Taskmaster: Crafting Pure Comedy From Perfect Chaos

How to describe a show like Taskmaster? Springing from the inventive mind of Alex Horne, Taskmaster is part panel show, part game show and part sitcom. It sees a group of five comedians and celebrity personalities take on a series of increasingly absurd and dignity-compromising tasks, often against a timer and always competing for precious points from the most arbitrary of judges, the Taskmaster himself, Greg Davies.
It’s one of the most delightful, entertaining and straight-up funniest shows to grace British television screens in recent years and unique in its ability to peel away the layers of performance of its contestants. Getting a bunch of celebrities to complete silly tasks can provide enough comedy on its own, but Taskmaster is set up to bring out more from that seemingly simple premise.
It’s one thing to watch someone failing at an outlandish challenge, but then put them in front of a studio audience and their fellow competitors, ask them to justify their actions before a tyrannical judge in charge of their fate, and you get something far more entertaining. So how does Taskmaster draw out that desperate need to win from its competitors, how did it create its own sub genre of comedy and why does that all make it one of the funniest things on television?
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If you enjoyed this video, please feel free to do one or more of the following: like, comment and subscribe. No pressure, but I'd love to hear what you think. Find me on Twitter at @rosstopham.
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00:00 Taskmaster: Crafting Pure Comedy From Perfect Chaos
01:10 The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
03:43 A Set-Up Without a Punchlnie
08:38 A Taskmaster’s Role
14:21 The Sitcom Gameshow
17:04 So What Did We Learn Today?
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Soundtrack:
------- Gypsy Dance by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
Genre and Mood: Jazz & Blues + Bright
License: You're free to use this song and monetize your videos.
------- Heartache by Silent Partner
Genre and Mood: Jazz & Blues + Calm
License: You're free to use this song and monetize your videos.
------- Lovely Swindler by Amarià
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Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/lovely-swindler​
Music promoted by Audio Library • Lovely Swindler - Amar...
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Links and Further Reading:
www.digitalspy.com/tv/big-brot...
inews.co.uk/essentials/cultur...
www.chortle.co.uk/news/2017/11...
www.comedy.co.uk/tv/taskmaste...
www.radiotimes.com/tv/enterta...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-ra...
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#Taskmaster #AlexHorne #GregDavies

[@nettieb7604]

nothing will beat rhod gilbert filming greg from his cupboard while he slept - never has the taskmaster looked so simultaneously violated yet unequivocally impressed

[@lauriefromks7263]

Greg's mom in the bath wearing a fez was a close second. Rub-a-dub-dub.

[@kylekinsey2624]

Stealing his pants should have won the high octane prize

[@tjenadonn6158]

To this day I bet Greg still checks his closet for Welshmen every night.

[@Sunprism]

That was the moment I used to convince friends to watch this show "I showed you out!" "No you didn't!"

[@AmberMetallicScorpion]

honestly, all the rhod gilbert tasks are a genuine treat. notably the taskmaster house extension one and the rope tying one

[@lilibee_]

“Who was your favourite contestant to watch break down on stage” Was the garage open for us as well

[@KyleJamesFrazer]

I just howled reading this!

[@damekkoDark]

oh my god, thanks for bringing this precious horrible memories

[@aliumcepa4638]

i literally screamed at 01:30 reading this in my room alone in bed. dear ducking god

[@lizcollinson2692]

My favourite is always were Alex breaks his composure. Where he reacts to a contestants failure, rather than the removed observer. When Charlotte Richie crawled past that tm spot within inches, a blurry alex in the background crouches in empathetic pain.

[@Paigeofmaces]

@@lizcollinson2692 The code solving task where he fell off the chair laughing at Desiree getting annoyed at Guz is my favourite Alex Break.

[@carpii]

It was a stroke of genius for Alex to assign himself this subservient role, and bring in Greg Davies as Taskmaster. A lot of comedians ego wouldn't allow themselves to do that

[@PLF...]

UK comedy is all about making fun of yourself getting squished. But yeah, in the US this would be a problem

[@Page5framing]

He’s said several times that he isn’t a front man type. He’s much more comfortable as a second.

[@alexjones7043]

@@Page5framing Alex Horne and the horn section aside I’m guessing?

[@Page5framing]

@@alexjones7043 that’s just what he’s said in multiple interviews.

[@hundvd_7]

@@Page5framing Sounds like Hol Horse

[@SheagleArk]

There is no time where romesh absolutely obliterating that watermelon fails to make me laugh

[@RossTalksAbout]

The thunderous noise it makes is just perfect.

[@tjenadonn6158]

​@@RossTalksAbout It's as though they specifically miked the watermelon.

[@arifike]

That’s the kind of thing where even 30 watched in your stomach hurts from laughing.

[@toddhollen]

I laughed so hard I couldn't breath the first time I saw it and even when I was trying to explain it to my roommate I couldn't stop laughing.

