Taskmaster: The Podcast - Episode 11 | Feat. the Taskmaster, Greg Davies

In episode 11 of Taskmaster: The Podcast, Ed Gamble is joined by the Taskmaster himself, Greg Davies!
------------
Follow the show at / taskmaster
Become a fan at / officialtaskmaster
Buy Taskmaster merch: taskmasterstore.com/
------------
In this Broadcast Award-winning, BAFTA and Emmy Award-nominated entertainment show, Taskmaster tyrant Greg Davies (Man Down, Cuckoo), with the help of his loyal assistant Alex Horne (The Horne Section and the show’s creator), sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five hyper-competitive comedians.
Comedians that have risked life, limb, and dignity in the hope of making the Taskmaster proud so far include: Frank Skinner (The Frank Skinner Show), Mel Giedroyc (The Great British Bake Off), Romesh Ranganathan (Asian Provocateur), Hugh Dennis (Outnumbered), Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’ Diary), Rose Matafeo (Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner 2018), and Russell Howard (The Russell Howard Hour). Unaware of what awaits them in each wax-sealed envelope, only one competitor can become the victorious owner of His Royal Task-ness’ golden head and be crowned the next Taskmaster Champion.

[@finsmylie8382]

The fact that Greg would rather destroy taksmaster than let somebody continue his legacy is amazing

[@gitterrost-4]

Johnny getting the points for drawing himself because "he is an animal" was one of my favorite moments of the show. Humans are animals, he was watching himself and he had a hat on. I found it completely fair.

[@Jdban]

What about Katherine's "Am I the spider?"

[@SG-we1qh]

@@Jdban tables are spiders, chairs are cats

[@knobbsalad1840]

Alex always explains "Everything is on the Task."

[@csurname]

"How do you sleep at night?" depends who's in the wardrobe

[@ym10up]

Rhod needs to get back into that wardrobe because Greg seemed to be sleeping just great. Or that could be because he's drunk

[@missydelcoglin4087]

His answer killed me because I have the same problems sleeping! It is so irritating to wake up every two hours when you just want to sleep. The 3am waking is the worst because it feels like everyone is asleep except yourself.

[@GrillingBacon]

If or when Greg leaves Taskmaster or Taskmaster ends, there should be a bonus episode where Greg completes top tasks from the series!!!

[@JossieMimo]

I had this idea since i started watching and i think that would be the greatest finale ever. Like a one minute compilation of him doing the most absurd tasks of the show with the theme tune over it.

[@CricketEngland]

The only way Greg will leave the show is in a box...

[@Jack-er1sc]

he'd never 😂

[@chayimweinstock443]

Name an appropriate substitute for the role as the Taskmaster

[@Jack-er1sc]

@@chayimweinstock443 .................... silence.

[@danny3tricks377]

Katherine Parkinson had the air of an alien that had taken human form to infiltrate the human race but that hadn't really paid any attention in earth class. It was like she was discovering things new with every task she performed. Her eventual melt down was awesome. She was great

[@franksimon8375]

That's exactly what's happening with our politicians, they genuinely are dumb aliens, she might be one too

[@bakaboxfox612]

"Greg how do you sleep at night?" I was expecting one of them to suggest just watching Rhod's creepy video.

[@krablord]

I love how they spent 15 minutes alone just talking about how bad they felt for Johnny.

[@JimSemkiw]

Greg Davies to Ed Gamble: " Have you been on it?" when asked about his memory of contestants who have been on the show. Brilliant.

[@gd7681]

The judgment for the Johnny Vegas mirror task was completely fair. Taskmaster is also about loopholes, lateral thinking, and taking the task literally. Johnny found a loophole by interpreting it literally.

[@SloMoMonday]

The way Greg discribes the Taskmaster role being real in the moment makes me imagine the show as some sort of strange Dr Who civilization. One where it seems like it's business as usual until a mad demigod decrees some convoluted task for points that determine the social hierarchy.

[@Delinae]

You're right! There should be a Christmas Doctor Who episode with the champion of champions with that premise.

[@Jayk-kz7sh]

Doctor who themed cast for a series of taskmaster perhaps? Catherine Tate and Matt Lucas seem like obvious picks since they’re comedians who still show up on the circuit time to time. Jenna coleman, Michelle Gomez, or Billie Piper would be great to as as well. No idea if any of the actors that played the doctor would go for it though haha 😅

[@BM-yy8db]

@@Jayk-kz7sh I doubt we'll ever see it happen, but I would kill to see David Tennant as a contestant

[@beek.4860]

I always imagined the Taskmaster "universe," as it were, to be somewhat like that of the Hunger Games, but instead of children being forced to kill each other, it's grown adults being forced to do ridiculous things.

