Taskmaster (TV series)
Taskmaster is a British comedy panel game show originally created by British comedian Alex Horne during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010, and adapted for television in 2015. New episodes premiered on Dave from 2015 until 2019, when the series was acquired by Channel 4.[1] The TV series stars comedian and actor Greg Davies in the title role of the Taskmaster, issuing simple comedic and bizarre tasks to five regular contestants – usually comedians – with Alex Horne acting as Davies's assistant and as umpire during the challenges.
| Taskmaster | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
|
| Created by | Alex Horne |
| Directed by |
|
| Presented by | |
| Theme music composer | The Horne Section |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 9 (+ 2 specials) |
| No. of episodes | 74 (inc. 2 specials) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Editor(s) |
|
| Running time | 60 minutes (inclusive) |
| Production company(s) | Avalon Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Dave (2015–2019) Channel 4 (2020–present) |
| Picture format | 16:9 (1080i HDTV) |
| Original release | 28 July 2015 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Bäst i Test (Swedish TV Series) Kongen Befaler (Norwegian TV series) |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
As of 6 November 2019, 74 episodes of Taskmaster have aired, including two specials, concluding the ninth series. Channel 4 has commissioned six additional series, which will air over three years from late 2020.[2]
International versions of the programme have been made in Belgium (as Het Grootste Licht, 'The Greatest Light'), Sweden (as Bäst i Test, 'Best in test'), Spain (as Dicho y hecho, 'Said and done'), Denmark (as Stormester, 'Grandmaster'), and Norway (as Kongen befaler, literally 'The King commands', the Norwegian name of the game 'Simon Says'), Finland (as Suurmestari, 'Grandmaster') and a US version with Reggie Watts and Horne began in April 2018.
Format
The game consists of simple and bizarre challenges, ostensibly set to the contestants by Davies in his role as the Taskmaster, with assistance provided by Horne. The tasks – usually performed in isolation, but occasionally in teams – are designed to encourage the players to think laterally and creatively to complete the task.
Each episode starts with the Prize Task, where each contestant donates a prize to offer up following a given theme – e.g. the contestant's most unusual item; their most treasured item; their trendiest item of clothing etc – and are all awarded to the winner of the particular episode.
Three or four pre-filmed tasks follow, usually taking place in and around the Taskmaster house, a former groundskeepers' cottage located on the outskirts of a golf course in Dukes Meadows, Chiswick.[3][4] Tasks are delivered to the players in an envelope with a wax seal, which the player reads aloud: e.g. "Completely empty this bathtub – fastest wins" or "Impress this mayor – you have 20 minutes". After the tasks are shown to the audience, the players justify their creative methods and argue to Davies – and among themselves – as to why they did best. After all the attempts at the task have been seen, judgement is passed by Davies and points are awarded (or players disqualified) accordingly. Normally the winner of the task gets five points, with second place score four points and so on. Some episodes feature team tasks, in which one group of two contestants and a second group of three contestants work together. The groups remain the same throughout each series. Generally, five points are split between the teams, with each member getting the same number.
The final challenge is performed live in the studio. In the event of a tie, the winner is decided by a special tie-breaker task, which may either be pre-filmed or performed live.
In addition to the prizes for each episode, at the end of each series a trophy is presented to the contestant who has scored the most points over the course of the entire series. From the second series onward, the trophy took the form of a golden bust of Davies.
History
Conception and beginning
According to creator Alex Horne, the show was inspired by The Crystal Maze, his time working on Big Brother,[5] and his jealousy at his friend Tim Key's win of the Edinburgh Comedy Award.[6]
Horne first tested the idea in 2009, where he set 20 comedians – including Stuart Goldsmith, Josie Long, Mark Watson, Tim Key, Joe Wilkinson and eventual winner Mike Wozniak[7] – monthly tasks by email over the course of a year. The first task was "Put as much money into my bank account – most money wins."[6][8] At the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he hosted "The Taskmaster",[9] a "two-hour drunken show"[6] where he revealed the players' attempts at each task and announced the winner. Horne hosted "Taskmaster II" the following year with ten contestants;[8] it was won by Josie Long.[10]
With Avalon as the production company, Horne pitched the programme to several different broadcasters, including Channel 4, before it was picked up by Dave. Hilary Rosen was Deputy Director of Commissioning for the channel at the time; she was concerned with the structure of the show, as the same contestants feature in every episode of a series. This differs from other panel shows, though Horne describes Taskmaster as "more like a sitcom". Another issue with this format point is that it made shooting a traditional pilot implausible.[8] However, the aspects of the show filmed before a studio audience were tested in a pilot.[11] In the first series, the show was shot with the intention that the episodes could be shown in any order, though Rosen later realised that "this was a show you record and transmit in the same order", comparing the show to a soap opera.[8] Horne says that the comedians began to sign up for the show after Frank Skinner agreed to take part.[8]
Broadcast
The first series was announced on 19 September 2014.[12] Lasting six episodes, it aired in 2015 from 28 July to 1 September, featuring contestants Frank Skinner, Josh Widdicombe, Roisin Conaty, Romesh Ranganathan and Tim Key. The winner of the series was Josh Widdicombe.
