"You bubbly f*ck!"
February 10, 2021 3:39 AM Subscribe
Also -- as I apparently hit 'post' instead of 'preview' -- really hoping that alongside the Champion of Champions they also start doing a Loser of Losers.
posted by myotahapea at 4:52 AM on February 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by myotahapea at 4:52 AM on February 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
Oh, thank you for this. I giggled all the way through. The potatoes! Yoghurt! The songs! Sally Phillips and the water cooler! Bob Mortimer's horrifying face!
Taskmaster is the kind of show only the demented public school horrors of English comedy could produce. It's completely inexplicable to anyone who hasn't watched it. The pitch is terrible: Comedians spend four months being filmed doing pointless, bizarre, and humiliating tasks to camera, the best bits are compiled, and Greg Davies shouts at them for it. Why would anyone watch it?
But it's hilarious and compelling, and the series with Mel Giedroyc just being the loveliest idiot on telly is worth the price of entry alone.
posted by prismatic7 at 4:55 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Taskmaster is the kind of show only the demented public school horrors of English comedy could produce. It's completely inexplicable to anyone who hasn't watched it. The pitch is terrible: Comedians spend four months being filmed doing pointless, bizarre, and humiliating tasks to camera, the best bits are compiled, and Greg Davies shouts at them for it. Why would anyone watch it?
But it's hilarious and compelling, and the series with Mel Giedroyc just being the loveliest idiot on telly is worth the price of entry alone.
posted by prismatic7 at 4:55 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
omg, Taskmaster! Give the NZ version a try, too - it's a bit weird for the first two episodes but then they get into the groove and it feels oddly familiar and yet distinctive. And I just love that they started putting the one from Finland on Youtube as well. It's such a great concept. (And it's not a big surprise that the two versions that flopped were the US and the German one.)
posted by dominik at 5:03 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by dominik at 5:03 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yeah the podcast's been a good excuse to rewatch series 1 and it's been long enough I don't remember everything.
I think Alex has said they weren't going to do a loser of losers because it reflects badly on them as it would be overwhelmingly non white people or women.
posted by juv3nal at 5:13 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
I think Alex has said they weren't going to do a loser of losers because it reflects badly on them as it would be overwhelmingly non white people or women.
posted by juv3nal at 5:13 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
I have to say I saw the "horse or laminator" one where Jo Brand guessed right 13 times in a row and it was genuinely amazing.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:26 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:26 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
Yes, the NZ version was great. The nordic (Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and Finnish) versions are good too, especially the Norwegian one (3rd season has just started).
I remember reading that another reason for not doing a Losers of losers is that would give participants an excuse to do badly on purpose a whole season.
posted by rpn at 5:37 AM on February 10, 2021
I remember reading that another reason for not doing a Losers of losers is that would give participants an excuse to do badly on purpose a whole season.
posted by rpn at 5:37 AM on February 10, 2021
Sometime early last year I had a touch of insomnia and was watching YouTube and somehow the algorithm gods smiled on me because it suggested series 1, episode 1. I ended up watching the entire series that night, and then showed it to my wife the next day. We were hooked. I really appreciate that they are putting up full episodes on their official YouTube channel, and are currently half way through Series 8. (we've managed to see Series 10 through 'other means' as well as champion of champion and the 2021 New Year special).
Their Hometasking challenges for Lockdown have been really fun and enjoyable as well.
I believe there was an attempt to make an American version of Taskmaster that failed miserably, but if they ever try again I nominate Lesley Jones as The Taskmaster, based solely on her Zoom meeting critique on Twitter. I think she'd be a stellar Taskmaster.
posted by jazon at 5:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Their Hometasking challenges for Lockdown have been really fun and enjoyable as well.
I believe there was an attempt to make an American version of Taskmaster that failed miserably, but if they ever try again I nominate Lesley Jones as The Taskmaster, based solely on her Zoom meeting critique on Twitter. I think she'd be a stellar Taskmaster.
posted by jazon at 5:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Maybe a "Second Chances" type season. All I know is I need to see Iain Stirling and James Acaster again. And Mel, if she'd do it.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:42 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:42 AM on February 10, 2021
I really appreciate that they are putting up full episodes on their official YouTube channel,
Wow, had no idea they'd done that or I would have put the link in the post!
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:42 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Wow, had no idea they'd done that or I would have put the link in the post!