[@choosecarefully408]

Yes, but also what he says about holding a grudge. I think that's incomplete. I think that without someone _to_ hold a grudge against, he simply targets someone anyway. Mark Watson & Lolly Adefope are two perfect examples. Mark was given the fake task of sending Greg texts for 150 days. It was hardly Mark's fault. But look at the rest of that episode. Greg stays mad at _him_ for something Alex did. Lolly, he told straight off he was marking her down for being young. *_And_* he made a {_point of_ telling her she could do nothing about it. He *_needs_* to bully people. It's a _need._

[@djpfarner9670]

"We are all animals staring into the abyss" - Greg Davies 2020

[@dielegende9141]

Ed is so wrong about the animal in the mirror. The task was "Draw the animal that is watching you. The animal is wearing a hat. You must look into the mirror at all times." Johnny is an animal, he was watching himself by looking into the mirror at all times and he was wearing a hat. He completed the task. Period. Doesn't fucking matter how it was intended.

[@TMTM7]

Johnny is AN animal, not THE animal

[@Hollidaydoc111112]

@@TMTM7 how dare you. Johnny is the animal in our hearts. And in that case neither was the duck.

[@andrewwhite1305]

I wish this was video recorded as well.

[@Andy-ru2eb]

BRING GREG BACK PLEASE!!! this is the funniest episode and he gives such cool insights on his thought process. Plus his giddy, joyful laugh is so great

[@amandasutherland626]

The trick isn’t to say the picture is good but “I can see you worked hard on that” works great!!

[@franticbass]

19:42 When Greg starts talking about Richard, "looking like a sex offender", I felt like dying from laughter... I like Herring but Greg is still correct :D

[@nicolebonomo4562]

My favorite part was when Katherine accidentally cracked the egg in the tube. The outtake from that was hilarious and awesome!

[@zyaicob]

The instant they started talking about series 10 highlights i instantly thought "egg"

[@manavsridharan3811]

So Katherine DIDN'T DO A LITTLE TRUMP! Scandal

[@kisbie]

Her reaction in that clip is very much of someone who definitely did do a fart. I think Greg is now saying she didn’t because he feels bad about how harsh he was on her lockdown masks.

[@kassistwisted]

Since I saw that episode, I have thought it sounded more like she snorted, not farted.

[@gd7681]

sounded more like a throat sound tbh

[@thesimpsons17]

Long live The Taskmaster

[@iremg.8713]

Ditto!

[@justinwhite2725]

@51:54 cue the fanfics of Greg and Alex camping (completely ignoring what he's said afterwards.)

[@kellyg358]

I love how Greg thinks he has two speeds as Taskmaster: evenhanded and "jump on him like a puma".

[@balthazarisgone]

I am very much in love with Greg Davies

[@janinescott4668]

You're only human.

[@knightsnakes]

The only thing that could possibly make sense is if in Mawaan's mind helium is some kind of anti-gravity magic spell and that's how all balloons float.

[@wetwillie]

Greg talking about season 11 has me really looking forward to it.

[@dmarsub]

2:05 interview start.

[@samwallace4088]

Never laughed so hard from a podcast before. (Talking about Daisy May Cooper meeting Richard Herring for the first time) "I hope I'm funny. I hope I do the task well. Oh my God I'm in danger."

[@leeannetaylor5784]

The answer is that on a scale of Ed Gamble to Jo Brand, Greg would be Liza Tarbuck.

[@ParkBenchAsStoner]

Tarbuck leaning towards Osman

[@pooroldnostradamus]

He will compete and complete

[@SonaraRuna]

@@pooroldnostradamus Bosh, 'ave it

[@vene]

This was a delight. Best episode so far.

[@kisbie]

The podcast is continuing with a forensic review of ALL the Dave episodes, one by one?! 🤯If they’re released weekly and have to break for new episodes, that’s guaranteed content for 18 months! 🥰

[@thechillindude4478]

Ed also said that they would go back the beginning and do it all over again until the end of time. lol

[@firerednaxela]

I'm scrolling through various Richard Herring photos, past and present, and oh my god

[@lwaves]

Greg definitely isn't wrong and even Richard has played into it at times.

[@emmygay182]

I did the same thing and Greg's not wrong 😂

[@starrya5647]

In the recent RHLSTP with Rhod, Richard touches on how he's frequently cast as sex offenders 🤣

[@varanchio]

never crossed my mind honestly, but now I can't unsee it

[@jellevandekamp]

Thank you very much for answering my question! Knew Lord Davies would never let anyone else sit in his throne...