On 24 September 2015, it was announced that the show had been recommissioned for a second and third series,[13] and the second series premiered on 21 June 2016. Lasting five episodes and concluding on 19 July, the series featured Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Richard Osman, with Katherine Ryan becoming the eventual winner.
A one-off special edition featuring five television executives was presented as a stage show during the 2016 Edinburgh International Television Festival. This version included pre-recorded tasks filmed at the house location and a final stage task.[14]
The third series, also consisting of five episodes, was initially planned for 2017 but aired earlier due to positive reception of the previous series;[15] it was broadcast from 4 October 2016 to 1 November. The contestants for series three were Al Murray, Dave Gorman, Paul Chowdhry, Rob Beckett and Sara Pascoe; the winner was Rob Beckett.
On 3 October 2016, the show was renewed for a fourth and fifth series, each of which were to last eight episodes.[15] Series four featured Hugh Dennis, Joe Lycett, Lolly Adefope, Mel Giedroyc and Noel Fielding, and culminated in a win for Noel Fielding. It was broadcast in 2017 from 25 April to 13 June. The fifth series aired in the same year from 6 September to 1 November, with a line-up of Aisling Bea, Bob Mortimer, Mark Watson, Nish Kumar and Sally Phillips. The winner was Bob Mortimer.
A two part "Champion of Champions" special was announced in September 2017; the first part aired on 13 December 2017 with the second part on 20 December.[16] The contestants are the winners of the first five series – that is, Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Rob Beckett, Noel Fielding and Bob Mortimer.[17] The winner was Josh Widdicombe, who received a life-size trophy of Davies's headless body.
On 22 February 2018, it was announced that Taskmaster had been renewed for four more series lasting 10 episodes each. The sixth series, which aired from 2 May to 4 July 2018, featured Tim Vine, Russell Howard, Asim Chaudhry, Liza Tarbuck and Alice Levine.[18][19] Liza Tarbuck was the winner.
The seventh series aired between 5 September to 7 November 2018, featured James Acaster, Jessica Knappett, Kerry Godliman, Phil Wang and Rhod Gilbert.[20][21][22] The series was won by Kerry Godliman.
The contestants for series eight were confirmed by Digital Spy in February 2019 as[23] Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas, Lou Sanders, Paul Sinha and Sian Gibson. The winner was Lou Sanders.
After the conclusion of series eight, the ninth series was confirmed to have contestants David Baddiel, Ed Gamble, Jo Brand, Katy Wix and Rose Matafeo. It premiered on 4 September 2019.[24] The winner was Ed Gamble.
