Actors Cast At The Last Minute & Visiting The Taskmaster House

[@energy6446]

The Taskmaster house is the groundskeepers house for the golf course on which it sits. AFAIK it is still owned by said golf course and is justed rented, on a long term lease, to Avalon. In the very early seasons I believe it switched to an Airbnb when there wasn't ongoing filming but nowadays it is rented year round. You can see the house in normal mode on Rightmove. Its very hidden from the main road and the gates got noticeably larger when it the show got more popular.

[@MrGibsonian]

Im Canadian and the littelest Hobo was a part of my childhood. The theme tends to pop into my head randomly...like a voice that keeps on calling me.

[@Caroline-nw4ym]

Oh god it lives in my head too and pops out quite often!

[@Billythebudgie]

We 'visited' the Taskmaster house years ago when there was an event on elsewhere in Chesham so we knew we wouldn't be an annoyance or interruptjon to any filming. As Richard rightly says there's literally nothing to see 😂 it was miles out of our way to get to, the gates are flush with the floor, bushes either side and taller than an upstretched arm could broach so not one photograph did we capture, we would concur it is not worth the trip and havent been back since 😂😂 much better to just appreciate it on screen.

[@thesimpsons17]

Me and my mate did the same thing when we were in London haha, managed to get a look through from the back but not the pilgrimage we hoped it would be

[@eyeyayayay]

A 1980s Canadian show called Wok With Yan was the greatest cooking show of all time.

[@CaptainTedStryker]

Wok the heck you say?

[@m.charron]

Don't wok away! We be right back!

[@Slowplaymae]

Is this related to Yan Can Cook? It was addictively entertaining!(1980s public broadcasting channels)

[@MoonbeameSmith]

@@Slowplaymae Actually Yan Can Cook was fron CHCH in Hamilto and Wok With Yan was a CBC production. I prefered the CHCH version as it ws slightly crazy

[@eyeyayayay]

@@Slowplaymae Two different guys, both named Yan, but the guy on PBS was definitely inspired by the guy on CBC

[@teddyr7391]

The Peel bar ,Hendon 2001 . Littlest Hobo theme tune played on the juke box every single night. Every time I hear it I’m right back in that bar

[@Elwaves2925]

I seem to remember reading that the Taskmaster house was originally the groundskeeper's house for the golf course. Not sure how accurate that is.

[@energy6446]

Correct! The golf course is next door and is occasionally seen in tasks.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@energy6446 Cheers. I knew the course was next door (I've actually played it before TM was a thing), I just wasn't sure about the house itself. 🙂

[@TravelingBibliophile]

That is what I thought. I wonder if the golf course is on a former great house property.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@TravelingBibliophile It's quite possible, there are several thimgs nearby that would fit within, or next to th grounds of a large property. The pavillions for one thing. I feel my research mode switcing on. 🙂

[@johnmckenzie4639]

I love the TV themes from the 70s (North America) especially sitcoms. The Odd Couple, Sanford and Son, Barney Miller, Good Times, The Jeffersons ... I could go on and on.

[@carolineskipper6976]

Posh Nosh was SUPERB! Good call Marina!

[@simonmandrakejones]

Greatest TV chef is the Swedish Chef obviously.

[@m.charron]

Correct.

[@Ulysses_DM_]

The greatest Dr is Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his companion Beaker.

[@rinoz47]

The greatest Swede though is Fred 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@whitcwa]

Lunchlady Doris is a close second.

[@misalife626]

Obviously, but he does have a very thick accent I can't understand

[@salvameaforever]

Thank you for recommending "posh nosh". I immediately popped over and watched a few episodes. In E4 they invented "food Instagram pictures " Wonderful series❤

[@mytube001]

Finding the TM house on a map is very easy, even if it's not marked as a location on Google Maps. But I agree that there's not much to see, from what the street view shows (I don't live in the UK).