[@hamstercom23]

And honestly, no matter how much I love the show I'm glad about that. It just wouldn't be the same without Greg.

[@CricketEngland]

They said that about have I got news for you and we all know what happened their...

[@drivethru6155]

It's more the look in Richard Herring's eyes that elicits thoughts of predation, he genuinely looks maniacal

[@shmekoaltham1798]

This was brilliant! I love everything about it. I'll be climbing Greg Davies like a tree in my dreams if you need me

[@spencechan]

Of course Greg wakes up every few hours of sleep, what with Rhod shooting spitballs at him from his closet

[@Alexandra31T]

Wish this had been 2hrs longgg

[@francotomatillo]

Awesome! I’ve been looking forward to this!

[@tinyderppotato5410]

the taskmaster lord greg davies

[@StellaKnights]

Hilarious , thankyou so much really needed that :-)

[@justinwhite2725]

Yeah but Richard herrings creepy was played so well when they did that play and he was the stand out performance in the bushes with no lines.

[@redelfshotthefood8213]

Lovely to hear that there already is more completed taskmaster content in the pipe!

[@sfshinz]

Spoiler alert: a bit of the content in Series 11 very much came out the pipe, and it's an absolute carserole.

[@bromley001]

Can't believe I forgot to listen out for a new podcast this week! No new episode, I didn't think about there being a new podcast. I'll have a listen later. :D

[@theplasmawolf]

I am already impatiently waiting for the New Year's episode and then series 11.

[@rapunzelz5520]

There ought to be a Vengeance episode where previous contestants dream up tasks for Gregs ultimate torture.

[@MonsterHead300]

oh yeah Greg Davies

[@jbaby362]

Another podcast with Greg would be so great

[@AdityaGuitar1]

Loved this episode!!

[@TMTM7]

That there could come a day when Greg forgets TM is heartbreaking

[@srahhh]

I love that I can instantly guess the two moments from Series 11 that Greg is alluding to. (Wozniak's physical transformations)

[@rossfindlay7760]

You know what I got for Xmas? Eight cans of strong lager and some callipos!

[@sfshinz]

42 Calippos?

[@ym10up]

Ed, Johnny didn't do it wrong. It's lateral thinking and it's a legitimate interpretation of the task. Don't stifle his creativity!

[@thechillindude4478]

Funniest and best taskmaster podcast episode so far

[@amygareis6276]

The "glint of (Alex's) wonky teeth." Lol

[@dougoneill7266]

I very much enjoyed this. it reminded me of how much I loved the film and book. I know what the next book I read is going to be...

[@jennysok8320]

thanks! this was fun!

[@KittyPetote]

I ❤️ Greg. So much

[@sfshinz]

Trying to figure out why Greg saying “I’m really good at DIY” caused me to laugh so hard? Maybe it harkened back to the DIY team task on Series 2?

[@jannecapelle_art]

god both of these people are genuinely so funny. ive got a big fat crush on greg lmao

[@ryanphgaara]

Very happy was hoping he would be on

[@interculturalcat]

"he looked consistently for a decade, like a sex offender" ok Greg? ^^

[@iremg.8713]

I laughef for 5 minutes at that..

[@furkanaysal6339]

He's got a point you know :D

[@zyaicob]

I was saying😂😂 pot meet kettle

[@reggiepollock4669]

I really like Richard Herring, but hes got a point

[@ym10up]

Greg's description is on point

[@cannibalbananas]

@33:55 What about Noel Fielding? He could pull off the same outfits as Mawaan.

[@vene]

Fuck yeah. Didn't know this was coming, what a nice surprise. Thank you!

[@strangerthanstring4431]

Series 11 is GOAT so far!

[@justinwhite2725]

@52:05 because he genuinely tries to be irritating. Every bit is him trying to find new ways to irritate you.

[@TomTheTruckdriver]

I will never get eenough of this

[@hodag]

Johnny was correct. And Ed cannot defend his completely wrong opinion.

[@khinzakhan66]

50:30 that poor man has been scarred 😂

[@sfshinz]

Greg is absolutely right: 5 points for Vegas’ self-portrait, and he did fuck up giving Captain Budwash 2 points. Captain Budwash should have gotten at least 4 points.

[@marcuscross8051]

Uncle Greg

[@superd9072]

Wow! Never been this early, just 6 minutes in. A great late Christmas present!

