Taskmaster (TV series)

Taskmaster is a British comedy panel game show created by comedian and musician Alex Horne and presented by both Horne and Greg Davies. In the programme, a group of five celebritiesmainly comediansattempt to complete a series of challenges, with Horne acting as umpire in each challenge, and Davies judging the work and awarding points based on contestants' performances. The concept for the programme was first created by Horne for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010; he later secured a deal with Dave to adapt it for television, with the first episode premiering in 2015. After the ninth series in 2019, the programme was acquired by Channel 4, who commissioned six new series to be broadcast over the following three years.
"Taskmaster" proved a success on British television, spawning a tie-in book and board game, and leading to the creation of international versions of the programme in Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the United States, and New Zealand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Horne hosted #HomeTasking, a series of tasks for people to film in their own homes; for each task, a montage of attempts was posted on YouTube that featured Davies awarding points to his favourite entries.
History.
"Taskmaster" was the brainchild of comedian Alex Horne, whose idea was inspired by several factors: "The Crystal Maze"; his work for "Big Brother"; and his jealousy of Tim Key, a close friend, for winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2009. The original concept of the programme took place over the course of two years. In 2009, 20 comedians, including Stuart Goldsmith, Josie Long, Mark Watson, Tim Key, Joe Wilkinson and Mike Wozniak, received monthly tasks by email over the course of a year stipulating a variety of tasks. Horne then presented their efforts as part of a two-hour show, titled "The Taskmaster", at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, focused on demonstrating the differing attempts by the contestants before revealing who won based on their performances. Mike Wozniak won the first Taskmaster competition. In 2011, Horne conducted another stage show, titled "Taskmaster II", with ten contestants tackling tasks.
Both stage shows proved a success with their audiences, leading Horne to recruit production company Avalon to help produce an adaptation of his concept for television, before pitching his idea to several different broadcasters. British television channel Dave took interest in the idea and bought the rights to it, with comedian Greg Davies recruited to help present the programme alongside Horne. However, the channel's Deputy Director of Commissioning at the time, Hilary Rosen, was concerned with the structure of the show. Horne assured Rosen that the programme was not like a traditional panel show, but "more like a sitcom", to account for the involvement of the same group of contestants who would appear across a series. Another problem with the format of Horne's concept was that shooting a traditional pilot became implausible, despite studio segments having no issues being tested. One plan for the programme was for Davies to use a cane with a golden "T" on the base, but this was later dropped. The pilot premiered on 19 September 2014, and proved a success with viewers. After the pilot was aired, a series of six episodes was commissioned, though was intended to be shown in any order. However, Rosen later determined the show should be arranged in an order, pointing out that "this was a show you record and transmit in the same order". The first series proved a success that led to additional series being commissioned over the course of five years; the involvement of comedian Frank Skinner as a contestant in the first series, at Horne's request, also helped to entice other comedians to take part in the programme.
In November 2019, rumours that "Taskmaster" was being moved to another channel were later confirmed by Channel 4, who had secured the rights to the programme, renewing it for six series over the course of three years.
Format.
"Taskmaster" is a comedic game show, in which a group of five contestants—mainly comedians, but sometimes including other well-known television personalities—compete against each other by completing tasks assigned to them. In each episode, contestants are shown tackling a series of tasks, supervised and sometimes assisted by Horne; and Davies then judges each contestant's performance in each task to determine how many points they receive (up to a maximum of five). The contestant with the highest score in each episode wins a collection of prizes submitted by the contestants themselves as one of the tasks; the one with the highest cumulative score at the end of a series wins a trophy.
Tasks given to contestants range from simple physical challenges, such as "eat as much watermelon as you can in one minute", to more complex or artistic tasks. Some tasks may be timed, consist of multiple stages, or both. In some cases, contestants conduct tasks as a team with one or two other contestants; in such cases all members of a team receive the same score. To complete tasks, contestants often have to apply a level of logic, creativity, or lateral thinking in order to achieve the end goal. Contestants can be disqualified and awarded no points for a task if they fail to achieve the task's objective, inadvertently break one of the task's rules, or are found to have intentionally cheated. Occasionally, for comedic effect, prank tasks are given to one contestant alone, who is led to believe the others are performing the same task; Davies sometimes awards bonus points for good performance on these.
Tasks are mostly pre-recorded before an episode's broadcast; the majority are usually conducted in or around the Taskmaster house, a former groundskeepers' cottage located on the outskirts of a golf course in Dukes Meadows, Chiswick. Two tasks are usually conducted during studio segments: an introductory Prize task, in which each contestant supplies an object they possess that conforms to a set theme, all of which will be awarded to the winner of the episode; and a final "Live" task, which the contestants perform onstage in the studio. In the event of a tie in the top score at the end of the episode, either a pre-recorded tiebreaker task between the tied contestants is shown, or a quick live task is performed to determine the winner.
