Taskmaster
Contents |
Host
Co-hosts
Umpire: Alex Horne
Broadcast
Avalon Television for Dave, 28 July 2015 to present
Synopsis
Comedians are given very strange things to do.
Alex Horne's mind is a strange place. All of the usual elements are there, but they're all mixed up. He makes hot toothpaste pies. He plays golf with hen's eggs. He draws horses while riding horses.
But a problem shared is a problem halved, so Horne has invited some comedy friends to perform these surreal dreams. Greg Davies hosts the programme, ranks the performances, and the best player over the programme (and over the series) is the winner.
The players from Series 1: Ranganathan, Skinner, Conarty, Widdicombe, Key (seated) Davies and HorneTaskmaster is theatre of the absurd, sensible people doing insensible things. The atmosphere was heightened by the filming location - almost all the tasks took place in a hired cottage, decorated as a shrine to the Taskmaster. There was no narration over the films, just the natural sound of the players talking.
Fans of bizarre television flocked to this show, and it gained audience as the series went on. It looks like Dave has an actual hit on their hands, their first since Argumental about five years earlier.
Champions
| 2015 | Josh Widdicombe |
| Summer 2016 | Katherine Ryan |
| Autumn 2016 | Rob Beckett |
| Spring 2017 | Noel Fielding |
| Autumn 2017 | Bob Mortimer |
| Spring 2018 | Liza Tarbuck |
| Autumn 2018 | tbc |
Champion of Champions
| 2017 | Josh Widdicombe |
Participants
- 2015
- Frank Skinner
- Josh Widdicombe
- Roisin Conarty
- Romesh Ranganathan
- Tim Key
- 2016 (Summer series)
- Doc Brown
- Joe Wilkinson
- Jon Richardson
- Katherine Ryan
- Richard Osman
- 2016 (Autumn series)
- Al Murray
- Dave Gorman
- Paul Chowdhry
- Rob Beckett
- Sara Pascoe
- 2017 (Spring series)
- Hugh Dennis
- Joe Lycett
- Lolly Adefope
- Mel Giedroyc
- Noel Fielding
- 2017 (Autumn series)
- Aisling Bea
- Bob Mortimer
- Mark Watson
- Nish Kumar
- Sally Phillips
- Champion of Champions
- Josh Widdicombe
- Katherine Ryan
- Rob Beckett
- Noel Fielding
- Bob Mortimer
- 2018 (Spring series)
- Asim Chaudhry
- Russell Howard
- Alice Levine
- Liza Tarbuck
- Tim Vine
- 2018 (Autumn series)
- James Acaster
- Rhod Gilbert
- Kerry Godliman
- Jessica Knappett
- Phil Wang
Inventor
Alex Horne, who also wrote and produced the show.
Title music
The Horne Section.
Incidental music by Dru Masters.
Trivia
Based on a stage show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010 and 2011.
In early series, judgement was pronounced at the Clapham Grand theatre. Later series used a proper studio set.
Series 1 participant Tim Key was retained for future series as a Task Consultant.