[@harrywithanh]

well, he knew it wasn’t going to some kind of melon buffet

[@TheGMsLair]

Apart from the content side of things, I think one of the most remarkable and maybe revolutionary things this show did was putting it all on KZbin. For free. And not region locked. I think this only helped the show's popularity. That's something I still can't quite imagine despite it being real. It's such a different approach. Making the show accessible. You literally need nothing apart from access to the internet to enjoy this show. That's mind-boggling (at least for me).

[@steve470]

Strangely, it's not quite "not region locked". Recent episodes aren't available if (KZbin thinks) you're in the USA, for instance.

[@TheGMsLair]

@@steve470 oh wow okay I didn't know that! Thank you!

[@chrisbarnes6312]

dont know where you get the idea its freely available everywhere because that is certainly not the case. otherwise how could they sell the shows in other markets to providers, networks etc if people could just watch for free on youtube. think most markets can watch snippets online but for the whole show have to watch FTA or stream providers. as always there is the odd illegal source that sneaks through.

[@carolemercier7704]

@@chrisbarnes6312 I'd be curious to know all the countries it's free in. It is in France at least. Lucky me 🙂

[@Meretsen]

Freely on KZbin in Sri Lanka and India

[@rhiannonbamping8257]

"What's your name?" "Greg." "No, it's not..." I love how nervous Greg looked at that point. Genius present 🎁🤣

[@emilyford8129]

"I changed it".

[@amoliski]

🎶I changed it🎶

[@ctoshplays]

Absolute genius of a show. Potato-gate probably still haunts Joe to this day.

[@rhiannonbamping8257]

I totally screamed at the telly at this.

[@ctoshplays]

@@rhiannonbamping8257 I felt so bad for Joe.

[@sh4dowchas3r]

That was genuinely heartbreaking to watch, but also absolutely hilarious.

[@zoelundy5561]

He said it still does on the tm podcast

[@GlizzyTrefoil]

406 likes! damn thats the amount of beans in a can.

[@dm9910]

There's one thing that you didn't mention which I think is the biggest stroke of genius in the whole show: Alex is not just a referee, he's part of the task itself. It's almost a fourth-wall break. In Crystal Maze and other gameshows, the hosts typically stay well out of the way and avoid interfering or interacting at all while the task is underway. But in Taskmaster, Alex is right in the thick of it: he's a prop, assistant, referee and comic foil all in one. With Taskmaster's open-ended rules and Alex's compliance, he's often the most powerful tool the contestants have at their disposal. It's never not funny to see Alex bemusedly follow along with the contestants' wacky plans, and it's also made for some of the most brilliant tasking on the whole show. Rhod Gilbert tying up Alex, Liza Tarbuck making him sit his bare arse on a cake, Ed Gamble turning him into a mermaid... these tasks are what the show is all about. A lesser show would've either outlawed getting the assistant's help, or would've cast a more stern figure who would refuse to help. Alex's willingness to just go with the flow and help the contestants when asked even at great personal discomfort, while also allowing them enough rope to hang themselves if they've misunderstood the rules or have a really stupid idea, really elevate the show's format to a whole new level.

[@youngwang97]

I absolutely loved Paul Chowdry on the show. He acted like his actions were normal and everyone else were the weird ones. "Bastard's crying innit?"

[@oh2one2]

bastards

[@tymonster183]

Bob Mortimer saying "Do we strike you?" is still one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[@elftax]

Casting Greg Davis as Taskmaster is real genius, his persona is perfect especially when giving or withholding points.

[@gljames24]

Yeah, his inner teacher really ups the performance.

[@WyattRyeSway]

Yeah, the James Acaster situation “oh just open the box you pussy” ......Greg’s teacher reaction (though no doubt scripted) was awesome!

[@lizcollinson2692]

Yes likeable even when he's being mean or an arse. Can't think of many who could do it.

[@dm9910]

I didn't fully appreciate Greg until I saw the New Zealand version of the show. While the NZ version is in most respects just as brilliant as the original, and sometimes surpasses it, Jeremy Wells as the taskmaster doesn't hold a candle to Greg Davies' performance. Jeremy isn't terrible and it took me a while to work out what I found disappointing about his performance (other than lacking Greg's teacher vibes), but eventually it hit me. The biggest example of the problem is that on several occasions he goes noticeably out of his way to find a funny bullshit reason to mark someone down when they put in a genuinely good effort. On the surface it sounds like the kind of thing Greg would do, but from Wells it feels cheap and unsatisfying. I realized that when Greg throws out a curveball assessment of a task, it generally feels deserved, because he saves it for occasions where the contestant is the villain in some way. The fickleness and ego of the taskmaster character is really important to the show, but it's really hard to balance that with fairness so that the judging doesn't just feel arbitrary. While I've disagreed with Greg on a few tasks, most of the time he absolutely nails it. P.S. watch the NZ version, there's only 2 seasons so far and they're both on YT in their entirety. Well worth a watch.

[@funfuz]

"Am I the spider?"

[@pace1195]

My favorite parts are the competitor's commentary on their colleagues. On attempting to get a tea bag into a tea cup: Frank: Someone is going to spend the first 45 minutes realizing it's better wet. Romesh: I just realized I should probably wet them. It has rendered everything up to this point as irrelevant.

[@Phtephknee]

Theres no box mate!!!

