Amelia Dimoldenberg has spent years making awkwardness entertaining. On the opening night of SNL UK, she made it clear that she has no intention of apologising for it.
Taking centre stage for the opening monologue, the creator of Chicken Shop Date looked back at the unlikely path that took her from awkward conversations to Hollywood red carpets — while taking a few well-aimed shots at the celebrities who helped make her famous.
First came the revelation that Chicken Shop Date is coming to an end.
Dimoldenberg joked that she had misunderstood the entire concept of her celebrity interviews. She had apparently believed the famous guests were turning up because they wanted to date her.
Then came the realisation: they were there to promote their films, music and other projects.
Suddenly, one of her memorable exchanges with Andrew Garfield made much more sense.
When Garfield repeatedly talked about being excited for a “big release”, Dimoldenberg joked that she had interpreted the phrase rather differently.
But the biggest target of the night was Ed Sheeran.
Dimoldenberg recalled interviewing stars including Idris Elba and Cher before describing another famous redhead as a “world famous red-headed puppet” — complete with the image of Elmo appearing on screen.
Then came the correction.
“No, the other one!”
Sheeran’s face appeared.
The joke landed as a pointed reference to the singer’s recent controversy surrounding Macklemore, after Sheeran dropped him from his tour following Macklemore’s political remarks, including his use of the phrase “free Palestine”.
Yet beneath the celebrity jokes was a more personal message.
Dimoldenberg spoke about her early experiences at a London youth centre and about being an awkward young woman — something she has transformed from an insecurity into the foundation of a distinctive career.
Her message was simple: success did not require her to become somebody else.
Instead, she built a career around the very qualities that might once have made her uncomfortable.
From Chicken Shop Date to the Oscars red carpet, from The Devil Wears Prada 2 to her upcoming romantic comedy and now SNL UK, Dimoldenberg presented her journey as evidence that awkwardness does not have to be overcome.
Sometimes, it can become the brand.
And her final line summed up the philosophy perfectly.
“Just like the chickens I love to eat,” she joked, “you don’t have to have range.”
