Taskmaster
- TV comedy
- Channel 4 / U&Dave
- 2015 - 2025
- 171 episodes (18 series)
TV format in which Greg Davies and Alex Horne set a group of comedians various outlandish challenges. Also features Romesh Ranganathan, Frank Skinner, Roisin Conaty, Josh Widdicombe, Tim Key and more.
- Returns on Sunday 29th December on C4 at 9pm with New Year Special
Streaming rank this week: 117
Episode menu
Series 8, Episode 1 - Hello
Prize task: Most powerful smell.
* Lou Sanders: A specially made cologne called: "Greg Davies: All Over Your Neck". - 5
* Paul Sinha: Cider vinegar. - 3
* Sian Gibson: Perm lotion. - 3
* Iain Stirling: A fart in a jar. - 2
* Joe Thomas: A tomato stalk. - 1
Task 1: Find the receiver of this baby monitor. You must leave your hat on. Fastest wins. Your time starts now.
* Iain: 2:59 - 5
* Sian: 3:40 - 4
* Joe: 4:43 - 3
* Lou: 9:57 - 2
* Paul: 27:37 - 1
Task 2: Make the best ventriloquist dummy and be chatted up by it. Most seductive ventriloquist dummy wins. You have 30 minutes and your scene must last no longer than 30 seconds. Your time starts now.
* Iain - 5
* Lou, Paul and Sian - 4
* Joe - 1
Task 3: Alex is on the bridge in the distance with lights on his head. Get as close as you can to Alex without him noticing you. Alex will duck down the wall for ten seconds, then pop up for ten seconds, then duck down for ten seconds and so on until he notices you. The task starts when Alex first ducks down behind the wall, in one minute from now.
* Joe: 1m - 5
* Iain and Lou: Spotted them just on top of the bridge. - 4
* Sian: 181m - 2
* Paul: 193m - 1
Live task: Get the greatest weight of doughnuts in your bucket. You must have your hands on your hips at all times. You have 100 seconds.
* Lou: 2.4kg - 5
* Iain: 1.162kg - 4
* Sian: 1.002kg - 3
* Joe: 872g - 2
* Paul: 678g - 1
Final scores
* Iain and Lou - 20
* Sian - 16
* Joe - 12
* Paul - 10
Tie-break task: Peel a banana using only your feet. You may not touch the banana with your hands at any point. You may not damage your banana. Fastest wins.
* Iain: 59 seconds - Winner
* Lou: 61 seconds
Broadcast details
- Date
- Wednesday 8th May 2019
- Time
- 9pm
- Channel
- U&Dave
- Length
- 60 minutes
Cast & crew
| Greg Davies | Host / Presenter |
| Alex Horne | Host / Presenter |
| Iain Stirling | Self |
| Joe Thomas | Self |
| Lou Sanders | Self |
| Paul Sinha | Self |
| Sian Gibson | Self |
| Alex Horne | Writer |
| Tim Key | Task Consultant |
| Andy Devonshire | Series Director |
| Andy Cartwright | Series Producer |
| Richard Allen-Turner | Executive Producer |
| James Taylor | Executive Producer |
| Jon Thoday | Executive Producer |
| Hilary Rosen | Executive Producer |
| Rob Aslett | Executive Producer |
| Andy Devonshire | Executive Producer |
| Alex Horne | Executive Producer |
| Dan Trelfer | Edit Producer |
| Vicky Winter | Line Producer |
| Thomas Perrett | Editor |
| Mark Sangster | Editor |
| Rebecca Bowker (as Becky Bowker) | Editor |
| James Dillon | Production Designer |
| Kyz Kistell (as Kyz Kistel) | Production Designer |
| Sam Montague | Director of Photography |
| Christina Baker (as Chrissie Baker) | Make-up Designer |
| Martin Kempton | Lighting Designer |
| Dru Masters | Composer |
| Tom Howe | Composer |
Videos
Iain Stirling's puppet show
Iain Stirling treats us to a puppet show with his very own homemade puppet.
Featuring: Iain Stirling.
Sian Gibson & Paul Sinha get caught
Sian Gibson and Paul Sinha attempt to reach Alex Horne without being seen. Easier said than done, as Sian and Paul found out...
Featuring: Alex Horne, Paul Sinha & Sian Gibson.
Press
Review: why serious silliness is so ludicrously funny
There shouldn't be anything entertaining about a grumpy quiz enthusiast searching for a lost baby monitor in a caravan. More interesting things happen to every one of us daily. But the spectacle on Taskmaster (Dave channel) of a furious and frustrated Paul Sinha, better known as The Sinnerman from teatime general knowledge gameshow The Chase, was ludicrously funny.
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail, 9th May 2019Taskmaster Series 8, Episode 1 review
It's looking like it'll be one of the best [series] yet to warms the cockles of my heart, and I've no doubts at all that it'll make everyone who watches it laugh an enormous amount over the next couple of months.
Alice Finch, Comedy To Watch, 9th May 2019Season eight of the reliably daft gameshow sees Sian Gibson, Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas, Lou Sanders and Paul Sinha in the thrall of the man-mountain king as they try to impress Greg Davies. Among the usual pettiness and point-scoring there is an ad hoc ventriloquism round that may scar the nation's psyche.
Graeme Virtue, The Guardian, 8th May 2019Alex Horne: 'I've been sent somebody's heart in a jar'
We chat to Taskmaster creator Alex Horne about the show's early hurdles, dedicated fans, the US remake and the power of jealousy...
Louisa Mellor, Den Of Geek, 8th May 2019Review - Taskmaster: Series 8, Episode 1 - Hello
While it is of course to early to tell who is the most dominant in this series so far, there are some things we can already gather. Chief among these is that the Sinnerman is not as smart as he looks.
Ian Wolf, On The Box, 8th May 2019Taskmaster review - a cheap, childish comedy miracle
A gang of comics play silly games, then squabble about them. This is totally pointless comfort TV - but that's precisely why it's become a hit.
Jack Seale, The Guardian, 8th May 2019Paul Sinha had "very strange" approach to Taskmaster
"As you imagine, he's intelligent. But that doesn't mean he's got any common sense."
Susannah Alexander & Laura Jane Turner, Digital Spy, 6th May 2019If you've yet to have the pleasure, Taskmaster is simply one of the most joyful series around. Which other TV show gets you inside the boot of Bob Mortimer's car or turns Noel Fielding into a tiny banana? Five comedians, doing very silly things in the presence of creator Alex Horne and the Taskmaster himself, Greg Davies. This year's contestants are Paul Sinha, Joe Thomas, Iain Stirling, Lou Sanders and Sian Gibson. A sheer delight.
Louisa Mellor, Den Of Geek, 3rd May 2019Exclusive clip: sneak up on Alex without being caught
Taskmaster is about to return for an eighth series of madness and fun, and Digital Spy have an exclusive first-look clip, featuring some of our favourite TV stars taking on Alex Horne. The task: Alex alternates between being on lookout and hiding, and our contestants need to sneak up on him across a train station without getting noticed.
Joe Anderton, Digital Spy, 3rd May 2019