[@michaelandereck236]

Yeah, definitely not too hard. Especially after one of the early season episodes where the task was to get something as far away or cover the largest area with their clothes - then they show a map which gives you a great start. And it's next to a golf course

[@Ryanneey]

Oh, I remember the Littlest Hobo theme song. I loved it when I was a kid.

[@derekarmstrong4403]

Absolutely agree with "Posh Nosh" for almost top tv chef! A real hidden gem of a tv show - hilarious😅

[@FloraWest]

So funny-really smart and hilarious.

[@alexg7417]

Bread AND butter pudding ... finisned with freshly shaved fennel

[@maxdorey6713]

I love the succession theme, to me its like the booming solid underneath is like Logan Roy being this giant solid huge figure, and then the flittery light piano notes that dance above are like the three kids fluttering around him like butterflies. Then the middle section thats typically with the old hime footage is just playing to a sort of dark broken childhood

[@andya696]

I guessed Littlest Hobo right away. It's nice to know that I'm on the same wavelength as Richard Osman!

[@snackplaylove]

Quantum Leap - but it’s a dog

[@ClintonAllenAnderson]

The Incredible Hulk, but it's a dog

[@andrewchristofi8386]

See you next Tuesday, always puts a smile on my face. Love an acronym.

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

Shame that the show actually comes out on Wednesdays and Fridays so the whole see you next Tuesday/Thursday thing doesn't work and hasn't for weeks.

[@larrynelson4909]

?

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

Saturday Kitchen is filmed in two houses that were knocked through in a block of terraced houses by Clapham North tube Station. You wouldn't recognise it as a film location from outside. The show producers bought the house and knocked them through at the Beginning location chosen because it was close to their houses, as is often the way

[@Togidubnus]

It looks exactly like a studio set, which is what I thought it was. I don't much care for Saturday Kitchen. Last time I watched it, they turned out what looked to be pretty terrible grub.

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

@@Togidubnus well it is studio set it's just in an unusal location and one that in the long run works out cheaper than hiring a regular studio for three days a week where you might need to break down the set all the time for other shows to film. Leaving a permanent standing set is cost effective and less wear and tear

[@thebagelsproductions]

The Rochford Files theme tune ❤

[@chrislesiter4531]

On episode 2 of Rick Steins' Far Eastern Odyssey there are out filming, and he noticed a group of people trapped on rocks at low tide: "We come all this way to make a cooking program and end up saving the lives of this entire family." For themes I'd say Perfect Strangers, The West Wing and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[@jasonandreoli4135]

Littlest hobo theme has been my ringtone for the last 10 years, the sting from the start of the grange hill theme is my notification tone. Hardly anyone under 45 or over 55 recognises either, anyone in the sweet spot usually laughs.

[@RubbishGimpy]

Google mapped it, Chiswick, next to Dukes Meadow golf course. Taskmaster House. I didn't realise it was that central really. I won't be visiting it.

[@mytube001]

It's directly below the approach and departure corridor to the east of Heathrow, which is why there are so many airliners visible both during filmed tasks and in the short edits shown between tasks.

[@AliceS64]

Van Der Valk theme the original series is one that reminds me of my childhood.

[@LinoWalker]

I love Marina's gradual shift from "I hate the very idea of Top 3 lists" to "Keep sending us your Top 3's!" and I'm absolutely here for it! Not to get too armchair psychologist here, but I think I get where she's coming from. She's done a lot of work for big publications and whenever they release a Top X list, it comes from a place of authority. And it makes definitive value judgements on things that are, ultimately, subjective. However, Top X lists are also extremely fun to do! And with the rise of the Internet and social media, top lists from big media aren't nearly as big of a deal anymore (hell, even things like the Oscars most people don't care about). So now everyone is free to express themselves in this cool way.

