Taskmaster | Revolutionising Comedy: finding meaning in the gameshow
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- A video essay of Taskmaster UK starring Greg Davies and Alex Horne providing analysis for the part panel show, part sitcom, part chaotic comedy competition. The comedy originally featured on Dave before moving to channel 4 as well as populating youtube with best of compilations, featuring comedians such as James Acaster, Bob Mortimer, Jon Richardson, and Mike Wozniak.
My Little Thought Tree is my channel for drawing out the deeper meaning and emotion in film, TV, and the world at large through relaxed, analytical video essays. I am a professional counsellor and often draw on my psychology and therapy background to better understand characters, themes, and emotion in fiction. I upload every Saturday and occasionally on Tuesdays, if I'm feeling productive.
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#taskmaster #videoessay #alexhorne
Favourite Taskmaster contestants, anyone?
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Acaster but that’s a gimme
Paul Sinha, Jessica Knappet, Rhod Gilbert, Phil Wang, and Kathrine Parkinson.
Lee Mack and James Acaster. Speaking of Lee Mack I feel like Would I Lie to You would make for a good deep dive too.
James Acaster comes to mind but honestly... there are just so many and I'm bad with names.
I've never watched Taskmaster before, but I definitely want to check it out now! I recognize a lot of these comedians from 8 out of 10 Cats, and Jon Richardson is easily my favorite on that show. I'd love to see how he acts on this one. :)
(Is it sad that I'm so American I wish 8 out of 10 Cats took the competition side of the show more seriously and actually had winners? I know that aspect would get changed if it were ever Americanized. Lol. This never bothered me when watching Whose Line is it Anyway? perhaps because they always did declare a winner at the end, which made the activities feel "complete" for me in a way 8 out of 10 Cats never does ... that show is just chaos. Also, I watch too much British TV, but man your comedies are so much more fun than ours! :)
The absolute best decision they've made so far is putting the whole show on UA-cam.
People are finally recognizing the show for how great it is
i was so happy, having watched clips and unofficial episode uploads, once they decided to start uploading episodes weekly!!
its honestly one of my favourite parts of the week, i take an hour out of my day and just enjoy it
my maybe unrealistic dream is it for gain a lot more traction in australia so we get an australian version. i wanna see more aus comics going bonkers !
@@freebeerishere I share that sentiment, with an air of caution. If they don't get the right guests, even the right hosts, it can fall down dramatically. The host, absolutely needs to be right for the show, someone who can interact with the guests in a fun, but firm way. The assistant, kinda needs to be a stern enough Alex, maybe bordering on Paul Williams (the assistant for NZ), so a mixture of both, plus you need guests that people actually want to see
@@MrWesternAUS oh of course i share the same concerns! i don’t think they need to be like alex or any other host, as long as they enjoy the show too and have a good dynamic with the taskmaster. that being said i wouldn’t want a mainstream host that’s always on the radio. there’s an abundance of hilarious aussie comedians im sure they’d all be great on the show.
@@freebeerishere 100% agree
One of my favourite moments has to be when Nish and Mark sing 'I'm always seeing you (do cool stuff)' in season 5, was such a nice way to round off the season
Best moment in the show. Has everything great about it. You don't expect anything and are presented with gold.
Thing what killed me is, that was genuinely a good song. Yeah some of the lyrics sounded preposterous, but Nish and Mark delivered a very convincing acoustic-sounding vibe you could hear in any coffee house. As unquestionably legendary Bob Mortimer singing full throated "Rosalyn is a fucking nightmare" is, overall that team's tune didn't feel nearly as cohesive to me, their voices didn't go all that well together.
@@kevinw712 Absolutely agree, but it was also hilarious hearing Bob, Aisling and Sally call Rosalyn a fucking nightmare to her face
@@TheWaffleGoo (awkward silence upon entering the room and seeing a stranger)
"Do we strike you?"
literally only one person in the entire world who would've said those words in that moment lol
@@kevinw712 "do we strike you" is a phrase I regularly think and chuckle about.
Lee Mack and Mike Wozniak honestly have one of the best dynamics we’ve ever seen in any team task.
They’re just two guys enjoying a sunny day out.