[@xjohnson42]

Finally, Tim Key gets credit for his fabulous performance and helping make this show what it is today. He helped create the initial tone.

[@izzysmith105]

So true - The Comic Relief thing and generally his cheating set up the possibility for so many hilarious arguments like Potatogate and James Acaster being furious at everything He gave everyone the idea to creatively interpret and cheat

[@marcgorter8651]

I'm always on the lookout for who is going to be the series' resident psychopath

[@RossTalksAbout]

So who do you think it's going to be this time?

[@marcgorter8651]

@@RossTalksAbout I can't really explain it. I don't really have a system for deciding who the Taskmaster Psychopaths are; All contestants are weird in the end. The psycho is just the weirdest, wicked, left-field, kinda unstable person. Anyway, in this series so far, it's a toss up between Sarah Kendall and Mike Wozniak. Sarah seems more volatile and left-field (see the prize task in Ep.1) than Mike. Mike is very creative, calm and calculating; he might be a low-key psychopath, like Hugh Dennis. Sarah takes the psycho lead so far, though. Sorry for rambling...

[@KitagumaIgen]

@@marcgorter8651 Can you give us your breakdown for series 1-10? There are a couple of groups where my choices are pretty given and others where I waffle between a number of participants...

[@marcgorter8651]

@@KitagumaIgen Again, there's no explanation or system or whatever. S1 Tim Key, because of the cheating and the giggle when he wrote down D for Dog Food when he found out Alex was tasting the meal. S2 Joe Wilkinson, because who the f*ck impresses a mayor by bringing 42 Calippo's and a bunch of lagers? S3 Paul Chowdhry, because of his take on a snowman and basically everything he said and did. (Al "Mr. Moneybags" Murray is the runner up) S4 Hugh Dennis, a low-key psychopath, because of the look in his eyes when greg relentlessly bullies him. One of my favourite casts, because every single one of them was crazy. S5 Sally Phillips, because she's a beautiful, intelligent, eloquent woman, but Jesus Christ, the mad cackle during the special cuddle task, the birth of Alex, the watercooler task. One could argue for Bob Mortimer, but we already know he's mad. Another one of my favourite casts. S6 Liza Tarbuck, because of the bare. arse. in. cake. S7 Rhod Gilbert, because of the nudity and the continuous and relentless bullying of basically everybody. Not even Greg was safe. The craziest and funniest thing he did was sneaking back into Greg's house after a party and hiding in his bedroom closet till morning, just to film Greg sleeping. That whole cast was crazy tbh, another favourite one. S8 Paul Sinha, another low-key psycho. A very intelligent and calculating person, yet so weird and inept at certain points. Suffers from the Baddiel Syndrome. S9 David Baddiel, the originator of the Baddiel Syndrome. Intelligent, succesful, witty, yet terribly weird and inept at the tasks. The whole ice lolly task or the break & fix task are evidence of this. And who the f*ck calls their penis a dodo? S10 Katherine Parkinson, because that woman had a slow, but steady mental breakdown during the series. Also, Baddiel Syndrome. One could argue for Johnny Vegas, but he was just an absolute dad.

[@minutemangangplank8599]

I really want to see David Mitchell devolve into insanity on this show

[@williamchapple8886]

Rosalind’s a fucking nightmare will always be my favourite moment

[@qsilver85]

there are a lot of songs that i liked. James Acaster and Jessica Knappett tunes were brilliant in my opinion

[@RossTalksAbout]

Almost nothing beats Bob just absolutely belting that one line.

[@helenamirian908]

Exactly!!! Everyone thinking Mark and Nish were so clever when their song was far below average. Rosalind didn't even laugh, she didn't know the audience would be so surprised by their each being able to play an instrument at a sixth grade level and writing "she"s too cool for me" lyrics. I'm a songwriter and "Rosalind's a fucking nightmare" is brilliant.

[@jrd33]

One of my favorite elements is when they get only one contestant to perform a task (while making them think all the contestants are going to do it) and then refuse to give them any points. So cruel and so funny.

[@qwertyTRiG]

The version of this on Taskmaster New Zealand was wonderful.

[@hollyludvigsen6763]

James Acaster is by far my favorite contestant, I love that man

[@danielgill3998]

Same! His rants against Rod are great

[@rhiannonbamping8257]

I loved how much effort he'd put into getting good at hula hooping. That was impressive.

[@hollyludvigsen6763]

@@rhiannonbamping8257 I know! He worked so hard, I feel so bad it didn’t work out

[@SamOGr]

Him, Phil, Sally and Mark watson are my favorite contestants, but it's all so good

[@chuckbossart]

I love how he ignored Alex every time he said hello. He also reminds me of a modern day Kramer from Seinfeld with the way he bursts into a room

[@fanbladeinstruments]

I don't know what's sillier, that you love taskmaster enough to make this video, or that I love it enough to have watched this whole thing.