On 22 November 2019, after talks of the show being bought by another network, it was confirmed that the show would move to Channel 4, and was renewed for six series over the following 3 years to begin in late 2020.[25]
Production
Tasks are filmed with each contestant separately in a house in Chiswick, London.[26] 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."[8] 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. Prior to 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.[26]
Horne designs the tasks to avoid the need for any specialist equipment, so that "people at home [are] able to do the same things".[26] 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."[11] 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".[26] 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".[6]
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."[8] Horne and Greg Davies had never worked together prior to Taskmaster;[11] 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."[27]
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 directed the studio for series 2 and 3. Production designer James Dillion is responsible for the studio and filming locations as well as the caravan featured from series four onwards,[15] having been past known for designing the original set for The Crystal Maze.[28] The show's theme music was written and performed by The Horne Section, a jazz band led by Horne.[29]
Contestants
Each series features five new contestants; the Champion of Champions specials featured the return of the first five series winners. The guests always sit in alphabetical order by first name.[26] Contestants are ordered by first name, with winners highlighted in bold.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Episodes
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 6 | 28 July 2015 | 1 September 2015 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 21 June 2016 | 19 July 2016 | ||
| 3 | 5 | 4 October 2016 | 1 November 2016 | ||
| 4 | 8 | 25 April 2017 | 13 June 2017 | ||
| 5 | 8 | 13 September 2017 | 1 November 2017 | ||
| Champion of Champions | 2 | 13 December 2017 | 20 December 2017 | ||
| 6 | 10 | 2 May 2018 | 4 July 2018 | ||
| 7 | 10 | 5 September 2018 | 7 November 2018 | ||
| 8 | 10 | 8 May 2019 | 10 July 2019 | ||
| 9 | 10 | 4 September 2019 | 6 November 2019 | ||
Series 1 (2015)
Panellists for this series were Frank Skinner, Josh Widdicombe, Roisin Conaty, Romesh Ranganathan and Tim Key, with Widdicombe being the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Melon Buffet" | Frank Skinner | 28 July 2015 | 446,000 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Pie Whisperer" | Roisin Conaty | 4 August 2015 | 381,000 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Poet and the Egg" | Josh Widdicombe | 11 August 2015 | 305,000 |
| 4 | 4 | "Down An Octave" | Josh Widdicombe | 18 August 2015 | 406,000[lower-alpha 1] |
| 5 | 5 | "Little Denim Shorts" | Frank Skinner | 25 August 2015 | 495,000 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Last Supper" | Tim Key | 1 September 2015 | 505,000 |
Series 2 (2016)
Panellists for this series were Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Richard Osman, with Ryan being the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Fear of Failure" | Richard Osman | 21 June 2016 | 652,000 |
| 8 | 2 | "Pork is a Sausage" | Jon Richardson | 28 June 2016 | 752,000 |
| 9 | 3 | "A Pistachio Éclair" | Katherine Ryan | 5 July 2016 | 764,000 |
| 10 | 4 | "Welcome to Rico Face" | Doc Brown | 12 July 2016 | 737,000 |
| 11 | 5 | "There's Strength in Arches" | Richard Osman | 19 July 2016 | 666,000 |
Series 3 (2016)
Panellists for this series were Al Murray, Dave Gorman, Paul Chowdhry, Rob Beckett and Sara Pascoe, with Beckett being the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | "Pea in a Haystack" | Al Murray | 4 October 2016 | 838,000 |
| 13 | 2 | "The Dong and the Gong" | Rob Beckett | 11 October 2016 | 849,000 |
| 14 | 3 | "Little Polythene Grief Cave" | Paul Chowdhry | 18 October 2016 | 949,000 |
| 15 | 4 | "A Very Nuanced Character" | Dave Gorman | 25 October 2016 | 1,002,000 |
| 16 | 5 | "The F.I.P." | Rob Beckett | 1 November 2016 | 1,023,000 |
Series 4 (2017)
Panellists for this series were Hugh Dennis, Joe Lycett, Lolly Adefope, Mel Giedroyc and Noel Fielding, with Fielding being the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "A Fat Bald White Man" | Noel Fielding | 25 April 2017 | 787,000 |