I’m loving s11 rn
Lee and Mike were the only two personalities I knew of at all coming into series 10 (tho I've now totally smitten with Charlotte Ritchie), I'm tons familiar with Lee over the years but Wozniak's been the biggest surprise to me. I'd only seen a little bit of him outside of his Man Down character and I'd gotten the sense he was quite a bit more reserved than this. He's a lot more silly than his Brian character, but they're very similar in nerdiness.
Lee and Mike are amazing, but I think my favourite team so far is Mark and Nish. They both had these characters of sort of well-meaning losers through the whole show and it was so fun to watch.
@@MisterAppleEsq That means that you have not see David Baddiel and Ed Gamble draw together. :) It is without a doubt THE best taskmaster moment. For some odd reason it is not available as a clip on UA-cam, that I can find at least.
2 dads you mean
I just only a few days ago tweeted at Al Murray because I'd most recently rewatched his series, and I joked that he kind of lucked out that he was included as early on in the show's history as he was because if he'd kept up his gameplay style in a 10 episode series he'd had to have taken out a second mortgage to accomplish it. He tweeted back barely an hour later that he'd have happily "paid anything to get to play longer".
I loved it when Joe Lycet used him as part of his camouflage task the next series and Greg comments "and Al Murray just refuses to accept that he's not on the show anymore" lol
Fun fact: Al doesn't live too far from the Taskmaster house, and so he actually randomly pops in every now and then. For absolutely no reason other than having free time on his hands and being close by!
@@ravimusicukMel giedroyc said this on the taskmaster podcast with Ed gamble, if anyone is interested in the source
I loved the dynamic that built up between Ed Gamble and David Badiel; I really got the feeling that David was the hopeless, confused father, and Ed was his son, embarassed to be seen with him.
Mike Wozniak is the ultimate case of going from unknown to a beloved character.
This is probably one of my favourite shows ever.
Same. Have watched every season at least 6 times except last two since they are newer
Me too
Taskmaster is one of the most original shows on TV today that you can very easily recreate at home but at the same time, you make it unique at home. Everyone's approach to a task is going to be different. And its so entertaining to play this game.
Also the hometasking phenomenon just proves it works around the whole world!
I think some of the genius lies in how relaxed it is despite still very much being a competition. The contestants and the taskmaster are just given a card with rules, EVERYTHING else is upto interpretation, and while this could be seen as lazy, in the hands of professional comedians it's cant help but become hilarious. Thank You little Alex Horne for this brilliant show!
Genuinely, the fact that so little is explained and even less is clarified makes the show so much better.
romesh smashing that watermelon still gets me every time lmao
"Mania"
„I had absolutely no concept of how much force it takes to smash a melon.“
I think 3 moments which truly show the range of taskmaster are:
Joe Wilkonson throwing the potato into the hole in 1 shot (I was literally in awe over such a stupid thing and then watching the close up was tragic, watching him grovel to greg and greg disqualifying him is what made Taskmaster become one of my all time favourite shows)
Rhod Gilbert tying up Alan Horne instead of himself and all of us thinking "Wow, what a genius" only for him to forget what the siren was for which just shows how the show can make people look equally smart and stupid
Nish and Marks song after spending an entire season screwing up over and over was genuinely good and heartfelt and felt like such an underdog victory. Usually I enjoy watching people screw up so I was surprised how much I enjoyed this
Also I would recommend checking out the US version. It honestly shows that the UK version truly is lightening in a bottle. Alex Hornes comedy is incredibly difficult to bounce off of but Greg manages to do it really well. The contestants all seem to get the show as well and simultaneously don't care about winning but also really want to win. But the US version just didn't seem to get the soul of the show at all and it's painful to watch at times
I think American comedians not having the same small circuit as UK comedians where they all tend to meet whether it be on panel shows or just working the same clubs is to their detriment. Their approach on that show felt more purely competitive whilst UK was just a bunch of mates pissing about trying to win. No one was really willing to laugh at themselves.
UK isn’t lightning in a bottle because the New Zealand and I think Swedish(?) ones are both great.
As someone who recently got into Taskmaster and am now addicted to it, I totally agree with the points about the comedians losing their normal persona and how it helps. There are loads of comedians on the show whose normal stand-up work I find completely unappealing, but on Taskmaster they're really engaging & entertaining.