Production.
Tasks are filmed with each contestant separately in a house in Chiswick, London. However, Alex Horne's initial plan was to carry out the tasks in the comedians' houses, saying in an interview: "I didn't realise how impractical that would be both in terms of cost – and their lives." Filming tasks takes roughly one day per contestant per episode, filming around eight tasks a day, with each day of filming spread out across several months. Before the studio filming, contestants are forbidden to discuss their tasks and are not shown any footage from the tasks, so that studio reactions are genuine.
Horne designs the tasks to avoid the need for any specialist equipment, so that "people at home [are] able to do the same things". Initially, they planned to have Horne show the right way to complete the task after showing the contestants' attempts, but this was abandoned as "it supposed there was a right way". He also notes that some tasks in the first series involved the general public, but later series avoided this in order to prevent coming across as a "prank show". Some tasks are vetoed by producers for pragmatic reasons, such as "paint the biggest thing red". Others do not turn out as expected, such as "burst all these bubbles [on a massive roll of bubble wrap] – fastest wins", which had been attempted in three different series but not shown in any of them, as "it always ends with people jumping on it for hours".
When asked why he did not present the show, Horne has said that "that was never the plan [...] My role as sidekick is to be sneaky and you can run it from the sides in a really funny way." Horne and Greg Davies had never worked together before "Taskmaster"; Davies was chosen "because of his authority," Horne says in an interview. He adds that in the pilot, Davies acted as a "dictator figure cross with everyone," but his tone in the show is more relaxed, as "if someone doesn't do something well we really enjoy it so he can be himself."
The series director for "Taskmaster" is Andy Devonshire, who was previously series director on "The Apprentice" and the BBC versions of "The Great British Bake Off." Peter Orton was director for three episodes in 2016. Production designer James Dillion is responsible for the studio and filming locations as well as the caravan featured from series four onwards, having been past known for designing the original set for "The Crystal Maze". The show's theme music was written and performed by The Horne Section, a jazz band led by Horne.
Episodes.
Series 1 (2015).
The first series was aired during 2015 on Dave for six episodes, between 28 July to 1 September. The contestants for this series were Frank Skinner, Josh Widdicombe, Roisin Conaty, Romesh Ranganathan and Tim Key, with the series' overall winner being Widdicombe – both Skinner and Ranganathan tied as runner-ups, Key placed fourth, and Conaty finished in last place. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 420,000 viewers. Following his participation, Key later went on to provide assistance with production of the programme in future series.
Series 2 (2016).
The second series was broadcast during 2016 for five episodes, between 21 June to 19 July. This series started the tradition of awarding a golden trophy of Greg Davies' head, unlike the previous season's prize, won by Josh Widdicombe, which had been a generic sports trophy. The contestants for this series were Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Richard Osman, with the series' overall winner being Ryan – Richardson ended as the runner-up, Osman placed 3rd, Brown placed 4th, and Wilkinson finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 710,000 viewers.
Previous contestant Josh Widdicombe appeared in episode 3 to aid Osman and Richardson in a team task.
Series 3 (2016).
The third series was broadcast during 2016 for five episodes, between 4 October to 1 November; it was initially planned for 2017, but was aired earlier due to improved viewing figures for the programme after the second series. The contestants for this series were Al Murray, Dave Gorman, Paul Chowdhry, Rob Beckett and Sara Pascoe, with the series' overall winner being Beckett – Gorman ended as the runner-up, Murray placed 3rd, Pascoe placed 4th, and Chowdhry finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 930,000 viewers.
Broadcaster and writer Ben Fogle made a cameo appearance in episode 5 due to coincidentally being in the same location during filming of a task.
Series 4 (2017).
The fourth series was broadcast during 2017 for eight episodes, between 25 April to 13 June. The contestants for this series were Hugh Dennis, Joe Lycett, Lolly Adefope, Mel Giedroyc and Noel Fielding, with the series' overall winner being Fielding – Lycett ended as the runner-up, Giedroyc placed 3rd, Dennis placed 4th, and Adefope finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 800,000 viewers.
Former series 3 contestant Al Murray made a cameo in episode 3.
Series 5 (2017).
The fifth series was broadcast during 2017 for eight episodes, between 13 September to 1 November. The contestants for this series were Aisling Bea, Bob Mortimer, Mark Watson, Nish Kumar and Sally Phillips, with the series' overall winner being Mortimer – both Watson and Phillips tied as the runner-up, Bea placed 4th, and Kumar finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 700,000 viewers.
Champion of Champions (2017).