| 18 | 2 | "Look At Me" | Mel Giedroyc | 2 May 2017 | 777,000 |
| 19 | 3 | "Hollowing Out A Baguette" | Joe Lycett | 9 May 2017 | 752,000 |
| 20 | 4 | "Friendship Is Truth" | Mel Giedroyc | 16 May 2017 | 835,000 |
| 21 | 5 | "Meat" | Hugh Dennis | 23 May 2017 | 837,000 |
| 22 | 6 | "Spatchcock It" | Lolly Adefope | 30 May 2017 | 860,000 |
| 23 | 7 | "No Stars For Naughty Boys" | Joe Lycett | 6 June 2017 | 794,000 |
| 24 | 8 | "Tony Three Pies" | Mel Giedroyc | 13 June 2017 | 759,000 |
Series 5 (2017)
Panellists for this series were Aisling Bea, Bob Mortimer, Mark Watson, Nish Kumar and Sally Phillips, with Mortimer being the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Dignity Intact" | Bob Mortimer | 13 September 2017 | 799,000 |
| 26 | 2 | "The Leprechaun or the Lesbian" | Sally Phillips | 20 September 2017 | 746,000 |
| 27 | 3 | "Phoenix" | Bob Mortimer | 27 September 2017 | 682,000 |
| 28 | 4 | "Residue Round the Hoof" | Mark Watson | 4 October 2017 | 656,000 |
| 29 | 5 | "A Wind-Dried Puffin" | Mark Watson | 11 October 2017 | 664,000 |
| 30 | 6 | "Spoony Neeson" | Sally Phillips | 18 October 2017 | 663,000 |
| 31 | 7 | "Boing Boing" | Bob Mortimer | 25 October 2017 | 627,000 |
| 32 | 8 | "Their Water's So Delicious" | Sally Phillips | 1 November 2017 | 821,000 |
Champion of Champions (2017)
Panellists for this series were Bob Mortimer, Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Noel Fielding and Rob Beckett, who were the winners of the first five series of the show. Widdicombe was the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 1 | "Wiley Giraffe Blower" | Katherine Ryan | 13 December 2017 | 798,000 |
| 34 | 2 | "I've Sinned Again" | Josh Widdicombe | 20 December 2017 | 807,000 |
Series 6 (2018)
Panellists for this series were Alice Levine, Asim Chaudhry, Liza Tarbuck, Russell Howard and Tim Vine, with Tarbuck as the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 1 | "The Old Soft Curved Padlock" | Alice Levine | 2 May 2018 | 1,214,000 |
| 36 | 2 | "Tarpeters" | Liza Tarbuck | 9 May 2018 | 886,000 |
| 37 | 3 | "One Warm Prawn" | Liza Tarbuck | 16 May 2018 | 942,000 |
| 38 | 4 | "BMXing!" | Russell Howard | 23 May 2018 | 830,000 |
| 39 | 5 | "H" | Tim Vine | 30 May 2018 | 749,000 |
| 40 | 6 | "We Met at Mealtimes" | Tim Vine | 6 June 2018 | 730,000 |
| 41 | 7 | "Roadkill Doused in Syrup" | Russell Howard | 13 June 2018 | N/A[lower-alpha 2] |
| 42 | 8 | "What Kind Of Pictures?" | Russell Howard | 20 June 2018 | 795,000 |
| 43 | 9 | "The Bubble Brothers" | Alice Levine | 27 June 2018 | 875,000 |
| 44 | 10 | "He Was a Different Man" | Asim Chaudhry | 4 July 2018 | 1,090,000 |
Series 7 (2018)
Panellists for this series were James Acaster, Jessica Knappett, Kerry Godliman, Phil Wang and Rhod Gilbert, with Godliman being the overall winner.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date[lower-alpha 3] | UK Viewers [31][lower-alpha 4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1 | "The Mean Bean" | Kerry Godliman | 5 September 2018 | 1,295,000 |
| 46 | 2 | "My Eyes Are Circles" | Kerry Godliman | 12 September 2018 | 1,404,000 |
| 47 | 3 | "Twelve Blush Majesty Two" | James Acaster | 19 September 2018 | 1,197,000 |
| 48 | 4 | "OLLIE" | Rhod Gilbert | 26 September 2018 | 1,007,000 |
| 49 | 5 | "Lotta Soup" | Jessica Knappett | 3 October 2018 | 1,341,000 |
| 50 | 6 | "A Coquettish Fascinator" | James Acaster | 10 October 2018 | 1,132,000 |
| 51 | 7 | "The Perfect Stuff" | Rhod Gilbert | 17 October 2018 | 1,292,000 |
| 52 | 8 | "Mother Honks Her Horn" | Rhod Gilbert | 24 October 2018 | 1,265,000 |
| 53 | 9 | "The Pendulum Draws The Eye" | Kerry Godliman | 31 October 2018 | 839,000 |
| 54 | 10 | "I Can Hear It Gooping" | James Acaster | 7 November 2018 | 1,268,000 |
Series 8 (2019)
Panellists for this series were Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas, Lou Sanders, Paul Sinha and Sian Gibson, with Sanders as the overall winner.[32]
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [31][lower-alpha 4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 1 | "Hello" | Iain Stirling | 8 May 2019 | 1,249,000 |
| 56 | 2 | "A Novel About Russian Gulags" | Lou Sanders | 15 May 2019 | 1,495,000 |
| 57 | 3 | "Stuck In A Mammal Groove" | Lou Sanders | 22 May 2019 | 1,457,000 |
| 58 | 4 | "The Barrel Dad" | Sian Gibson | 29 May 2019 | 1,415,000 |