"Or disagreement can lead to a very petty dispute" We all know he's talking about James and Rhod
im glad the ads came on after gregs ad break shouts they are one of my fave parts of the show
Kinda been waiting for someone ti acknowledge I did that. I was like a gleeful child when I edited that in 😅
@@mylittlethoughttree I have AdBlocker, so it's lost on me.
and from series 11, "and before we go to break, as the executives at Dave have told me, 'Stop slagging off our pay masters on air, Greg!!'"
I'm American and only recently found taskmaster. I binge watched 9 seasons so quickly. My sister would often come into my room saying "What are you laughing at? There is no way it's that funny!" I eventually convinced her to watch it with me. Now she'll start dying of laughter and saying "It is that funny!" as we watch.We both love Taskmaster now! It's our favorite thing to watch together. We're about to start season 6. Rewatching it is just as funny as the first time. Also my favorite contestant is James. Just his absolute wildness and how you never know what's he's going to do is the best.
Edit: My sister's favorite is Mike!
That’s really sweet!
Taskmaster is the first and only situational comedy because it is an actual situational comedy
For me that's mostly bosh: there are three parts to the fun. The pre-knowledge that's there's a clever/proper answer if only you had more time and less stress to think; coming into the Panel Show having had 6 months to think about what you _should_ have done and ; Seeing the other contestants doing better and/or worse than you. The first part is given by Alex and his designs, the second only the contestants get; the third is Greg smacking the contestants together like conkers. **love**
That ad placement was so good I watched the entire 4 minute ad
I was pretty proud of myself, I won't lie 😅
I have really enjoyed watching Taskmaster over the lockdown. Seeing people like Liza Tarbuck, James Acaster, and Noel Fielding doing absurd things and laughing it off in a gameshow format was a therapy I didn't know I needed.
"Contestants have a hard time maintaining their personas"
Counterpoint: Joe Wilkinson.
Love the content! I'd suggest looking into the NZ version, and skipping the US version of Taskmaster
Yeah, but Joe Wilkinson is a Beggar God among men.
Yeah, not a persona, though. Just a creepy moron who plays himself.
@@DrZaius3141 So long as he keeps being a funny creepy moron, I'm all for it.
Yeah I can't imagine Americans making anger funny. What with all the guns and poor education
Joe Thomas too, but apparently his secret is that it's not a persona: he's just genuinely like that.
And then there's Paul Choudry, where no one knows what's persona and what's real personality. "Have the most fun on this bouncy castle" was a wonderful choice for him.
My favourite contestant is without a doubt Rhod Gilbert. He is an absolute madman
A fucking psychopath.
Like not only was he shockingly good at working outside of the box, he also is fully prepared to kill someone
I read that 1 in 11 Norwegians watch their version of Taskmaster, Kongen Befaler, and the show has also helped increase the sales of owl lamps.
I'm really mad that they only uploaded the 1st episode of Suurmestari because I was starting to get really invested in those Finns despite not knowing a word of Finnish
As an norwegian I really recommend checking out Kongen Befaler. The host is like Greg, perfect his part, and Olli is almost as good as Alex. It is just as funny and addicting as the UK version. I recommend the first season (the best) and also the latest (for the memes).
@@zyaicob I wonder if they will continue after this series is done? They seem to generally be doing 1 episode a week and the English episodes seem to be taking precedence.
@@adorabell4253 i hope they do
@@lovemycatSofus yeah the Swedish one at least doesn't seem as good it's mostly when it's a comedian participating that's extra fun or you recognize but the Alex is very lacking I don't even remember who it is and the Greg is a bit lacking too
All of the comedians in series 1 are amazing in taskmaster, they started off so strong. then again in Series 4 every single one of them were absolutely brilliant (especially Mel and Hugh), and then James Acaster in series 7 who is just an absolute gem in every situation
season 4 has always been my favourite
Series 14 is my new favorite.
My favorite? Series 6 episode 1: Liza Tarbuck is like a homing pigeon! She just "knew" which way to go, and walked to the house! Not phased at all, just quietly confident 10 out of 10 from me!
I don't think that I'd ever seen her before, but fell in love with her. She had such fun. That cake. lol
This show looks hysterical. I am going to have to look it up
That's right, you *have* to. The taskmaster commands it.
Do it almost every episode is on youtube.
Start with season one.
Then just skip to season 7. Then go through the rest of the seasons.