In September 2017, a two-part special titled "Champion of Champions" was announced, aimed at putting the first five winners – Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Rob Beckett, Noel Fielding and Bob Mortimer - for a series of new tasks, with the winner receiving a life-size trophy based on Davies' headless body – designed to attach the winner's trophy from their series on the neck. The special, which featured no team tasks, was aired later that year: the first part on 13 December; and the second part a week later, on 20 December.
The special's overall winner was Widdicombe – Beckett ended as the runner-up, Ryan placed 3rd, Fielding placed 4th, and Mortimer finished last. During its broadcast, the special averaged over 800,000 viewers.
Series 6 (2018).
The sixth series was broadcast during 2018 for ten episodes, between 2 May to 4 July. The contestants for this series were Alice Levine, Asim Chaudhry, Liza Tarbuck, Russell Howard and Tim Vine, with the series' overall winner being Tarbuck – Vine ended as the runner-up, Howard placed 3rd, Chaudhry placed 4th, and Levine finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 810,000 viewers.
Series 7 (2018).
The seventh series was broadcast during 2018 for ten episodes, between 5 September to 7 November. The contestants for this series were James Acaster, Jessica Knappett, Kerry Godliman, Phil Wang and Rhod Gilbert, with the series' overall winner being Godliman – Knappett ended as the runner-up, Gilbert placed 3rd, Acaster placed 4th, and Wang finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 1.2 million viewers.
Previous contestant Richard Osman appeared in episode 5 as part of Acaster's attempt at a task.
Series 8 (2019).
The eighth series was broadcast during 2019 for ten episodes, between 8 May to 10 July. The contestants for this series were Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas, Lou Sanders, Paul Sinha and Sian Gibson, with the series' overall winner being Sanders – Stirling ended as the runner-up, Thomas placed 3rd, Gibson placed 4th, and Sinha finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 1.36 million viewers, the highest viewed series of the programme during its time on Dave.
Series 9 (2019).
The ninth series was broadcast during 2019 for ten episodes, between 4 September to 6 November, and was the last series to be aired on Dave, before its move to another network the following year. The contestants for this series were David Baddiel, Ed Gamble, Jo Brand, Katy Wix and Rose Matafeo; due to illness, Wix was unable to attend filming of the studio segments for the fifth and sixth episodes, leading to former contestants Kerry Godliman and Katherine Ryan each standing in for these periods respectively. The series' overall winner was Gamble – Matafeo ended as the runner-up, Wix placed 3rd, Brand placed 4th, and Baddiel finished last. During its broadcast, the series averaged over 1.33 million viewers.
Series 10 (2020).
The tenth series consisted of ten episodes and was the first series to be broadcast on Channel 4, broadcast between 15 October and 17 December 2020. Production on the series was impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and was therefore the first to be filmed without a studio audience. The majority of the tasks had been filmed prior to UK going into lockdown, but some team tasks were modified to follow social distancing. The panellists were Daisy May Cooper, Johnny Vegas, Katherine Parkinson, Mawaan Rizwan and Richard Herring.
For most team tasks, the team of three was made up of Vegas, Parkinson and Rizwan and the team of two was made up of Cooper and Herring, although these teams changed at some of the live tasks.
Herring was the overall winner, with Cooper as runner-up, Rizwan in 3rd, Vegas in 4th and Parkinson finishing last.
During its broadcast, the series averaged over 2.83 million viewers, an improvement on previous figures as a result of its move to a channel with a broader audience. 
New Year Treat (2021).
A one-off festive special of "Taskmaster" was announced following the tenth series, and aired on 1 January 2021 under the title "Taskmaster's New Year Treat". The special consisted of one episode and there were no team tasks. The special's contestants were John Hannah, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Nicola Coughlan, Rylan Clark-Neal and Shirley Ballas.
Ballas was the overall winner, with Clark-Neal as runner-up, Guru-Murthy in 3rd, and Coughlan and Hannah tied last. 
Series 11 (2021).
The eleventh series was broadcast during 2021 with the usual ten-episode format, from 18 March to 20 May, and the contestants for that series were Charlotte Ritchie, Jamali Maddix, Lee Mack, Mike Wozniak and Sarah Kendall.
For team tasks in this series, the team of three is made up of Ritchie, Maddix and Kendall and the team of two is made up of Mack and Wozniak. 
Kendall was the overall winner, with Wozniak as runner-up, Mack in 3rd, Maddix in 4th, and Ritchie finishing last.
As Britain was still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and maintaining strict social distancing guidelines, filming was done in compliance with these, with virtual audiences allowed to watch complete footage and their laughter tracks recorded for the final edit of an episode before it is broadcast.
Series 12 (2021).
The contestants for the twelfth season was announced on 20 May 2021. The line-up includes Alan Davies, Desiree Burch, Guz Khan, Morgana Robinson and Victoria Coren Mitchell. According to Horne, it will air in September 2021.