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

Whilst it wasn't Nigella herself, her show I have always considered to be one of the origins of better UK shooting standards on factual as historically those kind of shows would have been shot with very wide depth of focus lenses that make everything very easy to film and made everything kind of in focus at once (which isn't how we experience the world), her show was the first to heavily use prime lenses, which have a very distinctive shallow depth of field so things were very in and out of focus and it helped enhance this "sexy" food approach and give it a more filmic look. There was shortly afterwards the Canon 5D Revolution that also helped push better and more types of lenses in standard shows and it is now very common on TV shoots for there to be more lenses to choose from on otherwise standard formats.

[@not50productions]

i so loved the littlest hobo! thank you also , #1 welcome back kotter

[@swankola]

Fun (?) fact: The Littlest Hobo theme was written by Terry Bush, a rock musician and jingle writer who's the son of Jack Bush, a very famous Canadian abstract artist.

[@deadbeatdon]

27:44 Brilliant choice! One of my childhood favourites to be sure.

[@marysmith6125]

My top 3 tv theme tunes are: 3. Doctor Who 2. Peaky Blinders 1. Only Fools and Horses

[@RosClarkeCraft]

Oh, my goodness, I’d forgotten Posh Nosh. SO GOOD.

[@DanielWright-np3fq]

Love the shout out for Posh Nosh! I adore those episodes!

[@trev3971]

Quincy Jones' theme for "Sanford and Son" is the best ever IMO

[@snackplaylove]

The actor playing the shark in Jaws pulled out at the last minute and the part had to be played by Dvorak’s Symphony No 9, a bold casting choice that ultimately paid off. Ed: The new Taskmaster behind the scenes show has the dressing room on, we’d thought that might be upstairs. If you can rent it you could make an awesome horror film based on the gameshow format. Themes: DREAMSTONE “Better Than A Dream” (Mike Batt!) Raccoons “Run With Us” The Willy Fog one is a classic too

[@jrb5077]

The dressing room has occasionally been shown in the show itself. For example in S17 E8, Alex delivers "secret tasks" to some of the cast there.

[@felinetherapy4782]

The Grange Hill theme tune lives rent free in my head. And I'm Australian!

[@thomasdalton1508]

My top TV theme would be Firefly. It's a great song in its own right, but it also fits the show brilliantly.

[@MrCElk]

Whilst the theme for Hill Street Blues is probably my favourite I cannot believe this subject was discussed without the mention of the Doctor Who.

[@gregc6088]

I have never heard anyone talk about Posh Nosh to the point I thought I might have been the only one who watched it. I loved the Simon and Minty repartee and the skewering of the bullshit in cooking programs so much!

[@neonatalpenguin]

I think Richard is eager for us all to know that there's not much to see from outside the Taskmaster house, and that we shouldn't go there.

[@sie4431]

I love Rentaghoat. Apparently the theme was (co) written by Michael Staniforth, the actor who played Timothy Claypole, who also performed it. I always imagine it being an advert for the company

[@dmontes133]

Your podcast is so fantastic! Thank you, so much from the U.S.! Love you guys!

[@sandoumir4348]

I just love a misplaced comma. Especially when the unintended sentiment still makes sense. But I wouldn't give up on the US, yet,

[@batchmotorsport]

Wow, the channel number question was one of those I've always thought about, but never enough to ask it.

[@spfisterer3651]

I have a question for Marina and Richard. I've seen a lot of press for bridgerton and it got me thinking of press tours for movies. How much are actors contracted to do? Do they get paid extra for interviews or if they show up on TV (e. g. Graham Norton) ? Can they negotiate how much they are willing to do and are there examples of actors not doing any press at all for their movies?

[@annacalstone610]

Following in with another question inspired by Bridgerton. The show has caused a backlash with book fans by making changes from the books which has sadly lead to a barrage of abusive comments against cast members on the show. Yet this show and production has remained silent while other shows have in the past put out statements condemning online abuse to their cast/creatives. I'm assuming there is a reason why some productions will make statements and others will not. I'm wondering if there is a reason for this and you might be able to elaborate on why shows might decide to address or why they might choose not to address online abuse towards people involved with a show? I personally suspect it's they don't want to draw attention to online abuse and by putting out a statement they make it a bigger story (while a couple thousand negative comments are horrible, it's a very small percentage of an audience that equates to millions who watch the show) and by highlighting the issue in a statement, it can actually cause abuse to increase as people jump on a band wagon. But it would be useful to understand why a production won't stand up against abuse against their cast and risk the reputational damage that seems to be occurring by their inaction. Also if there could be negative consequences to it e.g. actors refuse to get involved with a production if they feel they won't receive support?