@@atorrrand oh wow yay ty
Make sure you watch the UK version the US one slaughters what makes it good
@@Leo_252 Yeh, the US one is truly awful.
I had to rewind in places, because I kept quoting lines that go with the footage, like "Bastard's crying, innit?" and "James, the dirty tooth!" My favourite moment so far is Aisling Bea in her underthings dancing and singing "Dignity intact! Dignity intact!" Danish television deciding to air the UK version after it got taken down from UA-cam was one of the best decisions of the network this decade. We're almost done with S2 already, and I couldn't be happier with it.
I found this show years ago (I’m from the US) through highlights and I sat for days laughing until I cried. It was a really rough time in my life, and those clips just made all of that go away for a bit. I’ve always preferred the drier, more sarcastic style of comedy in the UK to the US, so this was so perfect for me.
I also love the level of interactivity there is in this show. My cousin and I usually talk about how we would complete tasks in depth. The amount of convinced I am that I would down a raw egg if some british guy handed me a letter that said I had to because it would make another british guy laugh is surprisingly high.
We showed the show to some co workers of her's that work for a club and they want to to something similar for an event because just watching the tasks and the weird ways the contestants go about solving simple but inordinary tasks makes you want to join in.
Im from Germany and before i watched the show i literally knew not one of the contestants. Its great to get my expectations about them subverted over the course of each series. I also think that this show i VERY british in its humor, the Irony and lightheartetnes(?) is just so great. Love the show and your essay!
I completely agree. Taskmaster has been a light for me all year long! It's so reliably funny. My favourite contestants have been Bob Mortimer (because he is a treasure of a human), Mel Giedroyc, and Sally Fielding. But I've enjoyed them all in their own ways and rewatch episodes when I'm feeling sad.
Acaster though
And mr wang
Bob is extraordinary!
I watch an episode every night to fall asleep to. Had already seen every episode so its comforting.
@@tereasia thank you!!!!!!
I absolutely love the calm and gentle music and smooth tone of your voice while talking about the most chaotic and crazy show I’ve ever seen. Love taskmaster glad its getting the recognition it deserves
I really love watching Taskmaster for many reasons. I like it not just because of the silly and sometimes unpredictable solutions they come up with, but also because of how genuinely surprising and wonderful it is to see those few gems of pure genious. Personally, whenever I watch the show, my first thought is; "Hmm.. so how would I cheat at this one?" (A)
This video was overwhelmingly British. I love it. The show looks like a lot of fun.
It's 2 years later and I'm wondering... did you watch it?
@@xant8344 I can't believe I'm being called out after two years. I never got around to it...
(in my defense I've never seen it available on my streaming platforms)
lots of episodes are available on youtube !
genuinely my favourite show. awesome to see it getting some love. my favourite bit out of all series was james acaster reacting angrily to greg taking too long to open a box during the opening "banter" section, and then greg taking him aside and doing a teacher bit. had me in stitches. i regularly watch taskmaster highlights when i'm feeling low as well, as it's able to get me laughing like nothing else.
I agree. Every series I see at least one person who I think "I hope I end up liking this random person" and I always do
I stumpled upon this show in a really gloomy time, I think season 1 just fully went on youtube. And I freaking love it. It helps me cheer myself up and I managed to cheer friends with it up as well.
My favourites?:
the cute comedy duo Katherine and Alex,
Johnny Vegas madness (his breakdown at the lockers brought me to tears),
James Acaster,
the whole cast of series 5 + 7 ♥ they make the perfect combo (Sally is an angel),
like you said mel and hugh,
Mike Wozniak as a whole (his farting task :'D),
I could go on and on, I have watched every single episode a few times now and I definitely wont stop :p
Johnny Vegas's persona is amazing. He's constantly five seconds away from a complete trainwreck, but then he'll give a wink or something to let you know it's okay to laugh.
I've gone for years at a time not watching tv. Didn't miss it. Every now and then, due to illness or quarantine, I engage, and each time, have been more and more appalled at the degradation of the media.
Taskmaster is the best tv in so many years, I weep. People who compare one season to another, talk trash about one person's performance, or whatever negative thing they have to say saddens me, so I seldom read comments any more.