[@mediocreboi]

I'm glad he talked about the masks, it made the finale a little hard to watch, but also you shouldn't put something so personal on a comedy game show if you weren't expecting to be joked.

[@doubleT84]

42:00 just because he didn't see the notice, he didn't do the task wrong. See all the other tasks where there were tiny notes under the table or the layout of the balloons said "only pop the first and the last balloon" - so if they didn't read the morse code, they all did it wrong = 0 points?

[@cybernova400foo4]

Awesome

[@Dribbleondo]

YES.

[@davidjones6470]

Be fair it was bloody brilliant this year the five of them was funny as hell really enjoyed it as always! But it was something special!

[@adamtoms761]

I’d call it a ‘basket’ of eggs, myself

[@Jack-er1sc]

stg I'd literally do anything if The Taskmaster told me to.

[@gd7681]

Please make this a video podcast already

[@MiniatureMasterClass]

I loved the fact there was no audience. Everything was way funnier.

[@Necron00b]

Its odd that Ed likes Cpt.Budwash more than the mic stand...seeing as he once wore a similar outfit with a tree on his head haha

[@tinyderppotato5410]

the bonsai

[@amandasutherland626]

What Greg is saying is he would be a combination of Richard Herring and Johnny Vegas? But taller?

[@wizardjokes]

You had a writing error. Ep 9 and Ep 10 of the podcast are written as "Episode 8" in the title screen.

[@Logan5]

I don't think I've laughed more in the past few months than when Greg used the term Trumpian.

[@kisbie]

I once saw Greg define his role in Taskmaster as “a non-racist Donald Trump”. Which is about right, except Greg never kicks out any contestants who have displeased him.

[@Chloeer91]

They've been camping together? Brokeback mountain crossover anyone?

[@SerendipityChild]

54:12 Gosh. That was actual annoyance 😅 When Davies stood to chastise Acaster, Horne grabbed his arm to stop him. I'd assumed Horne has an overactive startle reaction

[@BobbyLCollins]

Greg Davies says the word "genuinely" a lot. Not just here, but every time he gives an interview. I hope he sees this comment, and that it festers in his mind, prompting him to double down upon saying "genuinely" at every possible opportunity in the future, if only in defiant protest of this public observation. Only then will I accept that I have made a difference on this Earth.

[@kisbie]

I wouldn’t mind Greg’s ‘genuinely’ tic if he always used it in an appropriate context. The one that really makes my eardrums itch is “Genuinely closed down, the Wem brewery.”

[@idontlikepickingusernames1330]

“Lovely” is the one I’ve noticed he says a lot

[@Awsompick]

No one thought to name it "pod-master", eh?

[@cuteypetz]

I don't think Mawaan's prize for the bigger on the top than the bottom was his mic stand one - it was the acorn! Which Greg liked (and I agreed) because it was bigger on the top than the bottom as an acorn AND when it grew into a tree.

[@whatsagoodusername1364]

The acorn was Katherine's

[@cuteypetz]

@@whatsagoodusername1364 oh damn you're right! In that case, I think Katherine should have won the task - the mic stand was kinda shit XD

[@msmichelle6279]

This sounds stupid so many years into this but is it Greg Davies as in Dave-eez or is it Dave-is? These are the things that keep me up at night sadly.

[@amygareis6276]

Davis

[@lillianb8762]

Oh no! Never read your own fanfiction, Greg!! I can't even imagine...

[@adh0c468]

My top three picks for previous contestants to replace Greg as the Taskmaster are, in order: 1. Liza Tarbuck 2. Rhod Gilbert 3. Frank Skinner Liza at number 1 because she has the right combination of being confident, poised, physically imposing and coldly indifferent to suffering. She's also the contestant that Greg showed the most deference to throughout the course of the show. Rhod at number 2 because he's so headstrong and willing to argue his point to bits, even in the face of someone else's better judgment. I would expect some madcap rulings from him which he would never back down from. Frank Skinner in last place because, while he comes across as respectable and wise, he wouldn't necessarily bring the ruthlessness required of the job.

[@trekadouble757]

Also, since Liza Tarbuck is a woman, I think it will prevent people from trying to compare her version of the taskmaster to Greg Davies' version.

[@beethovenjunkie]

I really like your picks, but would also like to submit Lou Sanders and James Acaster for their psychotic energies and Rose Matafeo for just being cute.