[@mvs1122]

Katherine Ryan was my absolute favorite, I will never forget her completely different approach to the “make a mess, clean it up” task

[@NeiloNeil]

That was one of my favourite moments from the series. She even made a mess of making a mess with her family seeing straight through her BS xD

[@irisblue2332]

She wasn't one of my favorites on the whole, but that moment was pure genius. In a way it reminds me of Lou's diabolical "apology" to Alex because it is so completely unexpected.

[@InevitableVitare]

Every time you showed a clip of Katherine Parkinson I just started laughing as I remembered what she was doing. She was so perfect for the show. What an incredible series that one was.

[@robertharriman7267]

Bob Mortimer is without a doubt my favourite contestant but Liza Tarbuck getting Alex to sit on a cake is my favourite ever task.

[@ImekaSF]

That Joe Wilkinson moment is just as heartbreaking now as it was the first time I saw it. This is a great breakdown of one of my favorite shows! Thanks for putting it together.

[@RossTalksAbout]

It never gets old, does it? If anything I'd forgotten just how tragic it was until getting to the editing part of this video. Thank you as well!

[@qwertyTRiG]

No sign of Mawaan "helium egg" Rizwan? No but seriously, great analysis of the show. It really is its own unique genre, isn't it?

[@RossTalksAbout]

If there's one clip I regret not putting into the video purely because I forgot... helium egg is up there. Thank you though, there's definitely nothing else quite like it.

[@talk_it_through4730]

i really loved catherine on taskmaster because i thought she'd be the one who was really logical about all the tasks, do them the best, get the points and win. but she was just such a disaster it was so brilliant to watch - the dead wasp, the imaginary rat the 'am i the spider?' God i love that woman

[@zer0luv]

I love that at the start of some seasons I only know Davis and Horne, but by the end I want to follow the careers of all the other stars. Whomever does casting for each season deserves all the awards the way they all get along or not is such comedic gold all on it's own.

[@britsy894eva]

My favorite breakdown is Daisy May Cooper with the hippo. I cry laughing every time I see that clip

[@zhazhagab0r]

Similarly, Ed Gamble & David Baddiel in that live task.

[@qwertyTRiG]

​@@zhazhagab0r"Just to check, have I been put on a team with David Baddiel?"

[@Baex21]

Sean Lock and David Mitchell. But then again, it is a joy to find new comedians through Taskmaster.

[@RossTalksAbout]

Those are two I'd absolutely love to see, especially Mitchell.

[@danielgill3998]

The pedantic rants from Mitchell would be EPIC!

[@samsaffron3916]

Brian Blessed and Richard Ayoade

[@carpii]

@@samsaffron3916 I think Brian Blessed would intimidate even Greg Davies, and forcibly take over as Taskmaster

[@MrDenzel20]

Sean Lock's a great choice, I was gonna say Eddie Izzard and Matt Berry

[@victor-oh]

Man, the first time I saw Joe's potato... That was devastating

My favourite contestant of the entire show is Katherine Parkinson from Series 10. Charm & incompetence all in equal measure. Her gradual breakdown throughout that series was nothing short of gold to watch.

[@RossTalksAbout]

Katherine in "Catapult a shoe into a bathtub using your feet" is some of the hardest I've laughed in the last year at least.

[@MllrSr]

I didn’t know I needed a video essay on Taskmaster but apparently I did. God, I love this show

[@ryanschmidt8468]

As my girlfriend and I are Americans, we don't really know any of the contestants (a few exceptions) and had never heard of the hosts. But man, we love this show. We've seen every one. I think much like the Great British Baking show, if this were picked up on Netflix, it'd be a smash hit over here, too. I understand there is an american version, but the panel format doesn't work with American comedy, just as with the great british baking show. Since I have a lot of family in the Croydon area, it would be a dream to attend one of the shows some day. That all being said, I'd love to see John Oliver, Ricky Gervais, Sandy Toksvig. But, my favorite part of the show is getting to know the comedians. I just think John Oliver would be great at it.

[@unkyduck]

The foreign remakes are not even fun to watch for the disaster factor. Unmitigated failures every one. Long live the OTM

[@zoelundy5561]

There is an American version of taskmaster but it just doesn’t have the same energy

[@nvk3435]

@@unkyduck i saw one episode of the new zealand version and it seemed like its successfully taken the premise of the show and adapted the tone to fit the personalities of their taskmaster and assistant, but it was one of the later episodes so i think it may have taken a while to get to that point. ive also heard the finnish version is a lot of fun, so i dont think theyre all failures. the american one is very much a failure though, despite reggie watts.

[@zhazhagab0r]

I love British panel shows, but Taskmaster is the first one I have got my partner to watch with me, and he ADORES it.

[@Duskblade25]

I watched a couple of episodes of the American version and it wasn't bad but wasn't good either. I think it had three flaws with it. Number 1 the prize task was basically missing, instead of all contestants bringing a prize each show, it was just one person per episode. Number 2, the person to be the taskmaster doesn't have the same authoritative persona like Greg, and basically couldn't put his foot down against one of the contestants which made the show look bad. Since the taskmaster is suppose to be the dominative person and when he isn't. It kinda kills the taskmaster vibe. Finally number 3, episode length was just too short. UK version is about 45 mins long excluding ads, think the US version was like 30 mins. Which doesn't give the show enough time to breathe.