One day at a time, one moment. Some, of course, stand out. Sally Phillips with the water cooler. Liza Tarbuck hopping 40 times while the 'men' ignore her. Phil in that yellow thing. There's only been one person who I didn't like going into it, and I ended up liking him better.
The joy that Alex Horne carries in him, and has decided to share with the world is a beautiful thing to see. A new version of Mr. Rogers, for the whole family. I'm so grateful that my poking about on YT prompted this suggestion, which has helped my mental health no end this last year. What a guft!
The fact that they made it available for lockdown, and then devised the Hometasks, shows such love and generosity of spirit.
I'm glad I don't have cable, but I have UA-cam. And AdBlocker.
This show reminds me of The Big Breakfast in its heyday. It had a lot of the elements you pick out as making Taskmaster great -
A real sense of 'place' in a real-life house;
Camaraderie among the talent and crew which spills out of the scripted moments;
Stupid tasks or games designed to add an element of chaos and unbalance people's "camera persona";
Presenters occasionally deliberately throwing each other off;
Development of in-jokes over time for regular viewers to build a culture around the show.
mike wozniak and kathrine parkinson are two of my favorites.
I love Taskmaster, thank you for the analysis of the most joyous show on television!
the norwegian version is pretty good, but im norwegian and hadn't prevously seen the british one. i think it works well because it's so similar to the british one, and i know norwegian, doubt its funny to non-norwegians idk. the norwegian name for the show is "kongen befaler" which translates to the king commands, but its how we say simon says if that makes sense. i really like the british one also. the premise is the same, but i think the humor is a bit different. i think thats due to cultural differences.
I'm excited to see the Norwegian version.
French-canadian here. I've binged Kongen Befaler twice now (all 3 series). I assume I miss much of the humour because I'm stuck with subtitles, but nevertheless, it has its own magic. I love it. Stormester, the danish version is also excellent, with its own different vibe, as well as the finnish, Suurmestari. Swedish version, Bast I Test is slightly more out there, but also fairly decent, but its the weakest of the northern Taskmasters, to my mind. And if you ever get a chance, the New Zealand version is basically the UK version, but with shorts.
I love most of the versions. The Norway first season has one of the best casts
@@Marc-ty1iq i didn't know people who are not norwegian watch the norwegian one lol, but cool to hear you like it.
@@snorkfyren reddit brings you the world :P
I’ve never even heard of this show. I may just go and check it out now. Thanks.
I see basically the whole crew that’s ever been involved in Not the Nine ‘o clock News is involved except for Dara O’Brian
Honestly you will never regret checking out this show. Its one of the things that got me through lockdown and impossible to get bored no matter how many times you binge.
Thank you so much for analyzing this fantastic show. You were spot on with everything. I feel the same. I loved seeing pieces of the different episodes. Great job.
I recommend the New Zealand Taskmaster for capturing the same feel of the original version.
YESSS another analysis video about taskmaster!!!! A lightning in a bottle show. Great video btw
Edit: gosh i cant pick just one contestant as my favourite! I have more of an affinity towards the ones that dont care like jamali and joe brand or are incredibly incompetent like roisian and katherine parkinson i suppose.
Lou Sanders might be my favourite contestant but that's probably because Series 8 is the best one ever and I will happily fight everyone who says otherwise
I discovered both your channel and Taskmaster during quarantine. Watching it is such a release. Im so pleased you are discussing one of my favorites! These analysis are wonderful. They help me develop the ability to put into words why I feel a certain way about something.
This is one of those shows I am so thankful to have stumbled across.
Yup, I was searching up Noel Fielding stand-up after remembering Old Gregg from high school, and happened across the show.... Best thing ever!
@@RealBradMiller Well you just blew my mind because I didn't realize Noel was Old Gregg!! I haven't thought about that since HS and never would've made that connection! I think UA-cam recommended a clip from the show and I fell down the rabbit hole. And I'm so happy the full episodes were all available on here
You say it’s all in good fun (and it it, not disagreeing) but I liked the moment when one cast member watched a clip of himself being really rude and snippy to another cast member, looking horrified at himself, then immediately turning to her to apologize. Like, that wasn’t a “all in good fun” bickering, but the fact he was honest enough to recognize it and be vulnerable on stage and admit he was being an asshat was really nice to see and to show the difference between real arguing and comedic arguing and that they’re not always the same.