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:42 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
We should FanFare these. Series-by-series, since they've already aired?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:43 AM on February 10, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:43 AM on February 10, 2021 [8 favorites]
i'm curious to know more about the American version. What went wrong there?
posted by Paul Slade at 5:53 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by Paul Slade at 5:53 AM on February 10, 2021
Another vote for the NZ series as well. Took some adjusting, the host and assistant have very different vibes both individually and how they interact, but it's great.
And the description in this article of Liza Tarbuck is so spot on. Our point of entry was Series 4 to see the Bake-Off hosts battle, but 6 has ended up being our favorite (of the ones available on YouTube that is).
posted by solotoro at 5:56 AM on February 10, 2021
And the description in this article of Liza Tarbuck is so spot on. Our point of entry was Series 4 to see the Bake-Off hosts battle, but 6 has ended up being our favorite (of the ones available on YouTube that is).
posted by solotoro at 5:56 AM on February 10, 2021
Taskmaster USA: The Fan Review
Taskmaster USA holds up to its moniker: It is decidedly Taskmaster, but it is also decidedly American. The personalities of the panel are certainly bigger, the Taskmaster’s cottage is a sprawling LA condo, and the entire show is fit into eight 21-minute episodes. The details of the format have been neatly trimmed like a topiary to fit the confines of American cable TV, but the format itself, and its unique selling points, are present.
The format of Taskmaster USA has changed to fit a shorter run-time. Each episode starts with the prize presentation—no longer a task—in which one panelist brings in an item they certainly don’t want to lose. The winner of the episode gets that item ... Two pre-taped tasks are played during each episode, and all of the tasks are lifted from the UK version, so if you’re looking for brand new tasks, you’re definitely in the wrong placeposted by jazon at 6:00 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Sitting in Greg Davies’ giant chair as Taskmaster is comedian and Late Late Show with James Corden bandleader Reggie Watts. Out of all the elements of the show, Reggie’s casting as Taskmaster seems to be the least pleasing choice for a fan of the show, like me. While funny and offbeat, and offering judgements to his own unique sensibilities, Watts came off during the season as uncomfortable or unsure of his role as adjudicator, and didn’t at all seem to particularly enjoy being the arbiter and rule-maker ... The other issue is the runtime. A lot of the memorable parts of the show come from the banter between the hosts and the panelists, but Comedy Central’s decreased runtime means that there’s less time for banter.
The key to a good British comedy game show is that there are no desirable prizes. The participation and exposure and paycheck of the show is the reason to do it, so it's all about hamming up your losing streak and making good television rather than fighting to beat the other guy.
When this is done in the US, it tends to be celebrities competing to support a charity of some sort, so the drive to succeed is still there. I think NPR adopted some of the format with Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, but by and large it's the fact that it's a fake game show that makes it work over here.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 6:00 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
When this is done in the US, it tends to be celebrities competing to support a charity of some sort, so the drive to succeed is still there. I think NPR adopted some of the format with Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, but by and large it's the fact that it's a fake game show that makes it work over here.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 6:00 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
Right, Rhod Gilbert's Grotto Surprise is in there, that's all right then.
And yeah, the American Taskmaster kind of failed to hit the mark, between panelists who don't seem to get banter as opposed to just kind of yelling, Reggie Watts not quite wanting to be authoritarian, and a 21 minute runtime not being long enough for anybody to get into a groove. Maybe if they'd brought on WWDTM guests as panelists?
But I absolutely love how we kind of get into the minds of the panelists over the course of a season. Oh right, Noel Fielding has an art degree! Hey, Katherine Ryan is an absolute boss! Rhod Gilbert doesn't give a damn!
It does feel like they've tried to tamp down on the prize task in recent seasons, after the mortgage and £20 "Greg" tattoo and such, which is a shame, seeing the lengths they would go to really sort of set the mood for the show.
posted by Kyol at 6:12 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
And yeah, the American Taskmaster kind of failed to hit the mark, between panelists who don't seem to get banter as opposed to just kind of yelling, Reggie Watts not quite wanting to be authoritarian, and a 21 minute runtime not being long enough for anybody to get into a groove. Maybe if they'd brought on WWDTM guests as panelists?
But I absolutely love how we kind of get into the minds of the panelists over the course of a season. Oh right, Noel Fielding has an art degree! Hey, Katherine Ryan is an absolute boss! Rhod Gilbert doesn't give a damn!
It does feel like they've tried to tamp down on the prize task in recent seasons, after the mortgage and £20 "Greg" tattoo and such, which is a shame, seeing the lengths they would go to really sort of set the mood for the show.
posted by Kyol at 6:12 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
And yeah, as said upthread, even for contestants who usually seem with it and composed, seeing them be complete and utter fools while they attempt to accomplish an impossible task is a joy because you know that you would be _just_ as terrible, and it somehow manages to avoid being mean-spirited (despite the conceit) so it doesn't provoke fremdshamen somehow. It's an amazing needle they thread.
