One might ask, why are you, an 18-year-old American, watching British cable? And that is a great question that can be answered in everyone’s least favorite way: COVID-19. As a little sixth grader, like many others, I was trapped within the four walls of my house for months on end. Unlike the majority of people, I used that time to discover the wonderfully weird world of British stand-up comedy. I especially fell in love with the comedic style of one James Acaster, a strange British man who I have stolen much of my personality from, and Joe Lycett, a comedian so weird the opening line to his Wikipedia page reads, “Joe Harry Lycett (born 1988), also known by the self-given moniker ‘Mummy,’ and officially self-renamed briefly as Hugo Boss in 2020, is a British comedian, television presenter, and painter.” From there, I discovered some wonderful news; they had both been on separate seasons of the show “Taskmaster.” I subsequently fell further down the rabbit hole that is British panel shows that have been uploaded to YouTube in their entirety: “Would I Lie to You?,” “Mock the Week,” “8 Out of 10 Cats.” But that is a story for the future.
Now, I know the idea of British anything being worthwhile is hard to imagine, but I have to advocate for the panel show conceptually and for “Taskmaster” specifically.
For my American audience, the basic concept of a panel show is that there is a group of celebrities who are made to participate in a game of some sort. The main draw of this type of show is the comedy that can come from these situations; that is why most panel shows now heavily feature comedians. The panel show actually began in America, but lost popularity over the decades, now only remaining popular in the U.K.
“Taskmaster” keeps to this general idea, while innovating on the format. The main premise of the show is that five comedians (who alternate each season) fight to win points by competing in strange and often elaborate tasks, all to win the prize trophy, a statue of the host’s head.
The episodes are split into two general categories: studio segments and pre-recorded tasks (often set in the Taskmaster house). Each episode follows the same format, opening with a short monologue from the Taskmaster, followed by the prize task. The prize task is the same each episode, with a slight variation: each contestant must bring in an object to fit the prompt of the week to win up to five points from Greg Davies. Some past prompts have included “Best hairy thing that isn’t alive” and “Nicest thing to put your finger in” and “Worst present from a named relative.” The prize task is then followed by three out-of-studio tasks that can consist of almost anything, for example: “Give Alex a special cuddle,” “Write and perform a song about this woman” and “Perform a miracle.” The contestants sit in the studio with Davies and Horne and watch each contestant’s performance for each task, where they are each awarded between one and five points. Each episode ends with an in-studio task, which is usually a physical challenge of some sort, and the announcement of the winner of the episode (the winner takes home everything submitted for the prize task).
The show was created by producer and assistant to the Taskmaster, Alex Horne. The show was originally meant to be a one-time live event for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010. However, the concept was picked up by Dave, a British free-to-air television channel, and turned into the show we now know as Taskmaster in 2015. The show was picked up by Channel 4, a major public broadcaster in the U.K., in 2019.
Despite Horne’s status as creator, he plays an awkward man who is entirely subservient to the Taskmaster. He is the series’s punching bag, with the Taskmaster, played by Greg Davies, and many of the show’s contestants making jokes at his expense. A common refrain of the show is the nickname “Little Alex Horne,” which comes from the six-inch height difference between Davies and Horne (Davies is six-foot-eight). This dynamic is only made stranger by the homoerotic tension between Horne and Davies, which eventually leads to the two kissing in season 18 episode six.
Now you possess enough knowledge about this show to understand my in-depth review of the latest complete season: season 19. This is also arguably the best season of the show (or if you are like me, seasons four and seven and 19 are in a three-way tie), with a cast that needed no time to warm up to each other, the first American contestant and some of the best running bits of the entire show.
Now, the purpose of this article is to convince you that Taskmaster is worth watching; as such, I will not be giving you an in-depth, spoiler-filled review. Instead, I will give you a rundown of each of the main cast members, including our wonderful Taskmaster and his little assistant.