| 59 | 5 | "Stay Humble" | Iain Stirling | 5 June 2019 | 1,366,000 |
| 60 | 6 | "Rock 'N' Roll Umlaut" | Sian Gibson | 12 June 2019 | 1,387,000 |
| 61 | 7 | "This Is Trevor" | Joe Thomas | 19 June 2019 | 1,278,000 |
| 62 | 8 | "Aquatic Sewing Machine" | Paul Sinha | 26 June 2019 | 1,324,000 |
| 63 | 9 | "I've Been A Bit Ill" | Lou Sanders | 3 July 2019 | 1,298,000 |
| 64 | 10 | "Clumpy Swayey Clumsy Man" | Iain Stirling | 10 July 2019 | 1,309,000 |
Series 9 (2019)
Panellists for this series were David Baddiel, Ed Gamble, Jo Brand, Katy Wix, and Rose Matafeo, with Gamble being the overall winner. Katy Wix did not appear in the studio portions of episodes 5 and 6 due to illness and was replaced by former series champions Kerry Godliman and Katherine Ryan respectively.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Winner | Original air date | UK Viewers [31][lower-alpha 4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 1 | "Join Our Cult" | Rose Matafeo | 4 September 2019 | 1,485,000 |
| 66 | 2 | "Butter In The Microwave" | Ed Gamble | 11 September 2019 | 1,433,000 |
| 67 | 3 | "Five Miles Per Day" | Katy Wix | 18 September 2019 | 1,413,000 |
| 68 | 4 | "Quisps" | Rose Matafeo | 25 September 2019 | 1,287,000 |
| 69 | 5 | "Another Spoon" | Jo Brand | 2 October 2019 | 1,277,000 |
| 70 | 6 | "Bready Bready Bready" | Ed Gamble | 9 October 2019 | 1,215,000 |
| 71 | 7 | "A Cuddle" | Katy Wix | 16 October 2019 | 1,151,000 |
| 72 | 8 | "Shaqinahat" | Ed Gamble | 23 October 2019 | 1,343,000 |
| 73 | 9 | "Don't Like Them Go Bang" | David Baddiel | 30 October 2019 | 1,364,000 |
| 74 | 10 | "Think About The Spirit" | Ed Gamble | 6 November 2019 | 1,378,000 |
International broadcasts
The show is also broadcast in Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, South Africa, Norway, Finland, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
International versions
International versions of the programme have been made in Belgium (as Het Grootste Licht) [The Greatest Light],[33] Sweden (as Bäst i Test) [Best in Test],[34] and Norway (as Kongen befaler, 'The King commands').[35][36] In Denmark the programme is titled Stormester ('Grandmaster') and premiered on 25 August 2018.[37] 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.[36] A German version featuring Atze Schröder as the Taskmaster was commissioned by RTL in 2017; two episodes were recorded but not broadcast.[38][39] In 2019 it was announced a New Zealand version would be produced for broadcast in 2020.[40] Finnish network MTV started airing a local version Suurmestari (Grandmaster) on 12 April 2020.[41]
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.[42]
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.[43]
In September 2019, a paperback edition was published, with 20 new tasks.[44] 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.
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.[45] 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.[46] Also reviewing "Melon Buffet", Ellen Jones of The Independent praised the show as entertaining despite its "informal and cheap-looking" style.[47]
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 believes that the second series was an improvement on the first, but criticises that the first three series have only one female contestant apiece.[48]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016[49] | Best TV Entertainment Show | N/A | Won |
| 2017 | British Academy Television Awards[50] | Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment Programme | Alex Horne, Andy Cartwright, Andy Devonshire | Nominated |
| International Emmy Award[51] | Non-Scripted Entertainment | Avalon Television, Dave | Nominated | |
| RTS Programme Awards[52] | Best Entertainment Programme | Avalon Television | Nominated | |
| Comedy.co.uk Awards 2017[53] | Best TV Entertainment Show | N/A | Won | |
| 2018 | British Academy Television Awards[54] | Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment Programme | Alex Horne, Andy Cartwright, Andy Devonshire | Nominated |
Notes
- 7-day data as 28-day data isn't available.
- BARB's website does not report Dave's viewing figures for this week.
- Each episode aired one week earlier on the online service UKTV, with the exception of the finale.
- Viewers across the first 28 days of broadcast on TV, PC/laptop, tablet or smartphone are counted. Pre-transmission figures are included.