[@roogy1622]

"Well you can take a satsuma and shove it up your arse." Is one of my favourite TV moments ever, it was beautiful.

[@Nimmo1492]

The casting of Greg is sheer perfection.

[@darnitmillie]

I would love to see any of the Six Idiots/Horrible Histories troupe (Matthew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, or my favourite Ben Willbond) I think they would fit in so well as castmembers on Taskmaster. Ben Willbond would give off major tired dad vibes but slightly evil, like Hugh Dennis did. Jim Howick would be one of the funniest contestants ever, he is so naturally funny. ect.

[@ayszhang]

Well, time to rewatch everything again

[@RossTalksAbout]

Never a bad idea.

[@skullsaintdead]

Fave contestant def Tim Key. He just blew it out of the park. When he jumped into the bath, I almost pissed myself. He just gives it 100% and it always trying to sneakily get around the parameters of the task whilst still winning. Now, at the back of my mind when watching new Taskmaster tasks is "What would Tim Key do?", I love that he's a contributor to the show now too.

[@KillerMeme]

Still surprises me how much Alex will put himself through for contestants tho Tho he probably realises it makes for great content, little bit of sacrifice for his art/baby of a show

[@freebeerishere]

i like how when you start talking about rage the clips of ed gamble increase

[@chayimweinstock443]

One day every week my mother and I watch this show. I cannot stress how much of an oasis that this show has been during the deserts that ‘20 and ‘21 have been. My favorite contestant has to be Jessica Knappett. Every time she was on screen I was laughing.

[@RossTalksAbout]

I hear you, I've re-watched it all the way through at least once since the first lockdown. Oasis is a great word for it. Jess was wonderful, I only knew her from the Inbetweeners movie but she was so funny and endearing.

[@chayimweinstock443]

@@RossTalksAbout the “best noise” task had me on the ground laughing.

[@jpy8]

Hyuuuuh hyuh hyuh hyuuuuh

[@konstakuorikoski6512]

The Finnish version of this is also very funny. And I'm not type of person who laughts out loud easily. The UK version is also had me multiple times just floored. The synergy of the cast is amazing.

[@danielgill3998]

Have you seen the NZ version? That has some gems too!

[@ironicallyscreaming]

I'm Finnish and I didn't even know we had a version! Gotta have a look.

[@keithpanton7486]

It doesn't get enough credit, you have to wonder how long the cast meetings take, choosing five people who'll be varied enough yet be able to bounce off each other.

[@Otoma]

I can also really recommend the Norway version Kongen Befaler

[@yaya-mk3nn]

“it’s much more than the sum of its parts” + the shot of jessica doing sums on the window in bean juice. brilliant.

[@2nd3rd1st]

0:16 I appreciate that you're separating comedians from celebrity personalities. It reflects reality, comedians rightfully are the Downstairs in the Downton Abbey household that is Britain's media landscape.

[@danielgill3998]

really? hmmmm...as an American looking in it seems they are the cream of the crop but i dont know they whole crop lol

[@2nd3rd1st]

@@danielgill3998 Just being facetious ;)

[@keithpanton7486]

@@danielgill3998 They're brilliant and some of our finest entertainers...but comedy is always seen as somehow 'less' than acting or music, they're clowns, not artists, to far too many people.

[@StevenBanks123]

I’ve watched Every episode, every outtake, every previously unaired task, and every behind-the-scenes. It is a delight.

[@smurfette_blues7922]

Taskmaster is truly a rare lightning in a bottle show. I love finding youtube videos appreciating this show. It really is just endlessly fun to discuss

[@lmac40762]

I'll never not laugh when Ramesh smashes the watermelon

[@mikeb4469]

From Canada, Taskmaster is a fantastic show that I look forward to each week. My favourite contestant was Sally Phillips.

[@nommyyt]

Sally Phillips was an absolute lunatic, but in a classy way somehow. Imo, she totally outshone Bob Mortimer's shtick. Not that Bob wasn't funny but I've seen his bits from other panel shows (he even repeats the apple thing which Greg remembered and docked him for) so nothing he did was truly surprising to me. Sally, otoh, just came out of nowhere.

[@esthermigo3009]

absolutely. season 5's residential (lovable) psychopath

[@qwertyTRiG]

@@nommyyt I love the way Sally is such an elegant classy lady ... and then she does that! The unhinged psychopath comes out of nowhere.

[@Hardbody217]

Thankfully, the Taskmaster KZbin channel makes episodes available to us the US. Sadly, the American version had as much personality as most Brit adaptations (Coupling, Miranda, Red Dwarf, etc.). Panel shows like Mock the Week, Would I Lie & Cats Does Countdown just don't seem to translate well here.

[@owainmeurig]

I think Would I lie to you has similarities to What's My Line.

[@leelee353]

I will forever be bummed that the American version flopped so hard. If only they got the right cast! There’s so many LA comedians that would have been wonderful on the show. They really biffed it. Luckily the NZ version rocks.