That was Iain Stirling, and he's such a sweetheart. He was almost in tears.
Also, you should watch New Zealand TM, series 2, episode 5 or 6(titled Eat Your Asses)
All three series of NZTM have been excellent!
Loved QI and Would I lie to you.
Its so good there is many remakes of the show around the world. I personally love both the OG Taskmaster and Taskmaster NZ. They are both brilliantly produced. And the sense of humour are the same. (If no one has seen TaskmasterNZ just YT it, you will get full episodes and series 1 and 2. S2 is out now in New Zealand and episode 8 should be uploaded this week, it is basically Rhod Gilbert as every contestant. Its pure chaos)
My favorite show!!
Great analysis. I’ve also become a huge fan, discovering the program when looking for Horne Section clips here in the States. Another fascinating aspect is how the show’s format becomes a personality barometer for the contestants. Contestants like Mel G and Wozniak who make a genuine go at the tasks no matter what fair more positively in the eyes of the viewer as opposed to much of Aisling B or Russell Howard who came across mostly concerned with trying to look good. Or even series 7’s trio of complainers with Acaster, Knappet, and Godliman. (Although halfway through the series those three start to project more self awareness, rendering them more endearing). Anyway so much more could be analyzed about this show and I think it may be the best work of television possibly ever. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
At last, someone who feels the same way about S7 as I do. The 'trio of complainers' plus Rhod's aggressiveness just put me off so much. (And I *like* James and Jess.) They all seemed to take it far too seriously, especially at first, and they all just brought out the worst in each other, for some reason. But you're right that they seemed to develop some awareness as things went on. I wonder if it was organic, or if everyone knew the tone was 'off', and conversations were had. Kerry's attitude bothered me so much, and I had thought I liked her before, but I've had a hard time liking her since. Rhod, too. He's just so aggressive. The balance that makes the best casts was off. (And yet, some of the individual moments in that season were the funniest of the entire run, which shows that the problem was less the individuals, and more the total chemistry.)
With regard to Taskmaster International, I can make the following recommendations:
Taskmaster USA: Avoid it at any cost. Alex was the assistant, but he was scared and scarred by the rage that some contestants showed.
Taskmaster Finland: It felt like some of the contestants have seen the UK version and herefore had a quick idea on how to bypass the rules of similar looking tasks. The role of the sidekick was just boring and the entire show felt like "ok, let's get it over with".
Taskmaster New Zealand: I was bored in episode 1, but in the end, I really enjoyed the show and the participants and wished for another 5 episodes. It includes a story of brother rivalry and a developing love story. To me the best Taskmaster International I have seen so far.
I love that the whole thing is available on UA-cam if you don’t live in the UK.
One of the best new formats in decades
James will always be my favorite, not just because his mind is so lovely, but his anger is real, and waiting for him to triumph was so fun
The Swedish adaptation ("Bäst i test" = Best in Test) is one of, if not the one, most watched show on television here
Does it have a "John the Brit" instead of "Fred the Swede"?!
@@MadcapShambleton We had the Icelandic fireman Trösti 😅
I gotta say, I love the show, I love James Acaster, but when I saw Charlotte Ritchie say "wheeeee!" to herself while gingerly riding a bike carrying plates, I fell in love instantly 😍 I don't care that she's not very good, she's first in my heart. Sorry James, you're second
For anyone here, for the love of whatever or whomever you hold dear, never ever look up the train-wreck that is the short-lived US version of Taskmaster. Those who have gone before you have suffered enough for all of us. It is not worth it, do not let the emotional scarring spread.
Why doesn't that surprise me? 😂
I discovered this gem at the beginning of the pandemic, and wow! It is one of the best shows I've ever seen, period. I laugh, I gasp, I giggle -- it is the perfect mix of silliness, creativity, insanity, camaraderie and humor I've ever seen. I am ready to watch Series 11, Episode 8 and am pacing myself. Of course, I'll rewatch most of them in a heartbeat!
Noel Fielding has long been my favorite contestant but oh Mike Wozniak this season. The hero I didn't know I needed. XD
that watermelon throw is fucking iconic
best, most revealing line from any team task will forever be: i hate you more than my husband.
As far as adaptations, I haven't seen any of them but I've heard that the US version misses the mark, New Zealand completely nails it, and everywhere else falls in between, usually pretty good.