References
- Warner, Sam (22 November 2019). "Taskmaster is officially moving to Channel 4". Digital Spy. HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- "Taskmaster snapped up by Channel 4 | Channel 4". Channel Four Television Corporation. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- Taylor, Fraces (2 May 2018). "9 questions you've always had about Taskmaster – answered". Radio Times. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- "Take a tour of the house used on comedy show Taskmaster". Rightmove. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- "Alex Horne: Big Brother inspired Taskmaster". Digital Spy. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- Nelson, Alex (11 September 2017). "Taskmaster: how Alex Horne's Fringe show became a transatlantic comedy hit". i. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- Guide, British Comedy. "Alex Horne: The Taskmaster - Edinburgh Fringe 2010 - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- "Why Taskmaster was a hard sell..." Chortle. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "5 things to know about Dave's original comedy show Taskmaster". BT.com. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- "Alex Horne: Taskmaster II". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- Beadle, Craig (10 December 2017). "10 things you probably didn't know about Taskmaster". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- "Alex Horne and Greg Davies star in new show Taskmaster". British Comedy Guide. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "Taskmaster to return for two new series". British Comedy Guide. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- Edinburgh Does... Taskmaster. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- "Dave orders Taskmaster Series 4 and Series 5". British Comedy Guide. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- Mellor, Louisa (21 November 2017). "Taskmaster: Christmas special air date confirmed". Den of Geek!. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "Taskmaster to return for a 'champion of champions' special". Chortle. 13 September 2017.
- "Taskmaster gets 40 more episodes". British Comedy Guide. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- "Taskmaster gets FOUR new series". British Comedy Guide. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- Howard, Kirsten (14 August 2018). "Taskmaster series 7 line-up, start date announced". Den of Geek. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- "Taskmaster Series 7 line-up revealed". British Comedy Guide. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- Taylor, Frances (4 July 2018). "Taskmaster unveils new cast of comedians starring in the next series". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- Digital Spy, 2019-02-18
- Houghton, Rianne (13 August 2019). "Taskmaster series 9 confirms return date – and it's soon". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "Taskmaster snapped up by Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- Mellor, Louisa (13 September 2017). "Taskmaster: Alex Horne on series 5, casting, remakes, the future". Den of Geek!.
- "Alex Horne interview". British Comedy Guide. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- "5 things to know about Dave's original comedy show Taskmaster". BT Group. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "Interview: Alex Horne". Great Central. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- "Weekly top 10 programmes BARB". www.barb.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- "Four-screen dashboard BARB". www.barb.co.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- Seddon, Dan (18 February 2019). "Inbetweeners and Love Island stars join Taskmaster series 8". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- "Het Grootste Licht" (in Dutch). VTM. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "Bäst i test" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "Kongen befaler". VG TV-guide (in Norwegian). Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- "Comedy Central USA buys Taskmaster format". British Comedy Guide. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- "Stormester". tv.tv2.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- Pohlig, Marcel (25 May 2017). "Atze Schröder bekommt neue Comedyshow bei RTL". DWDL.de (in German). Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- Schering, Sidney (30 May 2018). "Atze Schröders "Taskmaster" gelangt nicht auf die Schirme". Quotenmeter (in German). Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- "TVNZ to produce local version of Taskmaster, Mean Mums and Golden Boy back for second season". Stuff. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- "Suurmestari - mtv". mtv (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- "Alex Horne pens Taskmaster book". British Comedy Guide. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- "The Taskmaster Army". Chortle. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- "220 Extraordinary Tasks For Ordinary People". Amazon. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- Billen, Andrew (29 July 2015). "TV review: Taskmaster; Brits Behind Bars". The Times. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- Jodelka, Filipa (28 July 2015). "Taskmaster: 'Nato should be informed of its molten-hot banter'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- Jones, Ellen E (28 July 2015). "Taskmaster, Dave - TV review: As informal and cheap-looking as an evening at your local pub". The Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- Mead, Wesley (25 April 2017). "Taskmaster: one of TV's funniest, most unexpected comedies". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016". British Comedy Guide. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- "Comedy & Comedy Entertainment Programme - CHARLIE BROOKER'S 2016 WIPE". British Academy Film Awards. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "2017 International Emmy® Awards Nominees". Archived from the original on 26 November 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "RTS Programme Awards 2017". Royal Television Society. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2017". British Comedy Guide. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- "Nominations Announced for the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards in 2018". www.bafta.org. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