[@FloatingAnarchy61]

I'd highly recommend watching Ulrika's impression of Nigella, it's hillarious. One of my favourite theme tunes as a kid was Weelend World, Nantucket Sleighride by Mountain.

[@jeezoh000]

It might be a nostalgia thing but it's The Flashing Blade, White Horses, and Rupert The Bear themes for me.

[@STUFLYS]

‘White Horses’, is sung by someone who was also a backing singer on Jimi Hendrix’, ‘Hey Joe’ it would certainly be in my top three. When television was introduced into my house as a child the first programme I saw was stingray but I didn’t catch the beginning. In class the next day we were asked our favourite television programme and I said ‘Marina’ as that was the closing theme, to Stingray.

[@andrewmontague9682]

Top 3 TV Themes (in no particular order) * Red Dwarf (Season 1) - That trumpet and the piano with the booms put just embody the loneliness of outer space 3m miles from Earth. * The Royal Family - Half The World Away by Oasis feels like it could have been written specifically for that show. Not bad for a B side (look it up young people). * M*A*S*H - A theme that encapsulates the utter pointlessness of that war. Plus it’s one of my favourite movie facts that Mike Altman has made more money from the licensing of “Suicide is Painless” than his father made from directing the film.

[@Elwaves2925]

That's one of my favourite fun facts too, If I remember correctly it was because Robert Altman struggled with the lyrics, so he passed it on to the teenage Michael who apparently wrote it in a few minutes. It's also worth mentioning that it was Johnny Mandel who wrote the music for it all.

[@reneecollins600]

The best themes are from ancient shows: Mr. Ed (a horse is a horse, of course, of course) The Adams Family and The Beverly Hillbillies.

[@reneecollins600]

Also the fantastic theme from Mission Impossible!

[@JPBelanger]

Barney Miller. Bass line for the ages 🙂

[@88porpoise]

​@@Elwaves2925Yes, the story goes that Robert Altman had two requirements for the lyrics, 1) include the the line "suicide in painless" and 2) the song is really stupid. Robert Altman found that his experience kept him trying to make the song not stupid, so he enlisted his teenage son. Notably, while Altman got royalties from it's used on TV, the lyrics are never once used in the TV series, it is only instrumental versions. Which always reminds me of another awesome theme song story, for Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the theme music (without the composer's knowledge) to get a cut of the royalties.

[@aardvarksteve1]

As an aging male in his fifties, the Benny Hill theme song(yakety sax), still makes me smile...

[@ClintonAllenAnderson]

... And then sad when you remember he died alone in a small room.... And was dead for days before anyone noticed. Poor Benny.........

[@stixdan]

I'm so glad Marina said the A-Team, that's my top theme too! 😊

[@KristineMaitland]

My top three? Glenn (of Glenn and Friends, a KZbin show, a Canadian cook), B Dylan Hollis (TikToc and KZbin cook, from Bermuda), Antony Bourdain (who i had the grace to meet and converse with before a booklaunch in Toronto ). Cheers from Toronto.

[@Walperion_Music]

Mine is Swedish Chef from the Muppets. Everyone else are horseshit.

[@deneanrowe4278]

Oh my gosh, Posh Nosh is hilarious! 11:04

[@nixxie2390]

Airwolf was a seriously good theme tune! (fun fact, after the series the Airwolf helicopter became an air ambulance!)

[@Caroline-nw4ym]

Really??

[@spare5808]

The cartoon Conan the Adventurer theme sings the set up amid stirring epic music then almost gets frustrated and just starts shouting at you the premise, before resuming the epic music. Love it.