I refuse to watch the US version because they had Lisa Lampanelli on it. Worst 'comedian' ever. Nasty, derogatory, mean. What were they thinking? US producers can ruin anything.
For me, Taskmaster is like a comforting blanket I always go back to. Whenevers I feel down or "in my head", I watch Taskmaster and the level of demented comedy always makes me feel good.
UA-cam started tossing up bits of Taskmaster to me about a year ago and it's opened up a whole world of UK comedians and shows to me. I love it.
If there's anything better than Taskmaster no there isn't.
Thank you for putting the genius of this show into words. There really is nothing like it!
I was expecting this being the next video but I'm here for it
Noel running with the hose is absolutely perfect
Which 5 people would you bring back? My line up would probably be James Acaster, Bob mortimer, Josh Widdicombe, Lee Mack or Mike Wozniak (or both as a duo 😂) & Mel
Sooo hard to pick cause I pretty much love them all in their own way butttt probably James acaster, Bob mortimer, Rose matafeo, Jo brand and liza tarbuck. Think the best groups have to have a mix of weird/straightforward/shit/smart to make it unique
@@lucyb8285 that's a brilliant choice too, some are so close! James acaster is my favourite comedian though & bob is just the best person! I loved his fishing programme & I hate fishing 😂
Rhod, Sally, Hugh, Bob, Mike - A mix of the unpredictable
That ditzy girl that treats alex as a team mate
@@kaceybray2153 I loved watching him make corned beef hash. I wouldn't touch it, but it was fun to watch. Bob. What a guy. His WILTY appearances are gold.
I have never not cackled at a singoe episode in all of the taskmaster episodes. Everyone made it happen and i love each comedian that popped up in the show.
As funny as i have barely remembered the names of the old contestants (except personal favorites) i still have remembered the faces that got me through the week for a long time now.
Nrw Zealands version was very strong and well worth a watch
I had to watch this video again, I was so focused on the images lol
'I didn't mean to get philosophical in this video'
Have to diasgree there, since the premise of the video is asking 'why is the fun thing fun', and that is ultimately a question that outright nihilism manages to answer in a way that most perspectives don't.
- "If we affirm one single moment, we thus affirm not only ourselves but all existence. For nothing is self-sufficient, neither in us ourselves nor in things; and if our soul has trembled with happiness and sounded like a harp string just once, all eternity was needed to produce this one event-and in this single moment of affirmation all eternity was called good, redeemed, justified, and affirmed." - Nietzsche
I have to say finding Taskmaster was one of my highlights in 2020. It's just so hilarious.
It's interesting to note that the UK version has by far the most successful & frankly entertaining version in comparison to the international (well, american & new zealand) versions that I've watched. Alex & Greg do have that certain something that is indispensable to making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Judi Love in the new season is quickly becoming a favorite
it always reminds me of "shooting Stars" crossed with the Krypton Factor, with a sprinkle of whos line is it anyway. I think these programs are evolutions from other shows, its been very difficult to do comedy as its now become very easy to upset people. Actually it reminds me of some of the extreme asian gameshows like endurance.
some of the stuff also reminds me of that highly controversial film from the late 60s "The Magic Christian".
Tying into your point about the journey of the competition aspect of the show, Taskmaster embodies the idea of “you learn more about someone in an hour of play than from a lifetime of conversation. With however many episodes in a series, each an hour long, you learn so much about the contestants because they’re all just… playing.
I love this show! It's just about the only game show I watch. I wish they had more on YT
I can very much recommend the danish edition. Especially from season 2 on. It does have a lot of recycled tasks from the UK edition, and some of them even made worse because they've been interpreted wonkily. But i love all the people involved. The taskmaster and assistant have a great dynamic that's based on Greg and Alex, but is very much its own thing. And the contestants are amazing.
Actually, if we could have danish cast with norwegian tasks, it would be just about perfect.
Taskmaster has served to introduce me to a multitude of new-to-me comedians. I live in the US and am not familiar with too many of the contestants prior to their stint on the show.
Favourite contestant - Bob Mortimer
I only discovered this show during the late covid period - then first season I got to watch as it happened was 13. One of the best imo. It's a great show.
Oh, and Mike Wozniak. He is quietly hilarious.