[@adamsbja]

Lots of folks have said British comedy is more willing to be the joke while Americans want to be the ones doing the laughing, and I'd say that's true as far as you can generalize such a varied group of people in a profession where individuality is the whole brand, but what I think is the key thing missing is the scale. In the UK even if people haven't shared a flat together they've all done the same gigs at one point or another. And I find that helps with the atmosphere.

[@millardfillmore241]

@@owainmeurig or To Tell the Truth

[@owainmeurig]

@@millardfillmore241 I've never seen it but it sounds similar.

[@c.w.miller8195]

This is really good. I mean, I've watched the show since it started so there was zero reason for me to watch this to be sold on it but watch I did, and I think you've done a great job in encapsulating what makes the show so vital. You did cover, but I don't think it can be overstated, how the long-term paticipation of the contestants builds in an emotional component that is almost insidious, both for the contestants and for the viewers. Nish and Mark's song is just a thing of beauty, and then we get Bob, Sally and Aisling's version. No team of writers could workshop what happens on the show.

[@RossTalksAbout]

Thank you, glad you found enjoyment from it.

[@tigersfan14]

Honestly, this show helped me get thru the last year. The BAFTA they won was well deserved.

[@Sunprism]

I think Nish might be my all time favorite contestant. There's doing a task wrong, and then there's doing it Nish Style. My favorites: the "get the coconut as far away from here as possible..." He throws it once, it rolls right back to his feet, He mugs back to the camera and goes back inside. Or the Live task of getting an egg through a hoop as many times as possible; Whistle Blows, He immediately throws it into the side of the hoop and shatters it. "Nish, What have you brought and why is it Extraordinary?" "I've brought a Single Leaf" "Shit! Bob, What have you brought"

[@SoSo-li6dn]

The editor makes the show great. They have a really good sense of humour.

[@benstin]

My favorite is also when there is a skill-based task that someone just nails. It was always funny to watch people struggle with athletic tasks and Russell Howard just destroy it

[@exessex3522]

Wishlist: Alan Davies, Adam Buxton, Tim Minchin, Eddie Izzard, Richard Ayoade, Kevin Bridges, Marcus Brigstocke, Susan Calman, Craig Charles, Mickey Flanagan, Tony Hawks, Rufus Hound, Phill Jupitus, Miles Jupp, Sean Lock, Jason Manford, Diane Morgan, Ross Noble, Sue Perkins, Robert Webb, Henning Wehn, Martin Clunes, Caroline Quentin, Peter Serafinowicz, Angela Barnes, John Bishop, Alan Carr, Paul Foot, Robin Ince, Ellie Taylor, Holly Walsh, Andy Zaltzman, John Oliver etc.

[@who_Is_faten_helmi]

You forgot David Mitchell and rob brydon.

[@AndrewHalliwell]

@@who_Is_faten_helmi And when all those have been on the show, the universe is completed... Game over. They'll need to put one of them in each to spread it out a little.

[@exessex3522]

@@who_Is_faten_helmi Yeah, I'd add them willingly...

[@sankai91]

I honestly love that they decided to put it on youtube, where I discovered it and showed it to my friends! Back when it was at about Seried 4 on KZbin, I searched for the original stream - not only was it hidden behind a paywall, but also behind a geo-restriction - and from Switzerland I would have had no other chance to ever watch this show!

[@sniperwolf50]

17:43 "Am I the spider?"

[@parkashrawat]

James Acaster in series 7 and Ed Gamble in the 9th- favorite breakdowns.

[@artvid-1915]

Potato gate and Johnny vegas' cards were the saddest moments on TV. Not to mention hulagate

[@subbtopp]

Taskmaster is my happy place I re-watch all the series all the time, there's always a joke I've missed or the way a certain contestant does a task. love love love Taskmaster. x

[@mokkepokke]

I so want to see David Mitchell on this show.

[@danielgill3998]

same! i want to see him and Greg argue!

[@Goosetube12345]

can't see it working to be honest

[@Pax8n]

I could see him working well on it, because he is very smart, but might crack with the time limits and odd restrictions. And I see him being a perfect candidate for some of the Taskmasters special tasks, like counting baked beans. David seems like he has a breakable spirit when being forced to do illogical things.

[@miserablemozz8714]

Well it could happen. His missus is in the next series.

[@hi-ve1cw]

And Richard Ayoade

[@harrygaskin6235]

This was a great video essay about it, well done mate! When i recommend Taskmaster to people who havent seen it, i always say that it's unpredictable on three levels: -You dont know what the task will be or what they'll do to solve it -You don't know who will be good at what, or what method will be best -You don't know how Greg Davies will award points or what kind of criteria he'll base it on. Once again, great video, subscribed!

[@Infernitar]

Like the Champion of Champions, I kinda want to see the Underdog's redemption - the five worst contestants come back to prove their mettle (or, at least, win some dignity back) Also, I think Sandi Toksvig and Richard Ayoade would be hilarious

[@RossTalksAbout]

So Nish Kumar, Phil Wang, David Baddiel and Katherine Parkinson for the line-up? Based on the first few episodes of the new series, I might the fifth slot for Charlotte Ritchie, absolutely loved her so far but don't imagine her doing great points-wise :')

[@imaEnVideo]

The greatest thing, to me, about the "sitcom" nature of the show, is that I'm not british, I don't know these people, I recognized Noel & Katherine from IT Crowd and that's about it. But at the end of every season, without any failure, I deeply loved all 5 of the contestants and I was already missing them.

