Colin Jost names favourite 'Saturday Night Live' cold open

Colin Jost selects 2008 Palin Couric sketch as best 'Saturday Night' Live cold open

Colin Jost has identified his favourite cold open in the history of Saturday Night Live, selecting a 2008 political sketch featuring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

Speaking on the programme’s short-form series The Rundown, Jost reflected on more than five decades of the show’s history before choosing the sketch depicting an interview between Sarah Palin and Katie Couric.

The original sketch aired during season 34 in 2008 and featured Fey portraying Palin opposite Poehler as Couric.

"If I'm making a rundown and I'm picking a cold open, the Katie Couric–Sarah Palin interview, I think, I would put in here," Jost said.

Jost, who has spent 12 years working on the programme in roles including writer, writing supervisor and co-head writer, cited both professional and personal reasons for his choice.

"It's nostalgic for me, because it was early on for me as a writer," he explained. "[Seth Meyers] wrote it. I'm sure Tina and Amy also helped on it. It was just a great combination of Seth and Tina and Amy together — you got to see them playing off each other. I think they're two of the best to ever do it."

The sketch is based on a real-life interview during the 2008 US presidential campaign and became one of the show’s widely recognised political segments.

Jost also highlighted other cold opens he regards highly, including the 1991 musical sketch “Not Going to Phone It in Tonight” performed by Steve Martin, and “Wolverines,” the first cold open from the show’s 1975 debut featuring John Belushi.

"I always wished we could go back to that more," Jost said, referring to shorter sketches. "I always wished we could have some cold opens that were just short and one idea and a funny performance."

Saturday Night Live is currently in its 51st season, continuing its long-running format of live comedy and political satire.