Manchester-born actress Aimee Lou Wood is set to return to television screens this weekend as host of Saturday Night Live UK, just a year after finding herself ridiculed on the original American version of the popular variety programme.

The Sex Education star will appear alongside singer-songwriter MEEK on the show this Saturday, 2nd May.

The series debuted on Sky this March to widespread praise, having initially faced doubts about whether the format would resonate with British viewers.

Wood follows in the footsteps of Nicola Coughlan, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed as amongst the British version's inaugural hosts, in what might be regarded as a bold decision given last year's furore.

During an April episode of the American live comedy programme, a sketch mocking her portrayal of Chelsea in The White Lotus sparked controversy after cast member Sarah Sherman wore comically oversized false teeth to lampoon Wood's distinctive smile, reports the Mirror.

Following considerable criticism from viewers, Wood herself turned to Instagram to condemn the sketch as "mean and unfunny" and shared a comment from a follower describing it as misogynistic.

While she insisted that she is not "thin skinned" and can accept humour at her own expense "when it's clever and in good spirits", she warned the SNL cast that there "must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way" to handle it.

SNL subsequently issued Wood an apology, with Sherman sending the star flowers.

Twelve months on, the actress has demonstrated her willingness to put the controversy behind her and make light of the incident in the process. In a teaser clip for Saturday's forthcoming episode, Wood appeared alongside cast members Al Nash, Paddy Young, Ayoade Bamgboye, and Celeste Dring, telling them she "cannot wait to get started" and "wipe the slate clean" after last year's teeth debacle.

However, she becomes suspicious when she notices the comics are all concealing their mouths, demanding: "Oh my god. Have you guys got fake teeth in?"

"Wow, this is all just one big setup to humiliate me, then," she fumes. "I thought SNL UK would be different, but I was wrong."

The cast then reveal that, in fact, they've all followed Paddy's lead and sported "big, glorious moustaches", placing one on Wood and embracing her in a group hug.

This comes after a recent GQ interview where the star voiced her exasperation with the ongoing discussion about her teeth, which at one stage even descended into online orthodontists dissecting them in viral social media clips.

"It makes me really happy that it's symbolising rebellion and freedom, but there's a limit," she said. "The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I'm not getting to talk about my work...

"I don't know, if it was a man, would we be talking about it this much? It's still going on about a woman's appearance."

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