Taskmaster (TV series)

For the comic book character, see Taskmaster. For the wrestler known as The Taskmaster, see Kevin Sullivan (wrestler).

Taskmaster
Genre	Comedy game show
Created by	Alex Horne
Directed by	Andy Devonshire
Presented by	Greg Davies Alex Horne
Theme music composer	The Horne Section
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Producer(s)	Andy Cartwright Alex Horne
Production location(s)	Grand Theatre, Clapham
Editor(s)	Thomas Perrett Mark Sangster
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Avalon Television
Release
Original network	Dave
Original release	28 July 2015 (2015-07-28) – present
External links
Website

Taskmaster is a British comedy game show originally created by English comedian Alex Horne during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010, and then transferred to television for the TV channel Dave beginning on 28 July 2015. The TV series stars stand-up comedian Greg Davies in the titular role of "The Taskmaster", issuing comedic challenges to five regular contestants. In the first series all of whom are comedians: namely Roisin Conaty, Tim Key, Romesh Ranganathan, Frank Skinner and Josh Widdicombe. Horne acts as Davies's assistant and umpire during the challenges, while Davies passes judgement on who deserves points. The series has been commissioned for two more five-part series, to be broadcast in 2016. The second series will feature different contestants: Doc Brown, Richard Osman, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Joe Wilkinson.

TV format

The game consists of several differing and bizarre challenges set by "The Taskmaster" Davies, with assistance provided by Horne. Davies provides the ultimate judgement on who has performed the challenge best, award 5 points to the best contestant; 4 point to the second and best, 3 points for third place, 2 points for fourth, and 1 point for last. There are also sometimes team tasks in the first series with one team consisting of the older players Key and Skinner, and the other of the younger players Conaty, Ranganathan and Widdicombe. In these tasks the winning plays get 2 points each and the losers nothing, unless the Taskmaster decides otherwise.

The first challenge is always the "Prize Task", in which each contestant donates a prize to offer up. The prizes in question have to follow a certain theme, such as the contestant's most unusual item, or their most treasured item. Davies awards the most points to the contestant who has offered the best prize according to the criteria. The contestant who scores the most points at the end of the show wins all five prizes.

The following challenges are pre-filmed tasks, most of which take place in the "Taskmaster" retreat, although other challenges take place in different areas. All the challenges are delivered in an envelope with a wax seal. The challengers then must complete the challenge given to them, which is bizarre comedic task. Examples include: "High-five a 55-year-old", "Eat as much watermelon as you can within one minute", or "Paint a picture of a horse whilst riding a horse". The final challenge is performed live in the studio. In the event of a tie, a special tie-breaker task is performed by the two remaining contestants, which may either be pre-filmed or in the studio. At the end of the series, a trophy is presented to the person who has scored the most points over the course of the entire series.

Episode guide

Series		Episodes	Original transmission	Contestants
	1	6	28 July – 1 September 2015	Frank Skinner, Josh Widdicombe, Roisin Conaty, Romesh Ranganathan and Tim Key
	2	5	TBC	Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Richard Osman
	3	5	TBC	Dave Gorman, Al Murray, Rob Beckett, Sara Pascoe and Paul Chowdhry

Series 1

Episode 1

Melon buffet - first broadcast on 28 July 2015

Task	Description	Frank	Josh	Roisin	Romesh	Tim
1	Prize: Most unusual item	4	1	2	3	5
2	Melon: Eat as much watermelon as possible in 1 minute	2	3	1	5	4
3	Horse: Paint a picture of a horse, while riding a horse	5	3	1	4	2
4	Bath: Empty a bathtub as quickly as possible	4	3	2	5	1
5	Tent: Put on a onesie in a pop-up tent as quickly as possible	4	3	1	2	5
6	Tie-break: Find Alex as quickly as possible	1	n/a	n/a	0	n/a
	Total	20	13	7	19	17