I wonder if part of the problem with the American version was that there isn't really so much space for appearing incompetent in America, so "hey go do this impossible thing" provokes a different response.
posted by Kyol at 6:19 AM on February 10, 2021
I wonder if part of the problem with the American version was that there isn't really so much space for appearing incompetent in America, so "hey go do this impossible thing" provokes a different response.
posted by Kyol at 6:19 AM on February 10, 2021
I think an American version would work with the right host and panelists, and they not deviate too much from the UK formula. Put smart and cleaver people into odd situations and keep the stakes low.
posted by jazon at 6:35 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by jazon at 6:35 AM on February 10, 2021
At the end of the day, Lisa Lampanelli kind of felt like the big tonal difference? Ron Funches and Freddie Highmore kind of got into the mood of things, and Kate Berlant was all over the place, and it seems like Dillon Francis didn't understand what was going on, but Lisa kind of treated it like a roast or that arguing her case might win her favor, and Reggie didn't lean into the "hah, no, that was terrible, you aren't fooling me, no points" that Greg does when panelists start acting up.
posted by Kyol at 7:05 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 7:05 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
I watched the first episode and it was really funny! I enjoy Romesh Ranganathan's column in the Guardian but I'd never seen or heard him before so that was a nice bonus.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:05 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:05 AM on February 10, 2021
If you like Romesh, definitely watch episode 2 so you can see “Tree Wizard”.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:36 AM on February 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:36 AM on February 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
Huffy Puffy you absolutely made me say "Tree Wizaaaard" as Romesh, so thank you. I love Tree Wizard.
posted by ceejaytee at 7:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by ceejaytee at 7:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
Oh, man, I love Taskmaster, and I am literally crying because I laughed so hard just reading that article. It made me love Taskmaster *more* and I already love Taskmaster so much that I force my friends and loved ones to watch it against their will.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 7:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
The Rosalind songs are both so good that I periodically find myself humming one or the other. I saw this post earlier today, and have been quietly singing about what a nightmare Rosalind is ever since.
posted by PeteTheHair at 7:50 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by PeteTheHair at 7:50 AM on February 10, 2021
Discovering Taskmaster during COVID helped keep me sane. Greg Davies as delightfully bi-pervy school headmaster pushes a lot of my wife and my buttons in just the right way.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 7:53 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 7:53 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
I wonder if part of the problem with the American version was that there isn't really so much space for appearing incompetent in America
I think that's really it, yeah. I can't imagine something airing on American TV where the host yells obscenities at the contestants, they respond with thank-you-sir-may-I-have-another, and then everyone cheers and has a hug at the end. And I think that's why the original works so well - it's cruel without being mean, I guess, while simultaneously being very lighthearted. It must be a tougher tightrope to walk than it seems. It takes a lot of people who are not only willing to be humiliated on screen but enthusiastic about it to keep it from getting bogged down.
This is tonally very different, but if you like Alex Horne goofing with his friends maybe you'll like No More Jockeys. Just go watch it. They don't explain what they're doing, why should I?
posted by backseatpilot at 7:55 AM on February 10, 2021
I think that's really it, yeah. I can't imagine something airing on American TV where the host yells obscenities at the contestants, they respond with thank-you-sir-may-I-have-another, and then everyone cheers and has a hug at the end. And I think that's why the original works so well - it's cruel without being mean, I guess, while simultaneously being very lighthearted. It must be a tougher tightrope to walk than it seems. It takes a lot of people who are not only willing to be humiliated on screen but enthusiastic about it to keep it from getting bogged down.
This is tonally very different, but if you like Alex Horne goofing with his friends maybe you'll like No More Jockeys. Just go watch it. They don't explain what they're doing, why should I?
posted by backseatpilot at 7:55 AM on February 10, 2021
"hah, no, that was terrible, you aren't fooling me, no points" that Greg does when panelists start acting up.
He used to be a teacher, which seems relevant here.
posted by Paul Slade at 8:03 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
He used to be a teacher, which seems relevant here.
posted by Paul Slade at 8:03 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
The Norwegian version, Kongen Befaler, is amazing, and the whole first series with English subtitles is on Dailymotion. The taskmaster, Atle, really channels Greg Davies's energy in a way that Jeremy Wells from NZ, for example, decidedly does not. That is, he's intimidating, he's gruff, he's imposing, he's mocking, he's funny, but most importantly he just seems to be having an absolute blast every second he's out there.
