Not one but two Hurtwood ex-students, Celeste Dring and Ania Magliano, have been cast in ‘Saturday Night Live UK’, the homegrown version of the legendary live US sketch-comedy show, coming soon to Sky and NOW. Although at Hurtwood a few years apart, Celeste and Ania have a huge amount more in common than being cast in this iconic show. They both excelled academically at Hurtwood and went on to study English Literature at Cambridge University. They caught everyone’s attention on the stage at Hurtwood - Celeste as a lead in our musical ‘Summer Holiday’ and Ania as a host of our lunchtime concerts and they both have comedy at the heart of everything they do. Since leaving Hurtwood, Celeste has won acclaim across television, radio and stage, but it was her unique comic voice as one half of the brilliant double act ‘Lazy Susan’ and her character work as Princess Eugenie in ‘The Windsors’ and Lauren Richards in ‘Wanderlust’ which have marked her out as one of the most successful performers of her generation. Ania meanwhile is one of the country’s most original stand-up talents with her debut comedy show ‘Absolutely No worries If Not’ winning Best New Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival in 2022. Since then her rise has been a rapid one starring in ‘Live at the Apollo’ and competing in ‘Taskmaster’ in which she tied for first place thanks to her razor sharp wit and original approach to the show’s unpredictable challenges.
That both Celeste and Ania are starring in the ‘Saturday Night Live UK’ speaks volumes about the creativity, confidence and individuality that Hurtwood nurtures. In America ‘Saturday Night Live’ has been a television institution for the past 50 years and this brand-new UK version will be broadcast live each week bringing the anything can happen energy to our screens. At Hurtwood students are always encouraged to find their own voice, collaborate and embrace every opportunity – Celeste and Ania could not be finer examples!
Tune in to Sky One and NOW 21st March onwards to watch their comedic talent take the country by storm.