Episode 2

The pie whisperer - first broadcast on 4 August 2015

Task	Description	Frank	Josh	Roisin	Romesh	Tim
1	Prize: Most impressive item	4	2	3	1	5
2	Age: High-five a 55-year-old	2	5	4	1	3
3	Pie: Identify the contents of pies without breaking the pastry	1	2	4	3	5
4	Reverse: Do something that will look impressive in reverse	2	4	5	5	3
5	Code: Crack the code and unshackle yourself	1	3	5	4	2
	Total	10	16	21	14	18

Episode 3

The poet and the egg - first broadcast on 11 August 2015

Task	Description	Frank	Josh	Roisin	Romesh	Tim
1	Prize: Most meaningful item	4	2	1	5	3
2	Teabag: Throw a teabag into a mug from the furthest distance	4	DQ	2	3	5
3	GPS: Create an image using a GPS device to track your route	2	5	1	4	3
4	Present: Buy the best present for the Taskmaster with just £20	3	5	4	2	1
5	Egg: Get an egg as high as possible without breaking it	DQ	5	DQ	4	DQ
6	Time: Stand up after 100 seconds	2	5	1	4	4
7	Tie-break: What is Frank Skinner's age in minutes?	n/a	1	n/a	0	n/a
	Total	15	23	9	22	16

Episode 4

Down an octave - first broadcast on 18 August 2015

Task	Description	Frank	Josh	Roisin	Romesh	Tim
1	Prize: Most beautiful item	3	4	2	1	5
2	Ice: Make an ice block disappear as quickly as possible	4	5	3	2	1
3	Points: In a squash court, get to 11 'points' as a team	1	2	2	2	1
4	Tears: Fill an eggcup with as many tears as possible	5	3	1	4	1
5	Names: Memorise the names of an Australian rules football team	1	1	1	1	1
6	Count: Count baked beans, spaghetti hoops and rice grains	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	n/a
	Total	14	16	9	10	9

Episode 5

Little denim shorts - first broadcast on 25 August 2015

Task	Description	Frank	Josh	Roisin	Romesh	Tim
1	Prize: Most valuable item	4	5	1	3	2
2	Boulder: Move a boulder as far as possible in 1 hour	4	5	1	2	3
3	Nail: Grow the longest nail in 10 weeks	3	5	2	4	1
4	Bed: Make a bed as a team, while holding hands	2	0	0	0	2
5	Blush: Make a Swedish person blush as deeply as possible	3	1	5	4	2
6	Balloon: Blow up the biggest balloon, while blindfolded	4	2	5	3	DQ
	Total	20	18	14	16	10

Episode 6

The last supper - first broadcast on 1 September 2015

Task	Description	Frank	Josh	Roisin	Romesh	Tim
1	Prize: Most satisfying item	2	4	1	3	5
2	Golf: Get the lowest mini-golf score using eggs	4	2	5	1	3
3	Blooper: As a team, stage a realistic home-movie blooper	2	0	0	0	2
4	Meal: Make a meal with ingredients made from all 26 letters of the alphabet	5	1	1	4	3
5	Sweets: Separate the blue sweets, wearing boxing gloves	3	2	1	4	5
	Total	16	9	8	12	18

Series 1 winner

Frank	Josh	Roisin	Romesh	Tim
93	94	68	93	88

Series 2

Series 2 will record on 4th, 5 and 6 May 2016, with the transmission date on Tuesday 21st June 2016 at 10pm. From this series, the recording location moves from the Grand Theatre, Clapham to a set recreating the theatre in Fountain Studios. Series 2 of Taskmaster will feature Jon Richardson, Richard Osman, Joe Wilkinson, Katherine Ryan and Doc Brown.

Series 3

Series 3 will record on 9th, 10th, and 11 May 2016, with the transmission date to be confirmed. Series 3 will feature a line-up consisting of Paul Chowdhry, Dave Gorman, Al Murray, Rob Beckett and Sara Pascoe.

External links

• Taskmaster at British Comedy Guide
• Taskmaster at UKGameshows.com