Highly recommended.
posted by Gadarene at 8:20 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Highly recommended.
posted by Gadarene at 8:20 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
re: No More Jockeys, they do explain how it works in the text description.
posted by juv3nal at 8:21 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by juv3nal at 8:21 AM on February 10, 2021
Oh, and the Norwegian version consistently lets its contestants play with power tools. It's much more "figure out a clever way to design something to do this" than the UK version, which is cool. One contestant in particular is quite mechanically inclined (and gets tons of shit from the other contestants, entertainingly, for constantly mansplaining scientific principles to the camera).
posted by Gadarene at 8:24 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by Gadarene at 8:24 AM on February 10, 2021
I think something that I enjoy a lot on shows like this is when they make each other crack up. With that in mind: Series 10 outtakes
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:38 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:38 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Potato hole is one of the greatest moments in television history.
posted by Torosaurus at 8:47 AM on February 10, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Torosaurus at 8:47 AM on February 10, 2021 [6 favorites]
Potato hole is one of the greatest moments in television history.
That and "I once accidentally bought a horse" from Would I Lie To You? are perhaps the pinnacles of Western civilization. It's all been downhill from there.
posted by Gadarene at 8:51 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
That and "I once accidentally bought a horse" from Would I Lie To You? are perhaps the pinnacles of Western civilization. It's all been downhill from there.
posted by Gadarene at 8:51 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
To be fair, Rosalind is a f***ing nightmare.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:02 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:02 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Taskmaster is great, particularly that it's freely available on YouTube. Two personal favourite tasks not mentioned are:
S4E6 Mel Giedroyc's "special task", partly for the tasks itself (hide a 10 foot brightly coloured beachball inside a soccer stadium, inflate the ball inside the house, score a goal with the ball in the garden) but mostly for the montage of her being endlessly positive and chipper beforehand.
S10E6 Live final task, drawing an animal three lines at a time, which makes Daisy May Cooper just absolutely furious at her partner's inability to guess her drawing, with everybody else losing it.
posted by Superilla at 9:04 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
S4E6 Mel Giedroyc's "special task", partly for the tasks itself (hide a 10 foot brightly coloured beachball inside a soccer stadium, inflate the ball inside the house, score a goal with the ball in the garden) but mostly for the montage of her being endlessly positive and chipper beforehand.
S10E6 Live final task, drawing an animal three lines at a time, which makes Daisy May Cooper just absolutely furious at her partner's inability to guess her drawing, with everybody else losing it.
posted by Superilla at 9:04 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
I've never seen this show, but this task makes me want to:
90 Butch boxposted by jb at 9:14 AM on February 10, 2021
Series 6, Ep 4
The task where the contestants have to do something manly with a cardboard box, so Liza Tarbuck puts it in front of the TV and makes it a cup of tea as it falls asleep. Strangely charming.
The other thing that I should mention to potential new fans is that Alex Horne is 100% the power behind the throne; he developed the show, designs the tasks, is the producer and even does the theme music (through his band The Horne Section) which might help those who feel bad that he's treated like such a lickspittle by Greg and occasionally abused by the contestants. He's in charge; he just realizes it works better when he's more of a straight man.
posted by Superilla at 9:21 AM on February 10, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by Superilla at 9:21 AM on February 10, 2021 [7 favorites]
Cake Butt #1 or nothing
posted by Going To Maine at 9:37 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 9:37 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
Also came here to say Cake Butt #1 or nothing. And also that "Bastard's crying, innit?" (no. 48) has become a stock phrase in our household.
posted by offmessage at 10:11 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by offmessage at 10:11 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also, "Adventures of Little Man” in the top 10, I think.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:17 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by Going To Maine at 10:17 AM on February 10, 2021
He's in charge; he just realizes it works better when he's more of a straight man.
Also Little Alex Horne is 6'2".
posted by oneirodynia at 10:18 AM on February 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
Also Little Alex Horne is 6'2".
posted by oneirodynia at 10:18 AM on February 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
Another favorite moment was James Acaster telling Davies that he couldn’t lift him up, and all of the female panelists immediately disabusing him of his illusions. Davies then making him walk over to be hoisted up upside down made the moment.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:22 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:22 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Like many of you here, I discovered this show during the past year and love it. I recently looked up where the Taskmaster House is, and it turns out to be a short walk from my cousin's place in Barnes, London... I really need to make up an excuse to visit her!
