SNL UK brings James Austin Johnson’s Trump into Burnham job-swap sketch
James Austin Johnson’s Trump interrupts Andy Burnham and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in SNL UK’s new cold open.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
SNL UK posted its “President Trump and Andy Burnham’s Job Swap” sketch on October 17, putting James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump impression into the British show’s cold open for the first time.
The nearly six-minute clip is satire, not a report of a real meeting: Johnson plays Trump as he barges into a fictional Downing Street conversation between Andy Burnham, portrayed by George Fouracres, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, portrayed by Freddie Meredith.
What happens in the SNL UK Trump job-swap sketch?
The official video description says Burnham welcomes Zelenskyy to Downing Street to reaffirm Britain’s backing for Ukraine before Trump interrupts. The central gag is Trump’s proposal that he and Burnham trade jobs.
From there, the sketch sends Johnson’s character into jokes about British politics and recent UK headlines. It also turns the joke back on the programme itself, with Trump complaining that SNL UK had not found someone in its own cast to impersonate him, according to Deadline and Parade.
Johnson has played Trump on the U.S. Saturday Night Live for five years, Deadline reported. The outlet said Trump had been mentioned on SNL UK before this episode, but this was the character’s first appearance in the UK edition.
Who is in the SNL UK cold open?
- James Austin Johnson plays Donald Trump.
- George Fouracres plays Andy Burnham.
- Freddie Meredith plays Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The sketch aired as part of Season 2’s fifth episode, hosted by James Norton with music from The Streets, Deadline reported.
Viewers can watch SNL UK on Sky and NOW, according to the show’s official YouTube channel. Parade reported that UK episodes are available to U.S. viewers on Peacock at 9 p.m. Sundays.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.