Champion of Champions II (2021).
On 17 December 2020, Avalon announced that "Taskmaster" would have a second "Champions of Champions" special for 2021, featuring the winners from series 6–10 Liza Tarbuck, Kerry Godliman, Lou Sanders, Ed Gamble and Richard Herring.
Franchise.
International versions of the programme have been made in Belgium (as "Het Grootste Licht") [literally The Greatest Light, but meaning The Brightest Bulb], Sweden (as "Bäst i Test") [Best in Test], Norway (as "Kongen befaler") [The King Commands] and Spain (as "Dicho y hecho") [Said and Done]. In Denmark the programme is titled "Stormester" [Grandmaster] and premiered on 25 August 2018. In April 2017, a US version with Reggie Watts as the Taskmaster and Horne as the assistant was announced, made by Avalon, the same production company for the UK version and originally aired on Comedy Central on 27 April 2018. A German version featuring Atze Schröder as the Taskmaster was commissioned by RTL in 2017; two episodes were recorded but not broadcast. In 2019 it was announced a New Zealand version would be produced, hosted by Jeremy Wells and Paul Williams. This was broadcast in 2020. Finnish network MTV3 aired a local version "Suurmestari" [Grandmaster] starting on 12 April 2020.
International.
The show is also broadcast in Belgium, Iceland, Sweden, South Africa, Norway, Finland, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and Portugal. On 26 April 2021 a single episode of the spin-off Challengemaster will be live streamed in Belgium.
In Australia, SBS Viceland started to air "Taskmaster" episodes on 27 July 2020. The episodes are available on SBS on Demand.
In the United States, The CW acquired series 8 and 9 of "Taskmaster" for a late-Summer run premiering on 2 August 2020. However, the series opened to extremely low viewership (in comparison to the Canadian import, "Fridge Wars", which premiered the same day), and was consequently pulled from the network's schedule on 5 August. The CW added the entirety of Series 8 to its "CW Seed" streaming library on 10 August.
Related media.
Book.
A tie-in book, "Taskmaster — 200 Extraordinary Tasks for Ordinary People", was written by Alex Horne and published by Penguin Random House on 6 September 2018.
Task 185 in the book provided the latitude and longitude of a Buckinghamshire park, with instructions to meet there at midday on 14 September 2019 for a picnic and Taskmaster tour. The event was attended by around 1800 people with Horne himself present to show attendees filming locations from the show.
In September 2019, a paperback edition was published, with 20 new tasks. As well as writing additional tasks, Horne removed the expiration date of 31 December 2019 where it appeared, and replaced tasks that had a set completion date.
Board game.
The board game "Taskmaster" was released in autumn 2019, initially selling out. It contains 200 task cards, along with secret tasks that individual players must perform, and video tasks featuring Alex Horne.
#HomeTasking.
From March to June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of lockdown in the UK, Alex Horne organised a series of tasks in the style of "Taskmaster" for the public to perform and record in their own homes. Entries were submitted on Twitter and compilation videos, including scoring of the ten best entries by Greg Davies, were published by the Taskmaster YouTube channel. The first task was "Throw a piece of A4 paper into a bin. Most spectacular throw wins." There were 20 tasks in total.
A new series of Hometasking, started during another lockdown in the UK, began on January 14, 2021, featuring tasks previously performed on the TV show.
Podcast.
On 15 October 2020, an official podcast began. It is hosted by Ed Gamble, the winner of Series 9, who comments on each featured episode with a special guest. Initially it focussed on Series 10, with each podcast released immediately after each "Taskmaster" episode was broadcast. Episode 12 of the podcast focused on the 2021 "New Year Treat", and then from episode 13 onwards it returned to the very beginning starting with "Taskmaster" Series 1 Episode 1.
Podcast episodes: 
Reception.
Critical reception.
Andrew Billen of "The Times" gave a five star review of the show's first episode, "Melon Buffet", calling it "funny, revealing, and glorious" and comparing it to "The Generation Game". In another review of the first episode, Filipa Jodelka of "The Guardian" describes "Taskmaster" as a panel show with an "edgy parlour-game twist". Jodelka praises the "molten-hot banter" between contestants and Davies, and compares the arbitrary awarding of points to "QI" and "Numberwang". Also reviewing "Melon Buffet", Ellen Jones of "The Independent" praised the show as entertaining despite its "informal and cheap-looking" style.
Wesley Mead of "Den of Geek" wrote a positive review in 2016, praising the show as the "crowning jewel" of original programming on Dave, and approving of the design of the tasks and the range of approaches that contestants demonstrate. Mead believed that the second series was an improvement on the first, but criticised that the first three series had only one female contestant apiece.