I get the Tree Wizard song stuck in my head at least once a week.
posted by moonmilk at 10:24 AM on February 10, 2021
I get the Tree Wizard song stuck in my head at least once a week.
posted by moonmilk at 10:24 AM on February 10, 2021
I started to feel really bad for Alex right some the time that "Little Alex Horne" started to get loud and frequent and it made things much better to learn at the time that actually, Greg works for Alex because it is Alex's show. Which means Alex thinks all of that is funny and good for the show and that's why it is the way it is. Alex *playing* the whipping boy is funny in a way that Alex *being* the whipping boy would not be.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:26 AM on February 10, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 10:26 AM on February 10, 2021 [11 favorites]
Prior to this post I'd never heard of Taskmaster (clearly I am missing out). I clicked the article anyway because maybe the show was about cleaning things really well or doing things really efficiently and I'd learn something. However, I had to check what I was reading several times because the synopses sounded like they were written by a deranged AI out of context.
- "Katherine Parkinson is wheeled in a wheelbarrow and throws herself into the machine, writhing around in the net like a trapped dolphin"
- "Matafeo jumps out of a bush dressed as a bush and screams: “Stella!”"
- "Chaudhry makes up “the eight bollock cat” and then has to sadly mime it to Tarbuck."
But like I said, I'm missing out.
posted by Alison at 10:32 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
- "Katherine Parkinson is wheeled in a wheelbarrow and throws herself into the machine, writhing around in the net like a trapped dolphin"
- "Matafeo jumps out of a bush dressed as a bush and screams: “Stella!”"
- "Chaudhry makes up “the eight bollock cat” and then has to sadly mime it to Tarbuck."
But like I said, I'm missing out.
posted by Alison at 10:32 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yes, deranged AI out of context is exactly what the show feels like!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:39 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:39 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
deranged AI out of context
Ooh, somebody needs to ask Janelle Shane to point her deranged AI at this list!
posted by moonmilk at 10:40 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Ooh, somebody needs to ask Janelle Shane to point her deranged AI at this list!
posted by moonmilk at 10:40 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Incidentally, if anyone has the urge to make their own tasks, this is the distressed typewriter font.
posted by wanderingmind at 11:06 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by wanderingmind at 11:06 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
i'm curious to know more about the American version. What went wrong there?
The U.S. doesn't seem to have a "panel show culture" where you have a group of people who basically make a living going from game show to chat show to hosting gig.
In order to survive doing that, you have to be witty and have a defined shtick that you're willing to embrace but you also need to be able to take poke fun at yourself.
The kind of people that used to show up on Hollywood Squares would probably have been good at Taskmaster.
posted by madajb at 11:44 AM on February 10, 2021 [7 favorites]
The U.S. doesn't seem to have a "panel show culture" where you have a group of people who basically make a living going from game show to chat show to hosting gig.
In order to survive doing that, you have to be witty and have a defined shtick that you're willing to embrace but you also need to be able to take poke fun at yourself.
The kind of people that used to show up on Hollywood Squares would probably have been good at Taskmaster.
posted by madajb at 11:44 AM on February 10, 2021 [7 favorites]
I discovered Taskmaster just a month ago from, of all things, a Facebook ad where they showed the task from S2 where they have to get a potato into a hole. I was instantly sucked in and was delighted to find that it’s all on YouTube. The show is the perfect mix of dumb and smart. Knowing that Alex is the brains behind the whole show I think is a key part of really enjoying it. The only thing I don’t like are the “make a video doing X” tasks where they obviously didn’t come up with everything on the spot. The real joy from the show comes from seeing the panelists come up with how the hell they’re going to complete the task right in the moment.
posted by zsazsa at 11:46 AM on February 10, 2021
posted by zsazsa at 11:46 AM on February 10, 2021
Incidentally, if anyone has the urge to make their own tasks, this is the distressed typewriter font.
In addition to the HomeTasking above, they also did a run-your-own-Taskmaster-party for charity campaign, and put out a 220 task book a while back. (If you want a more psychedelic experience, you could give people some tasks from Yoko Ono’s Grapefruit instead, but those are a bit harder.)
posted by Going To Maine at 11:48 AM on February 10, 2021
In addition to the HomeTasking above, they also did a run-your-own-Taskmaster-party for charity campaign, and put out a 220 task book a while back. (If you want a more psychedelic experience, you could give people some tasks from Yoko Ono’s Grapefruit instead, but those are a bit harder.)
posted by Going To Maine at 11:48 AM on February 10, 2021
Best moment not mentioned in the list: Greg Davies declaring, with childish delight and an element of gleeful pride, that he has cut Alex Horne's trousers in half.