[@mytube001]

Dallas will always be the top TV theme for me. It's such a banger!

[@fifinoir]

Round the Twist theme tune is my ultimate favourite. Too many other favourites to have just a top three though.

[@EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

I listen to the A-team theme when building things, it's perfect to inspire a construction montage.... :)

[@llanelli14]

Three theme tunes from the 'golden age': Mission Impossible, Hawaii Five-O and The Persuaders!

[@billramsay7351]

The Persuaders is my all time favourite TV theme tune.

[@reneecollins600]

Hawaii 50 was awesome!

[@llanelli14]

@@billramsay7351 Also remarkable that the opening titles only say "Curtis + Moore".

[@BicycleJason]

Posh Nosh is an excellent choice!

[@lakrids-pibe]

My top 3 TV themes: *Dick Turpin* (1979-1982), the one with Richard O'Sullivan. Epic! *The Persuaders* (1971) by John Barry. With Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. *Här kommer Pippi Långstrump* music by Jan Johansson for the Pippi Longstocking show. I never saw *Are You Being Served?* , I don't think it even aired where I live. But since you mentioned it, I looked it up and it's really great.

[@shanedbunting]

Tv themes 1. Married With Children. 2. Perfect Strangers. 3. The Gary Shandling show.

[@bobbyladd]

I'm sure there must be room for an extra seat when Spielberg is in town.

[@electricmohair]

one of the best themes of all time has to be the BBC news theme, especially the 90 second countdown

[@michaelhope8899]

Re-darts, the camera positions are pre-programmed too. So the camera operator literally presses a touch screen and it will go to the correct score

[@dannyquinn9128]

I was nearly 100% sure Richard was about to say Jim'll Fix it, good save.

[@canonical5]

Top 3 TV Themes: Starskey & Hutch Inspector Morse Double Deckers

[@mikebowers7161]

Fantastic gesturing Marina as always!!

[@reneecollins600]

she gestures and knocks the topof her peanuy head like a 3 year old on ritalin or Stan Larel from Laurel & Hardy.

[@keithyork8226]

John Hurt was cast in “Alien” on the Friday and started work on the following Monday morning after Jon Finch had to drop out through illness.

[@annalong1260]

The Google maps view of the taskmaster house shows the caravan and the bathtub, shed and all such. As well as what looks like a body rolled up in a tarp, which i can only assume is how Greg makes Alex sleep.

[@travisolson9413]

I used to really like this program. But then they instituted the top three lists. Now I love it. It is in my top three of things I watch on KZbin.

[@lemmingsplat5279]

Nadiya Hussain has been such a revelation. Her confidence and warmth and humour really pulls me in moreso than most TV chefs. I'm one of the weirdos who is terrible at cooking and completely uncreative but likes watching cooking programmes - any psychologists out there who can explain why?

[@J.Blogsblues-ns4to]

Best theme tune? I'd go for the theme from the 1960's TV series The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. In late 1970's a British TV show called An Englishman's Castle used Ennio Morricone's Chi Mai. The theme from Morse was pretty good too.

[@chrisredditch]

Black Beauty is, factually, the greatest theme tune ever. 😂 😂

[@claire7142]

For some reason, it always makes my eyes leak

[@mcculloch29]

The Littlest Hobo song is called “Maybe Tomorrow”. The titles are definitely worth looking up on KZbin. London (the Littlest Hobo) was a wonderful canine actor.

[@fuller9x]

Top themes 1 - BBC F1's sample of Fleetwood Mac's the Chain 2 - Rescue Me - The VonBondi'es C'mon, C'mon *3 - Curb Your Enthusiam - Luciano Michelini's Frolic. *3 - The Brady Bunch - Both just such earworms

[@thatschilltssk6274]

Auf Wiedersehn Pet has a couple of the all time best singalong theme tunes

[@danutagajewski3330]

I'm really dating myself, but my absolute favourite tv show theme is from BBC's Moonstrike, which aired back in 1963. The tv series was an anthology series about covert action during WWII...and the theme evokes images of night raids by aircraft flying over enemy lines. It's an absolutely stirring piece of music. You can actually find the theme on KZbin.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

I'm old - I still love the theme from Route 66

[@reneecollins600]

Also the rheme from Peter Gunn.

