Taskmaster

[Susan Foreman]

One of the most consistently entertaining shows on television

I have managed to watch a number of episodes on YouTube and it has never fails to make me laugh

Anyway... filming has just started on the 18th series, and the initials of the contestants have been leaked:

A.Z.
B.A.
E.S.
J.D.
R.J.

People are suggesting that they stand for:

Andy Zaltzman
Babatunde Aleshe
Emma Sidi
Jack Dee
Rosie Jones

[Susan Foreman]

Alex Horne to guest host Have I Got News For You / British Comedy Guide

"Taskmaster star Alex Horne is to make his debut on Have I Got News For You on Friday 7th June, guest hosting the final episode in the panel show's latest series.

Joining Alex as guests on the panel will be broadcaster Carol Vorderman, making her 5th appearance on the programme, and comedian Jack Dee, his 21st time on the show.

On hosting HIGNFY for the first time, Little Alex Horne says: "Although I suspect it's an admin error and they actually want me to pass the request on to my boss, I'm very excited to be hosting an episode of Have I Got News For You. I am rarely in charge, whether at work, at home or by myself, so I'm hoping a hitherto undiscovered domineering side of my personality will be unleashed all over Paul and Ian."

Episode 10 of Series 67 will be on BBC One on Friday 7th June at 9pm."

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

One of the most consistently entertaining shows on television

I have managed to watch a number of episodes on YouTube and it has never fails to make me laugh

Anyway... filming has just started on the 18th series, and the initials of the contestants have been leaked:

A.Z.
B.A.
E.S.
J.D.
R.J.

People are suggesting that they stand for:

Andy Zaltzman
Babatunde Aleshe
Emma Sidi
Jack Dee
Rosie Jones

I'd be very happy with Andy Zaltzman and Jack Dee, who are both very quickwitted and entertaining. Including Rosie Jones would be a creative challenge because the series would have to have challenges that would not discriminate against someone who might be limited because of her cerebral palsy.

Although the only contestant in the current series I knew before was Steve Pemberton (and I am still unfamiliar with the other contestants beyond Taskmaster), I still find it great fun to watch and surprisingly engrossing.

It's a show with a brilliant concept that works because of the range of tasks, the relationship between Greg Davies and Alex Horne, and the rapport between the two presenters and the contestants.

It's good to know that, even after so many seasons, it can still be linked with fairly high profile celebrities who are willing to risk their reputations for public entertainment!

[Susan Foreman]

This should be interesting / entertaining

Taskmaster to go behind-the-scenes with new specials / British Comedy Guide

"Channel 4 is to air a series of Taskmaster specials in which Greg Davies and Alex Horne lift the lid on the "best, worst and somewhat middling tasks" from their hit show Taskmaster.

Due to start on Thursday 6th June at 9pm on Channel 4, the week after Series 17 of the show has concluded, Taskmasterclass will be a nod to the brains behind the tasks, and feature interviews with former contestants about their time on the programme. Greg Davies and Little Alex Horne narrate the hour-long episodes.

In the first episode, the hosts will discuss "whether there is any point to the seemingly pointless tasks on Taskmaster", looking in the process at tasks that featured contestants including Guz Khan, Ed Gamble, Jo Brand, Paul Chowdhry and Morgana Robinson."

In addition to that, a new Taskmaster VR game launches on June 13th...

...and the long awaited 'Junior Taskmaster', which features 9 to 11 year-old contestants and has Rose Matafeo as the Taskmaster with Mike Wozniak as her assistant, is set to air on TV later this year

[Susan Foreman]

The official line-up announcement for the 18th series

I went to the same school as Jack Dee - Montgomery Of Alamein in Winchester. Colin Firth was also there but they were both a few years above me because they are old and I was young !

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

This is going to be worth watching just for Jack Dee's weary reaction to each task as he almost certainly regrets signing up for many silly and potentially humiliating challenges, and the banter between him and Greg Davies will be brilliant.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

This is going to be worth watching just for Jack Dee's weary reaction to each task as he almost certainly regrets signing up for many silly and potentially humiliating challenges, and the banter between him and Greg Davies will be brilliant.

If only they had kept Dara O Briain for this series as well

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Lucy Mangan at The Guardian is very impressed with Junior Taskmaster:

The original Taskmaster is already a miracle of construction, its success balanced on a razor's edge. It relies on the perfect, unforced chemistry between its hosts (Greg Davies and Alex Horne - the latter also the show's creator), an array of tasks that allow for blinding success, abject failure, deep misinterpretation and moments of genius as participants compete for prizes they have themselves brought in (the low stakes are a vital part of its workings), and the procuring of five celebrities - usually comedians - per series who can take it seriously enough to be funny but lightly enough not to bog the whole absurd confection down.

In this they have succeeded magnificently for 18 series (and seven specials). Messing with perfection is rarely to be welcomed, and especially not when it involves the introduction of children. And so it is with astonishment as great as my joy and relief to report that the spinoff Junior Taskmaster, in which the competitors are all aged between about nine and 12 (please don't make me use the word "tweenagers") is a triumph.

Comedian and actor Rose Matafeo takes the Davies role as main presenter with writer, comedian and former doctor Mike Wozniak as her sidekick, and their chemistry matches the original pair's. She brings ebullience and warmth, he brings a deadpan approach and the air of bafflement that an Edwardian father might carry at a child's birthday party. They both bring support to the children without coddling, an unerring ability to judge just how much ribbing the youngsters can take, and when to let them manage the banter among themselves. It's like a non-fiction version of Outnumbered.

[...]

Mike's catchphrase as the overseer of the contests emerges as "All the information's in the task". In the second episode, tiny, bubble-curled Maisie asks him with curiosity: "Is this what you've been paid to do?"

It is, and thank goodness. What could have been cringemaking, an exquisite agony to watch, is instead hilarious, charming and a fine piece of entertainment for all the family. The outcome of the mashed potato round, however, was wildly unfair. My inner 10-year-old demands a replay.

[Susan Foreman]

The contestants obviously came from acting schools and were able to play to the camera and audience without getting angry when they didn't win the tasks.

I also liked the fact that Rose and Mike didn't 'go easy' on them, and the contestants were disqualified if they broken the rules - stepping on the 'Red Green'

[Susan Foreman]

The line-up for the 2025 edition of New Year's Treat has been announced:

"The fifth annual edition of Taskmaster's New Year Treat will once again see an eclectic mix of celebrities battle it out, with the contestants this time including Money Saving Expert and ITV host Martin Lewis and Royle Family star Sue Johnston - who at the age of 80 becomes the oldest star in the show's history.

Also in the line-up are former England and Liverpool goalkeeper David James, mathematician, science presenter and academic Professor Hannah Fry and singer-songwriter and All Saints star Melanie Blatt."