I miss the longform tasks, the ones that used to take weeks or months. Such a great concept.
posted by Hogshead at 12:28 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
I miss the longform tasks, the ones that used to take weeks or months. Such a great concept.
posted by Hogshead at 12:28 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
moonmilk, I also looked up the location because the riverside scenes always struck me as familiar. It turns out it's at a park in South Chiswick (now part of a lovely low-traffic neighbourhood scheme that's improved things greatly!) where Little Hobo used to do football keeper training.
I'd walk around the area to kill time, and head over to see the Taskmaster House through the bushes or goof off in the little riverside bandstands. I would set an alarm on my phone to make sure I walked back in time, and the ringtone was a clip of Alex Horne saying "Your time starts...now!"
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:30 PM on February 10, 2021 [6 favorites]
I'd walk around the area to kill time, and head over to see the Taskmaster House through the bushes or goof off in the little riverside bandstands. I would set an alarm on my phone to make sure I walked back in time, and the ringtone was a clip of Alex Horne saying "Your time starts...now!"
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:30 PM on February 10, 2021 [6 favorites]
I too found Taskmaster last year and am now starting from season one again! Since I now also have an obsession with Richard Herring (began watching RHLSTP episodes last year too) the last season of TM fulfilled all things! #hometasking has been great fun to watch too. My partner does not get why I can be found weeping with laughter sometimes. I think I found the episode Greg starts calling Horne "little" (series 3 episode 3) but it doesn't really take full effect until the 4th series. Mel and Noel is such a great combo! No More Jockeys is fun too and I have found myself watching Bad Golf even though I have no interest in golf. It's definitely had me going down the rabbit hole for many of the comedians/presenters they've had on. Ranganation on zoom is even funnier after re-watching series one of TM where Greg constantly refers to Romesh as angry.
posted by Saddy Dumpington at 12:39 PM on February 10, 2021
posted by Saddy Dumpington at 12:39 PM on February 10, 2021
Lord I love this show.
posted by UltraMorgnus at 1:08 PM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by UltraMorgnus at 1:08 PM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
I think my favorite thing about Taskmaster is that at the start of a series I'm so sad, who do these people think they are, there's no way this cast could ever be as good as the previous cast. And then at the end of the series I'm like "I WOULD LITERALLY DIE FOR EVERY ONE OF THESE WONDERFUL PEOPLE." Every time. It just works out.
Also I am personally offended that the ringtone dances are so far down this best task list. I've rewatched that task more than any other. It's so utterly stupid, features "Mel Giedroyc just being the loveliest idiot on telly," and the ringtones always get stuck in my head for days on end, but because I have visions of these lovely idiots dancing in my head I'm never mad. Other tasks are good too but this is my favorite forever.
posted by phunniemee at 1:12 PM on February 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
Also I am personally offended that the ringtone dances are so far down this best task list. I've rewatched that task more than any other. It's so utterly stupid, features "Mel Giedroyc just being the loveliest idiot on telly," and the ringtones always get stuck in my head for days on end, but because I have visions of these lovely idiots dancing in my head I'm never mad. Other tasks are good too but this is my favorite forever.
posted by phunniemee at 1:12 PM on February 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
Before I clicked this link I was 100% convinced Taskmaster was one of those gig economy apps.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:42 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:42 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Before I clicked this link I was 100% convinced Taskmaster was one of those gig economy apps.
In a way, it is.
For some Taskmaster-adjacent media, Ed Gamble and James Acaster had Greg Davies on their fantasy restaurant podcast where he confessed to being perplexed that people were so invested in their scores on the tasks. Which -I mean- how could you be surprised by that.
(Also, in terms of sincere criticism, I do think that in the first few seasons Greg isn’t so great to the female contestants.)
posted by Going To Maine at 4:53 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
In a way, it is.
For some Taskmaster-adjacent media, Ed Gamble and James Acaster had Greg Davies on their fantasy restaurant podcast where he confessed to being perplexed that people were so invested in their scores on the tasks. Which -I mean- how could you be surprised by that.
(Also, in terms of sincere criticism, I do think that in the first few seasons Greg isn’t so great to the female contestants.)
posted by Going To Maine at 4:53 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
This post informed me about the NZ version of Taskmaster, which I did not know about, and I am thrilled to learn it might be good? I have idly wondered what you'd have to do to make an Australian version of Taskmaster, given how utterly dependent it is on that British public school energy of having to do pointless things to please an authoritarian. New Zealand doesn't have that kind of energy at all, so I'm fascinated to see what they've done instead.
