Ed Sheeran branded a 'redheaded puppet' on SNL

Ed Sheeran's reputation took another public kicking this weekend, this time courtesy of Amelia Dimoldenberg, who used her 'Saturday Night Live UK' hosting debut to remind the nation that Britain's most inoffensive pop export has become its easiest punchline.

Delivering her opening monologue on 26 September, the 'Chicken Shop Date' creator reflected on her celebrity interviews, name-dropping Idris Elba and Cher before mentioning "a world-famous redheaded puppet with a hand up his arse telling him what to say." A photo of Elmo flashed up. "No, the other one," she deadpanned, as Sheeran's face replaced it and the studio predictably erupted.

The jibe was hardly freelance daring. It arrived a full week after SNL UK had already devoted a cold open and its Weekend Update to ED Sheeran, mocking his lazy eye and branding him "a passionate advocate of causes that are allowed." Piling on a man already down is, apparently, the programme's entire remit — one viewer joked they had "invented a UK version of SNL just to dunk on Ed Sheeran."

The context is less amusing. Sheeran has been widely criticised for his limp response after collaborator Macklemore was axed from his US tour over pro-Palestinian remarks, reportedly under pressure from stadium owner Robert Kraft. A tearful stage apology and much fence-sitting followed.