[@izzysmith105]

I absolutely LOVE Taskmaster My favourite part is watching the contestants slowly break down over time - you see the difference along the series as they slowly become more desperate and crazed about things, become more and more ridiculous in their methods And when they end up screaming at each other. Its hilarious.

[@ryanh3635]

The production design of the main task room every series is incredible

[@lillithdv8]

It's bunkers how 5 minds interpret a set of instructions in the most random and often so lateral it become a fever-dream kind of situation. All contestant reveal a streak that could be a competitive side, the inept yet supremely entertaining side, the whimsical side and best of all the the bat-shit-insane-psycho which is the most hilarious of all. The genius of the show is calibrating the group in such a way that is doesn't become formulaic, boring OR too discordant. I have never laughed so much and as hard as watching this show

[@bradweston5342]

After watching a couple of episodes of "international" versions of Taskmaster you realise how important Greg Davies is in the title role. His condescending arrogance, "Cleese-ian rage" and very occasional tenderness truly sparks the "chemistry" of the show. Perhaps there is just an innate sense of colonial superiority missing from the internationals between the serfs and their master

[@michaelf.774]

I would like to see Ricky Gervais, John Robbins, Desiree Burch, Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock or Jack Whitehall on the show. My most favorite contestant was Noel Fielding. Best task that I would like to play myself was the hide-and-seek at the train station. Most heart-breaking moment has to be Joe Wilkinson's potatoe throw. What I would like to see is a taskmaster special with UK champions and International champions coming together.

[@michaelf.774]

Awesome summary of the show!!!

[@AlexeyBeganov]

Not gonna lie, I have not heard that Megalovania arrangement yet and it's pretty cool. And the show is brilliant - rod's tying 'himself' task is what introduced me to this show and I got hooked.

[@colinveacock5408]

The best contestant by far was Rhod Gilbert. Alex Horne up a ladder with his pants down while Rhod squirts water into the air via Hornes backside has to be seen to be believed. And how did he get Gregs mother to wear the fez in the bath? Brilliant telly...

[@IAmTheUltimateRuler]

I maintain that potatogate is the most intense emotional rollercoaster I've ever been on watching tv

[@MadcapShambleton]

That was brilliant! (As of this writing, 14 people have malfunctioning thumbs...or someone peed in their porridge that day.) Lockdown silver lining was discovering Taskmaster in early 2020, starting with S4 - yes, it was Tony Three Pies who got me hooked. James Acaster was so good, too; would be great to see Richard Ayoade, David Mitchell... Going into S11, I only knew of Lee Mack and now - what a great cast! Thankful to the TM Team for same-day uploads of full episodes for those of us not in the UK. Cushonnnn!

[@Uncle_T]

One of the funniest, most entertaining show ever. Pure genius.

[@Sunprism]

The lasso Alex task was originally meant as a tiebreaker....Then once David Baddiel tied spoons to it, they knew they had to put it on the show proper

[@OrigiName]

Using the clip of the watermelon task was a very good way to convey gut instinct stupidity.

[@billystanford275]

Great video, you really get and understand to core of this show and put it across in such a way that people who haven't seen it would fully understand it! Awesome work man!! Also, Wozniack for sure has this current season, I'm calling it now!

[@RossTalksAbout]

Thanks, that's much appreciated! I love this show so glad to hear I haven't been talking too much nonsense. He's going to be a tough act to beat! How he pulled off the plates on a hoverboard or getting back that balloon is beyond me.

[@luvhart]

Putting it out there….discovered this show first time just as series 8 concluded. Perfect timing as was going through a really crap time and needed a lift badly. Downloaded all series and binged. One of the funniest and clever tv shows out there, it brought me out of my funk and into a much better place. There, done, out there….thanks comedians and Richard Osman for making idiots of yourselves for moody twats like me to cheer the eff up a bit 👍🏻

[@AndreNGropo]

Rowan Atkinson would be my dream cast.

[@davidyoung5114]

I want to see David Mitchell on Taskmaster, seeing as his better half (Victoria Cohen-Mitchell) has already been on it, as well as Holly Walsh, who I'd like to see try to be even more saucy than Sally Phillips and her 'water-cooler' moment! Add in Daliso Chaponda and Maisie Adam, as well as 'veteran' comedian/musician Bill Bailey, and that looks like a winning combination to me!

[@johnswenson9140]

Alex Horne is an absolute genius. I love Greg as well of course but I'm floored by Alex, endlessly creative.

[@mr.weirdo5756]

Contestants with a chaotic nature like James Acaster can really flourish on this show. (MY favorite contestant)

[@chris86simon]

Pants on a stiiiick!