(I came to rest on 'well obviously Australian Taskmaster is like a comedy Saw')
Unfortunately Taskmaster is geo-blocked on YouTube so I only get to see the highlights, but the few episodes I've managed to watch have been very good: silly in a way that is clearly done by smart people.
posted by Merus at 6:20 PM on February 10, 2021
(I came to rest on 'well obviously Australian Taskmaster is like a comedy Saw')
Unfortunately Taskmaster is geo-blocked on YouTube so I only get to see the highlights, but the few episodes I've managed to watch have been very good: silly in a way that is clearly done by smart people.
posted by Merus at 6:20 PM on February 10, 2021
I'm another American who has been kept entertained during the pandemic by Taskmaster. I'm surprised no one has linked yet to the brief video essay Taskmaster: A Masterpiece Of Existentialist Philosophy: Sartre, Kierkegaard, Camus & Horne by (checks notes) Hermit Banana Crab. It really does get at something about what makes the show work.
posted by Tsuga at 6:37 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Tsuga at 6:37 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have idly wondered what you'd have to do to make an Australian version of Taskmaster
Hear me out...have it hosted by Tom Gleeson and Grant Denyer. Different energy, but same aesthetic and chemistry.
posted by AD_ at 8:36 PM on February 10, 2021
Hear me out...have it hosted by Tom Gleeson and Grant Denyer. Different energy, but same aesthetic and chemistry.
posted by AD_ at 8:36 PM on February 10, 2021
But it's hilarious and compelling, and the series with Mel Giedroyc just being the loveliest idiot on telly is worth the price of entry alone.
posted by prismatic7
There was a time of arrogance and self-importance in my life when I would have contemptuously dismissed somebody like Mel as an irrelevant bubble-headed twat.
But several decades later I find myself ever more thankful that people like her are around, and paying no heed to the sort of obnoxious dipshit I was then.
–––––––––
Alex Horne is 100% the power behind the throne; he developed the show, designs the tasks, is the producer and even does the theme music (through his band The Horne Section) which might help those who feel bad that he's treated like such a lickspittle by Greg and occasionally abused by the contestants. He's in charge; he just realizes it works better when he's more of a straight man.
posted by Superilla
He is a great straight man.
posted by Pouteria at 8:52 PM on February 10, 2021
posted by prismatic7
There was a time of arrogance and self-importance in my life when I would have contemptuously dismissed somebody like Mel as an irrelevant bubble-headed twat.
But several decades later I find myself ever more thankful that people like her are around, and paying no heed to the sort of obnoxious dipshit I was then.
–––––––––
Alex Horne is 100% the power behind the throne; he developed the show, designs the tasks, is the producer and even does the theme music (through his band The Horne Section) which might help those who feel bad that he's treated like such a lickspittle by Greg and occasionally abused by the contestants. He's in charge; he just realizes it works better when he's more of a straight man.
posted by Superilla
He is a great straight man.
posted by Pouteria at 8:52 PM on February 10, 2021
Oooh thanks for this! I'm among those who used UK S10 and NZ S1 as a way to cope through the mess of those months when they were airing last year. I'm excited for whenever UK S11 airs even though I don't know all the contestants -- then again, I didn't know who Mawaan Rizwan was (of #17 "fill an egg with helium" fame), and he's now one of my favorite contestant discoveries. I've listened to his "Mango" and "I've Got a New Walk" until they're permanent ear worms.
Agree that the NZ series was a bit rough at first but it settles in and now I have a weird crush on Paul and Angella and would happily watch a spin-off of just them trying to out-awkward each other.
Also add me as another who has been following along with the podcast -- watching the respective episode and then listening to podcast right afterwards. It's been a great way to unwind, even though I've seen all the seasons multiple times before and probably wouldn't need to rewatch the episode to know exactly what Ed and guest were talking about, but when there's an excuse to watch more Taskmaster, you watch more Taskmaster.
posted by paisley sheep at 11:25 PM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Agree that the NZ series was a bit rough at first but it settles in and now I have a weird crush on Paul and Angella and would happily watch a spin-off of just them trying to out-awkward each other.
