Doctor Who sketch in a couple of weeks, I do wonder if maybe there's some reason why Gatwa can't appear as The Doctor in a parody of the series. Whether it's contractually obligated or Gatwa doesn't want to run the risk of insulting the fandom after his sudden exit from the show, who knows? It could also be neither, and Gatwa would just rather avoid an emotional crisis like Daniel Radcliffe had when he played Harry Potter on SNL.
As for what's going on with the actual Doctor Who series, it's set to return to television with a Christmas special later this year. So far, there's no word on what comes after, though, and if Billie Piper's "Doctor" is sticking around or passing the torch to another iteration of the iconic Time Lord.
I'll be curious to see if Doctor Who is referenced again in another sketch when Ncuti Gatwa pops up on Saturday Night Live UK on May 16th. Before that, we'll watch Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham host, which I'm also excited about for completely different reasons.