[@Diegesis]

Lol Joe Pesky! haha

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

Crash Zoom and Whip Pan sound like minor characters from Mystical Ninja VIII

[@timeveleigh1]

The place to visit is the Bandstand. Near a train station and more accessible/recognisable.

[@OliWatts1979]

I think I'm most interested in the references to Avalon playing hardball. Feels like there are some stories here

[@ChrisH78]

Top 3 TV tunes; Ski Sunday, Ulysses 31, Pigeon Street

[@sie4431]

check out the bad arts lab cover of ulysees

[@MrJesusPrime]

The littlest hobo!!!!! Yes! Started singing it right away. Great pick.

[@karenhunniford1173]

The theme to The Littlest Hobo is my ear worm!!

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

Got to be Dr Who (pre-1990s), The Rockford Files, Survivors (1970s).

[@vultan2000]

The Littlest Hobo was the canine version of the Hulk TV series, both with beautiful theme music.

[@provincialfish]

I live in Ontario and the littlest hobo song is still stuck in my head to this day. I'm 47 and I know it as well as our national anthem. There's an interesting take on it done by a singer named Nightingale Cummings that was used in trailer park Boys as well

[@TravelingBibliophile]

I love The LittlestHobo I watched it all the time when I was a kid. LOL now I have that song going round on my head.

[@ericnewman2727]

Jonny Quest, Wild Wild West, and Mission: Impossible are great TV theme tunes

[@verityviolet]

OMG I LOVED POSH NOSH!!!!

[@Peejay1966]

Top 3 TV theme tunes: 1 Sportscene (Run Like Hell by Pink Floyd), 2 Reporting Scotland (Fanfare for the Common Man by Emerson, Lake and Palmer), and 3 Mission Impossible.

[@VFC13017]

Littlest Hobo is also on my list of top theme tunes/songs. Also Firefly and Knight Rider deserve a mention

[@FloraWest]

This chef top 3 makes me want to be friends with Marina. Love Anthony Bourdain and Posh Nosh.

[@carolclifford2508]

ermmmmm Hill Street Blues theme tune surely should be in a top three

[@steveh111]

I find it astonishing that (1) most people still watch live, and (2) most people don't bother finding (and learning) the HD channel numbers.

[@longjonwhite]

In no particular order: Original Top Gear theme, (“Jessica” , by the Allman Brothers), was a corker, but hard to hear it now without seeing Clarkson… The Sweeny, another good ‘un. Early Doors theme (Small World, by Roddy Frame) And about 40 others all now vying for a top spot in my addled ol’ brain!

[@stewartbrodie1720]

I've read through the comments on top 3 theme tunes and I think I'd struggle mightily to narrow down my favourites to a top 50. I'd have to cheat and choose a top 5 for each different genre of programme, because otherwise I'd have to leave out too many.

[@alberto5147]

Good morning all the way from Ottawa, Canada!

[@winnywin]

As a working class hero - this is always the place I go to to find out what the middle classes are up to. Always worrying and the accents grind my gears. Keep up the great work, chaps!

[@grahamshedman1101]

Theme Tunes: 3) "I'll Be There For You" from 'Friends' 2) 'William Tell Overture' from 'The Lone Ranger' 3) 'Stranger on the Shore@ from the TV series of the same name.

[@timdale6786]

The theme song to Mash is a classic but it’s the Golden Girls theme that’s my number one theme.

[@jennysobey9890]

Abso-bl**dy-lutlely A Team theme tune, what a classic Marina !!

[@nigeljames5622]

Top 3 TV Themes, not in any order are the following: Survivors (1970's version), The Persuaders and a recent and awesome series 1883