Also add me as another who has been following along with the podcast -- watching the respective episode and then listening to podcast right afterwards. It's been a great way to unwind, even though I've seen all the seasons multiple times before and probably wouldn't need to rewatch the episode to know exactly what Ed and guest were talking about, but when there's an excuse to watch more Taskmaster, you watch more Taskmaster.
posted by paisley sheep at 11:25 PM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Some more Taskmaster highlights (apologies if these don't work in other countries):
Disqualifications (includes Potato Hole Incident)
Biggest challenge fails
"Egg" Gamble
Greg Davies put his action man in front of... wait what
Bob Mortimer's anus is too high
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:55 AM on February 11, 2021
Disqualifications (includes Potato Hole Incident)
Biggest challenge fails
"Egg" Gamble
Greg Davies put his action man in front of... wait what
Bob Mortimer's anus is too high
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:55 AM on February 11, 2021
This is the first time I've heard of Taskmaster — I watched the first two episodes from S7, and I really want to love it (the searching for technicalities and deadpan attempts at impossible tasks are definitely up my alley), but the "Jess told me before the show, it's her dad's opinion, that I penalize females on this show, and looks like it's fucking true, doesn't it?" and the playing the Mandarin for laughs sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Does that kind of thing get better, or is the whole show usually like that?
posted by wesleyac at 3:55 AM on February 11, 2021
posted by wesleyac at 3:55 AM on February 11, 2021
Alex Horne devised the show format and ran it at the Edinburgh Fringe one year. From that experience, either he or the studio decided they needed someone like Greg to actually play the eponymous Taskmaster in order to present a sterner face against the more cerebral comedic secretarial role Alex plays.
You can see them do the show with classic industry staff instead of comedians in one episode, and it just completely falls flat. They have enough material to roast one another, but the difference is that you're attacking someone's personal and professional persona that is not built around self-deprecating humour.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 5:18 AM on February 11, 2021
You can see them do the show with classic industry staff instead of comedians in one episode, and it just completely falls flat. They have enough material to roast one another, but the difference is that you're attacking someone's personal and professional persona that is not built around self-deprecating humour.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 5:18 AM on February 11, 2021
Here is the FanFare post for series 1. You have 100 seconds.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:20 AM on February 11, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:20 AM on February 11, 2021 [5 favorites]
I’m very curious about what Greg Davies and Kerry Godliman use their laminators for.
posted by Going To Maine at 5:18 PM on February 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 5:18 PM on February 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh btw this is only tangentially related, but if anyone is interested in Taskmaster alums playing D&D, that's a thing that happened (Sue Perkins, Nish Kumar, Ed Gamble & Sara Pascoe). Twice even (James Acaster, Lou Sanders, Phil Wang & Sally Phillips).
posted by juv3nal at 6:30 PM on February 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by juv3nal at 6:30 PM on February 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
I’m very curious about what Greg Davies and Kerry Godliman use their laminators for.
Laminating
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:02 PM on February 12, 2021 [5 favorites]
Laminating
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:02 PM on February 12, 2021 [5 favorites]
Does that kind of thing get better, or is the whole show usually like that?
The point of the show is that the Taskmaster is a jerk and makes them do dumb things for no real reason, other than to win a bust of his head. It's a bit.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:11 PM on February 12, 2021
The point of the show is that the Taskmaster is a jerk and makes them do dumb things for no real reason, other than to win a bust of his head. It's a bit.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:11 PM on February 12, 2021
For those who don't know, the great antecedent of Taskmaster--and also Whose Line Is It Anyway?--is the BBC Radio 4 comedy-panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, which recently completed its 73rd series. It's subtitled 'The antidote to panel games', and the panellists are, in the words of the end credits, given silly things to do by the host. It's more formal, part-scripted and the game-formats are replayed over and over, but Taskmaster shares its air of gleeful anarchy, delightfully inventive nonsense, and a host who has undisguised contempt for the panellists and his co-workers ("You may not realise it, but Colin is worshipped at the piano. Every time he comes on stage, people say 'Oh God, Colin Sell!'").
posted by Hogshead at 4:25 PM on February 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Hogshead at 4:25 PM on February 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
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I was surprisingly happy with their top three picks. Oddly the part I always remember from Liza's cake task (which came in at no. 3) isn't the look on Alex's face when he lands, but Liza's gleeful cackle as she runs off-camera back into the house.
Assuming I had to choose my top [X] tasks, the majority would likely come from series 7 and 9. The mix of personalities for those two worked out such that the end result was more than the sum of its parts.
For anyone who's not found it there is also a companion Taskmaster Podcast, hosted by Ed Gamble. It began at the start of series 10, bringing on a past contestant as the weekly guest to do a sort of post-mortem breakdown of each episode, and was apparently popular enough that they've gone back to series 1 and are doing a review of each episode, now both with past contestants and show aficionados. It's good fun and an opportunity to supplement a (re)watch of the series.
posted by myotahapea at 4:48 AM on February 10, 2021