The Taskmaster has been consistently played by Greg Davies since the show first aired. He plays the role of the intimidating man, given both Davies’ height and previous career as a school teacher, who they are all completing the tasks to impress. Throughout the show, Davies tends to act as a “straight man,” rarely laughing at the contestants’ antics or Horne’s puns. However, this season sees Davies breaking character far more often and engaging in long-running gags with the contestants. Davies and one of the contestants, over the course of an entire episode, come up with a concept for a New York-themed sitcom about wearing big pants. However, this gag didn’t make it into the official cut of the episode, as Greg Davies told production they possibly couldn’t cut it all.
Alex Horne maintains his typical role of awkward assistant who makes very dry jokes that are as funny as they are stupid throughout this season. However, there are many moments throughout the show where the contestants’ high jinks cause Horne to break character. This is far less common than even Davies breaking character, and a sign that Horne has been completely caught off guard.
The first contestant in this season’s lineup is Fatiha El-Ghorri, a British comedian and hijabi woman who uses her comedy to break stereotypes about Muslim women. Her comedic style is brash and often vulgar, with her typical role being that of the dry, unimpressed woman who is unwilling to degrade herself for the show. She has immediate chemistry with everyone, specifically flirting with Davies and frequently joking with fellow contestant Jason Mantzoukas. Her thick Hackney accent and constant use of the word “bruv” only serve to make her more relatable to the audience and far more fun to listen to.
The next comedian introduced is Jason Mantzoukas, a comedian, screenwriter and actor who has been in shows like “Brooklyn 99” and “The Good Place.” He is also the first ever American on the cast. Immediately, his American eccentricities are shown front and center, with Mantzoukas constantly pulling out a variety of tools to aid him in his tasks, including a pocket knife, lock-picking set and Swiss army knife. He is not afraid to get into arguments with the Brits on the show over small differences, including a long argument on “math” versus “maths” against fellow contestant Mathew Baynton. Mantzoukas is quick to connect with Davies, setting the two of them against Horne on many occasions.
Some readers may know the next participant, Mathew Baynton, from writing and starring in “Horrible Histories” or from his small role in “Wonka.” Baynton is one of the few contestants this season who follows an unstated tradition of dressing in a costume for the pre-recorded tasks. This choice leads to the wonderful quote “My presumably scrotum.” His willingness to do anything to win a task sets him as a direct foil for Fatiha. This desire to win often shifts into him creating increasingly strange scenarios which he forces Alex Horne into, including berating him, dressing him in bizarre costumes and turning his face as red as is physically possible.
The second-to-last contestant is Rosie Ramsey, an English comedian, author and television personality. She plays the role of the “wine mom” of the group; she is unafraid to make vulgar jokes or degrade herself to a certain degree. She is the only contestant on this season who isn’t a trained comedian, yet she still manages to hold her own against a group of very talented people. Her warmth and joy only make the many moments in which she cracks under the pressure of the show that much more comedic. In many ways, she takes on the role of “straight man” that Davies seems less comfortable in this season. This isn’t to say she is stoic or unwilling to engage with the rest of the cast, but instead to say that her humor is more grounded in reality than the outlandish ramblings of Jason Mantzoukas and Matthew Bayton.
Our final contestant is Stevie Martin, the youngest member of this season’s cast and a British comedian, writer and actor. She is the contestant with the least experience in the entertainment industry; still, she has this sense of pure desire to do well on the show that leads to some really funny moments. Her best moments on the show come from her playing off the other contestants, especially when she is grouped with Jason Mantzoukas for the occasional team task. Her ability to play characters within the few skits throughout the show is also a highlight of her performance.
Everything about this season works perfectly with everything else to create a wonderful, funny, engaging 10-episode season that one can easily get trapped in and binge in one night. And if one loves this season of the show, there are 18 previous seasons and a 20th airing now that have varying levels of quality, but never dip low enough to make a season not worth watching.
If my nearly 2,000-word diatribe about how wonderful this show is isn’t enough to convince my dear readers to watch it, Taskmaster might never find its American audience. This cannot be, especially not after the failed American adaptation.