[@adh0c468]

@@beethovenjunkie Thanks for the compliment. Can't really agree with yours though, sorry to say. Those people are all too young for the role, and wouldn't project enough gravitas. I like Lou and Rose, and while I absolutely adore James, I don't think he's necessarily a good fit for the similar role he plays on Hypothetical, where he adjudicates people's approaches to imaginary tasks. Not nearly authoritative enough, and that's not something you can fix by trying harder, either. Imagine having James as a teacher. He couldn't make anybody shut up; the classes would be absolutely riotous. You'd laugh your ass off, but wouldn't learn a thing.

[@SuperTimmertje]

I think Joe Wilkinson should do it. Just because no one will compare him with Greg because he is a total different guy, but I think he could be a maniac dictator weirdo. Like. Realy weird scary.

[@hamstercom23]

Liza could barely even be bothered to do the tasks half the time, never mind maintain a consistent level of engaged energy as the main host. I'll never understand the overwhelming love the fanbase seems to have for her has a contestant.

[@trevorfeelgood]

Make Greg do some tasks in a special please

[@jbaby362]

I cannot believe Greg knows how to use reddit

[@hamstercom23]

And how did he accidentally stumble upon Taskmaster fan fiction there when he wasn't looking for any? I've lurked on Reddit for ages and I don't think I've ever found fan fiction, goodness knows what keywords he typed in to find that stuff straight away 😅

[@jbaby362]

@@hamstercom23 I think he's full of it, he went looking

[@hamstercom23]

@@jbaby362 I bet he did to. I'd be curious to see what he read, I don't normally read fan fiction at all but to try and figure out what must have been going through his mind when reading it would be a proper cringeworthy experience.

[@strangerthanstring4431]

I want to be Greg's best friend so, so badly 💔💔💔

[@kitspace2024]

What new years episode?

[@mikemack9701]

"the glint of his wonky teeth"

[@justinwhite2725]

@41:59 hard disagree with Ed. In fact I would have been right upset of Johnny hadn't gotten points. Humans are animals too. It doesn't matter that he got the task 'wrong'. He met the criteria of the task. There's loads of examples where the contestants did something different then intended but then you reread the clue and it's like... Yeah actually they met the criteria. So full points. @42:53 yeah. Like 'nothing can touch the red green except paint' because people were just putting a mat down over it and walking on the mat not touching it. And tvat specificness lead to things like daisy disqualified for dropping the task on the mat.

[@padraiglohan]

I wonder what Season 11 bit Greg is referring to at 11:35?

[@justinkanda1203]

For sure one of them has to be the “absolute casserole,” but I can’t quite figure out what the second moment would be.

[@kimjongthe49th]

I'm thinking Tough guy o'clock.

[@PixlPlayer]

A bit disappointing that Ed didn’t bring up the tree bagger task during the what Greg did wrong segment

[@MadcapShambleton]

Since some people set certain life goals - 101st comment! This podcast is so good and just more of what is needed these days. Now who are the 11 people who clicked "thumbs down"...or is it one person who got 11 Sussex Pond Puddings for Christmas? Thank you Greg, Alex, Ed, and everyone at Taskmaster! (Personal favourite will always be Series 4.)

[@DrZaius3141]

Very interesting that Greg actually acknowledges his prejudicial way of scoring. I've always felt that in early episodes he would make up his mind who has a chance of winning and who hasn't and because it's fun television, he would lay it onto those that can't win anyway (at least in his mind), because it doesn't influence the results in a meaningful manner and it's funny. This series he seemed to decide early on that Mawaan was incapable (see also: Helium egg) and later on he would unfairly score him even when he was brilliant. It was similar with Nish Kumar back a few years, but Nish never would have been a contender, so it was all in good fun (also, saying that Daisy May Cooper is the quickest person to laugh when you've had Nish on... well). Mawann might have won without some weird decisions.

[@scarftv7983]

There weren't enough weird decision that go against him, and for each one of those he has weird decisions that do go his way. He's probably slightly underscored, but not enough to be a contender.

[@DrZaius3141]

@@scarftv7983 He was only behind a few points, so "not enough to be a contender" just is incorrect.

[@hamstercom23]

I knew he made a mistake using the word 'prejudice' because people would read too much into it.

[@DrZaius3141]

@@hamstercom23 I don't think anyone is "reading too much into it". It's been evident for ages that early in the season he makes up his mind whom he considers a contender or a failure and he will score them more harshly or mildly accordingly. That's also pretty much what he said himself.

[@scarftv7983]

@@DrZaius3141 So 11 points from a tie and 12 from win is "only a few points" now? It would take whole another episode for him to come back, assuming first two places start doing consistently badly and Mawaan goes from hit and miss to consistently hitting. I think you're actually the one who's already made up his mind about Mawaan being badly mistreated when he's slightly underscored at best.