The ads coming after the taskmaster pre-ad scene made me laugh so much, great touch!! 😂
I don't like the in studio stage tasks, because it means the episode is almost over.
A fucking TASKMASTER video essay?
I was not expecting to be so pleasantly surprised
When I first heard of Taskmaster and the concept behind it, I assumed it would just be a show about humiliating people (because that is what's successful on TV and the reason I don't watch it anymore) so I didn't really care. A couple of months ago however I wasn't in a good place and was desperately searching for something to cheer me up and that was when youtube recommended a Taskmaster video to me which I watched and I instantly fell in love. Thankfully they upload whole episodes on the official youtube channel so everyone regardless of where they live can watch it. I wasn't overly familiar with Greg Davies and I didn't know Alex Horne at all but the first series is still one of my favourites. It strikes the perfect balance of what Taskmaster is in a nutshell, even though the team hasn't yet figured everything out and the chemistry between Greg and Alex is not entirely there yet. It also helped that the contestants of the first series were more or less well-known in their own rights and all of them seemed to be friends. Generally the contestants are always amazing, even if I didn't know them previously, I find myself liking them by the end and feeling sad that it's over. It's fascinating to see smart people like Victoria Coren Mitchell or Paul Sinha do that badly at tasks or Rob Becket and Noel Fielding do well, or to see Sally Phillips and Rhod Gilbert embrace their inner psychopath. Another thing that makes Taskmaster so successful I think is that the tasks in of itself are all rather simple. If you really wanted to, you and a couple of mates could come together and just do them at home.
Great video by the way! It really puts into words how I feel about the series and why it's so great.
The much broader problem is that the Panel Show has almost taken over British comedy - and everyone in it (with some honorable exceptions) just goes round and round doing these shows. The fact that they are having to become increasingly complex (and I agree that makes Taskmaster a diverting watch now and then) is really just a diversion from this point.
just found this show a couple days ago, holy shit im so addicted watching it, its so funny
Rhod Gilbert was my favourite contestant because of his relationship with Greg. Joking around and embarrassing his friend like no one else has.
I love that she shows on UA-cam now so that I can easily see those and other moments that I love again.
I love that everytime you say the word "triumph', you show Mark and Nish singing to Rosalinde😍
I've always wondered why comedians didn't try to laugh their way into tears. Romesh and the hot sauce springs to mind as the opposite of what they needed to do.
Contestants like Jo Brand, who simply don't care, are the absolute best, imo.
Taskmaster NZ is great, especially S2 with David Correos. If he were the "Alan Davies" contestant on future seasons, life would be complete.
Thanks for putting into words my love for that show
We don't deserve this show, man. It's a gift straight from god (Alex horne)
The Swedish one is really good too! But I really love this one more
I have never seen this show but it sounds wonderful. I have a best friend that I have a relationship like this with and that is why we are still best friends.
It's the kind of show that sounds absolutely ludicrous (maybe even unwatchable) just by basic description, but it's just beyond hilarious. And one needs not even worry if you're not initially familiar with any of the contestants of a given series. I mean I've been a big follower of UK panel/comedy shows for several years now so many of them I have been plenty aware of as it's gone along, but for series 8 I was only vaguely aware of one of the people going into it (the rest I'd literally never heard of before) and it was practically just as great and funny as any of the other year's groups.
Though I will say Greg Davies as the Taskmaster absolutely is key. I tried finally about a year ago to watch the short lived US version of Taskmaster, Alex was still there and involved, but the person they had as the main host, as their "Taskmaster", he and Alex just had no chemistry whatsoever, and the guy had a much different attitude about the goings on than Greg does. I couldn't watch more than two episodes of that one.
@@kevinw712 I'm started watching this show today and I am on season 2 right now and I am enjoying it so much. Thank you
@@jennifertochi6253 oh how I envy you lol It feels crazy to consider it now, but despite watching the amount of UK TV that I do, this show got all the way to series 7 before I'd first heard of it at all. I was on Twitter one day and saw a clip someone uploaded featuring James Acaster and Phil Wang from the episode that had only just originally aired the night before, and I became really intrigued. I was a big Acaster fan already, but somehow it slipped by me. So yeah just like you I had plenty to watch when just starting out. And you will want to watch all of it over and over and over again :)
taskmaster video essays my niche beloved
-The red bit of carpet- The red green