Alex Horne

It's cliched but true: we are truly in a golden age of television. It's easy to be drawn to the glitz and glamour of high-end drama, but hidden between Top Gear re-runs on banter channel Dave, Taskmaster has steadily been building a reputation as the funniest show on television. Birthed from an Edinburgh Fringe concept, Taskmaster Greg Davies and sidekick Alex Horne (also show creator) set a group of comedians a series of inane challenges. It's a winningly simple formula - get funny people to do silly things in a pressured environment, from finding the boiled egg in a line-up to just making "the best noise". The show's genius lies in its casting, avoiding the rotating line-up typical of panel shows, and instead securing the same people for 10 episodes. In-jokes develop and tensions rise as you follow contestants desperately attempting to win a golden replica of Davies's cranium. It might not be the most fashionable choice, but there's been nothing more reliably funny on television in 2018.

Up to the Task: Selling comedy to the world

Gameshow Taskmaster has been a standout hit for UKTV and is now entertaining audiences around the world. Creator Alex Horne and execs from UKTV and production company Avalon explain how the show was exported to 17 countries.

Best comedy books of 2018

Some top funny tomes from this past year, featuring everything from Brexit to feminism, and daft games to theoretical musings.

Taskmaster series smashes ratings

The current series of Taskmaster, the award winning and critically acclaimed series on UKTV's Dave, has eclipsed all previous series in terms of ratings.

TV Review: The Horne Section Television Programme

Horne doesn't feel like a natural front man for a conventional entertainment show - even though he looked the part until the camera panned down to reveal his gold trainers - but then again this wasn't a conventional entertainment show.

Regular guests at the 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown end of the comedy market, the Horne Section specialise in tolerable songs and spoofs. In this one-off they assume the spotlight, with guests including Nadine Coyle. Older relatives might allow themselves the odd small chuckle.

Taskmaster, which started as a comedy routine at the Edinburgh Fringe, has become the most popular show in Dave's admittedly short and unspectacular history -- such a success that another three series have been commissioned. That's good news for anyone who can't get enough of stand-ups and comic actors creating art with whipped cream or hurling dolls into trees.

It works because the five contestants, who this time include one-liner king Tim Vine and sitcom stalwart Liza Tarbuck, happily submit to the show's sadistic style. Watching them make fools of themselves is quite entertaining: seeing presenter Greg Davies mock and sneer at their efforts can be shamefully funny.

Creator of the concept, and butt of Greg's harshest jibes, is Alex Horne, who also oversees all the tasks. He understands the importance of a rigid format, and each episode follows a precise rhythm. It's possible to gauge almost to the second when he will make a self-conscious quip, or a jangling piano will introduce a clip to introduce the next task.

Eventually the format will become stale, changes will be introduced, and the whole thing will fall apart. For now, we can wallow in telly that manages to be inane, spiteful and hilarious at the same time.

The Horne Section Television Programme preview

When Dave commissions a proper series - and let's hope they do - an hour will be fine.

What is an Alex Horne Section?

From Taskmaster and The Button via Countdown, Alex Horne is ready (sort of) to take centre stage.