[@mr.weirdo5756]

@@chris86simon Over my shoulder Older and older I´m getting colder *That´s what I told ya!*

[@fernandopoo8211]

If Dave Mitchell gets cast I'd love for Victoria to compete on the same series as well. Sindhu Vee, Russel Kane, Xander Armstrong, Rob Delany, Morgana Robinson, Chris Ramsey, Dane Baptiste, David O'Dohrty, Joel Dommett, Susan Calman, Suzie Dent Any Edmonson/Saunders.... so much bright talent. I did see an Interview where Richard Ayoade said he'd never do it but now that it's so massively watched I'll wager that many celebs are looking to be cast.

[@josiesbooksandbakes7]

I loved Hugh Dennis and Rhod Gilbert because they both just reveled in pissing Greg off as much as possible in the prize task

[@grahamblue61]

I love the whole show, but one thing that was a definite highlight for me was James and Greg's dynamic in series 7. It was literally like a teacher and student interacting, just in a very odd environment.

[@robertbrookes2000]

Favourite Contestant breakdown: Either James Acaster on audience reaction or Joe Thomas about the eraser. Task I would most love to tackle: Exotic sandwich or Silent Cocktails Who I'd most like to see on the show: Tom Rosenthal, Rhys James, Holly Walsh, Miles Jupp, David Mitchell, Sue Perkins, Adam Hills, Miranda Hart.

[@_therealgabe_]

This was a great commentary on the series. It discovered this show maybe close to two years ago now through its clips on KZbin and since binged all seasons twice over. I especially like how you mentioned that the format somehow brings up personality traits that the comedians didn't necessarily like or even remember them having. I knew of Ed Gamble but hadn't heard that of Noel Fielding. But now that I consider it, that makes sense. *spelling

[@bryguy87]

I’ve tried explaining TM to my fellow Americans… but it’s so hard to put the magic into to words. Thank goodness you made this vid, making my Life so much easier. Thanks mate. Long live the Taskmaster and Little Alex Horn!

[@GIRLYOUSOCRAZY]

Awesome video explaining what makes the show work so well! I love all the team tasks. It really brings out a different side of all the contestants and it's hilarious seeing the dynamics between them. The awkward energy between Joe Thomas and Sian Gibson was brilliant. And Mike and Lee on series 11 now is just incredible. Joe Thomas' "wanky workarounds" breakdown is definitely my favourite breakdown so far. I love it when there are REALLY competitive people and I think that's why series 7 seems especially well-loved. Seems like Phil was the only one who didn't try as hard but he was still quite funny. I also love Lou Sanders and Ed Gamble because it was clear they wanted to win really badly. I enjoy the lovable losers too, like Katherine Parkinson - her interactions with Alex were great. And Nish and Mark of course! Their song was one of the best moments in the show - genuinely moving LOL. Although my all time favourite musical moment is Rose's country rap for sure. I'd love to see Tom Allen, David Mitchell and Victoria Coren Mitchell (preferably on the same series lol)! Also I wish that the New Years special was a full season, I'm sure that would be a hit. Such a good show. Never fails to put a smile on my face. It has really helped with the quarantine blues.

[@comikk13]

Fantastic video. Hit all the best points of this amazing program.

[@FiveTrenchcoats]

I'm so glad that this video was recommended to me. This was an extremely good analysis, and it managed to put into words why Taskmaster works so well. The editing was also top notch! I'm excited to watch more from you.

[@RossTalksAbout]

Thank you so much!

[@reubenhendy]

Incredible video essay mate! Full of insight, informative, interesting, with perfect examples of tasks to go with each point you make (so fun to recall them as a fan of the show), and all while maintaining the humour and tone of Taskmaster - just subbed! Thanks :)

[@RossTalksAbout]

Much appreciated!

[@lauraw289]

I live in the US and I'm so glad we can see this on KZbin. It's my favorite show.

[@rmhartman]

Greg actually let the other contests vote on the potato throw. One of them was two faced, voting against giving him the points but telling Joe that he did when Joe came back on stage.

[@toddhollen]

It's like Greg Davies was created in a lab specifically to be The Taskmaster.

[@bacul165]

Thank you very much for this compilation of great moments! This video goes straight into my "Instant Cheer Up" playlist.

[@iansegard5173]

I keep clicking on the videos thinking it’s a brand new channel, seeing there is only a couple comments and realizing that I’m already subscribed. Keep up the good work and I’ll do my best to remember this channel’s name.

[@RossTalksAbout]

If it makes you feel any better, I did redesign a lot of my visuals over the last couple of months so can't blame anyone too much for forgetting they're subscribed. Thank you though!

[@ellisr.kinnear164]

I'll always adore that it appears to me, that Taskmaster was to Rhod Gilbert just an opportunity to cause as much chaos and terrorise his friend and his co host on TV. Peak television

[@admDanRyan]

Romesh just going in and bashing the watermelon to pieces will forever be one of the best scenes of the show ever. It's also why I still find Series 1 to be one of my overall favorite series of all Taskmaster

[@nApucco]

Best explanation and dissection of Taskmaster I have seen yet. Exactly shows why Taskmaster works so well.

[@PortsTM]

Love a good Taskmaster video breakdown.

[@RossTalksAbout]

Glad you enjoyed it.