Taskmaster (Greg Davies sets some comedians daft challenges!)

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120054140#Comment_120054140

Yeah she was great. Mo was okay, but unintentionally so, and I don't think I could stick him for multiple episodes. Carol and Greg James were fine, mostly just... there. Amelia was shockingly poor considering she's advertised as "Youtuber and Comedian". She was even in a skincare ad during one of the breaks and was incredibly stiff in it.

I get that she's generally deadpan and awkward, but Christ....

Basq

One of the weaker New Year specials for sure.

Not contestants fault as tasks were generally poor bar the fun carp pellets one.

Aware of both Self Esteem's excellent music (wholeheartedly recommend.. one of the best acts I saw at ATN earlier this Summer) and on panel shows like HoG, she's genuinely witty and great fun.

Watched some of Amelia's Chicken Shop Date before the show and she seemed promising in an awkward way - her Matty Healy interview being a prime example - but she was remarkably poor.

Anyways.. onto the next season I suppose..

siblers

Amelia probably needed a couple of more episodes to get into it. Took me a while to warm to Fern Brady. That's the biggest problem with these one off episodes, you need to stand out straight away

appledrop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120057876#Comment_120057876

Yeah it wasn't great but I agree you need a few episodes to warm to some people, however I couldn't watch a whole season of Carol Voderman, no thanks.

HeidiHeidi

Ah, just watched it, and it was good fun!

That final task was one of the best I've seen (didn't help that I'm watching after a few glasses of vino and my head was absolutely spinning by the end of it 🤯)

But jaysus, is there anything Sir Mo can't do? Golds by the bucketful at the Olympics, only one ever to beat The Cube, and now TM champion (and that's only the shows I watch, god knows what else he's done!)

Nice to see Carol's pneumatic bum featuring, and her slightly eerie, rigid smile (i met her years and years ago, and literally would not recognise her today from then).

I didn't know the other three at all, Rebecca (whoever she is) seemed like the most fun of the lot.

A fun hour's telly.

Exclamation Marc

If anything, it shows how right they are for the show to be grounded with comedians. Nice as a one-off but I can't have seen any of them being great over ten episodes. Even Greg James was stiff despite his comedic background.

One very enjoyable task among a few fairly fine ones. I did enjoy the show but it was largely forgettable.

dulpit

I enjoyed it, but the one off episodes don't do it for me, need more time to get to know the contestants. Carol Vorderman was a right pain in the hole. The 2 lads were dull, the 2 girls at either end seemed like good fun though.

pjcb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IubIkvXadY

new Australian version, although the Norwegian show was the best of the other versions I've seen, and Paul Williams is the best Alex Horne replacement none have matched Greg Davies for really taking the piss out of the contestants.

Basq

^ Only know Luke McGregor from that line-up.. he's fun in a self-effacing way.

maudgonner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120140672#Comment_120140672

Ep 1 is available on the usual sources now. I'd say Tom Gleeson might equal Greg Davies in taking the piss out of contestants - if you've seen The Hard Quiz you'll know he's well suited to that.

(If you haven't seen it it's well worth seeking out. It's like Mastermind if Magnus Magnusson and the contestants spent half the show slagging one another)

Zaph

Watched the first episode of the Aussie version and really enjoyed it. Don't know anyone at all involved with the show, but that didn't make any difference. I agree that Tom Gleeson captures the spirit of Greg Davies far better than Jeremy Wells does on the NZ version. Wells is a very good Taskmaster, but he's just a bit too soft on the contestants for my liking, whereas Gleeson has laid down the law from the beginning. Looking forward to the next episode.

HeidiHeidi

I'm catching up on an old series on Dave, with Iain Stirling and Lou Sanders et al.

I think I remember it being mentioned on here before.

I'm 3 episodes in, and it's great! Way more entertaining than recent ones, I wonder has the concept run its course?

Basq

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199212#Comment_120199212

Last series was the best of the Channel 4 run to be fair.. but it's been patchy since moving to Channel 4.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199212#Comment_120199212

I'd actually still place Series 8 (the one with Lou Sanders and Iain Sterling et al) pretty low. It's good, with some great tasks and moments, but it's not one of the best (especially being in between two of the best of Series 7 and 9). Whereas the last two series on Channel 4 have been fantastic since they got the audience back imo. The last series with John Kearns and Fern Brady was absolutely terrific.

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200755#Comment_120200755

Covid definitely played a part in that. No audience, some tasks awkward with distances etc, the contestants 6 feet apart in studio. The last one has been the first without any noticeable covid factors and it was by far the best in recent times

Contestants make it of course, and all series have had their moments

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200873#Comment_120200873

Yeah I heard Victoria Coren Mitchell on the Taskmaster podcast talking about how especially for the prize tasks, where she chose prizes that were usually a joke or a pun, she said it was incredibly awkward saying it to just complete silence due to no crowd. I'm sure it probably affected a lot of the contestants, and there are some parts that would have been incredible with a genuine live audience reaction (like pretty much anything Mike Wozniak said, but particularly his haemorrhoid). The live tasks and team tasks also suffered with Covid, or even not being able to involve Alex as much in their tasks.

pjcb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120140672#Comment_120140672

and the Australia ( exteriors atleast) are shot in New Zealand at the same ranch house they use.

Lost Ormond

6 more series confirmed and a junior taskmaster series to happen as well

https://www.channel4.com/press/news/channel-4-launch-junior-taskmaster-taskmaster-renewed-three-years

Mr Crispy

Starting 30th March.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auhFu0E4Y-k

Mr Crispy

LAH in an AMA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCC8vJ6aVFw

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120362414#Comment_120362414

Not interested in the Junior version, and I think it's going to have different hosts anyway. But 6 more series' of normal TM sounds damn good to me.

Mr Crispy

Part 2 of Alex's reddit AMA;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdPvc46mOvk

Basq

Having caught up with Taskmaster: Australia..

.. reckon Tom Gleeson could be the wittiest of the "International Taskmasters".

Perfect International combo would be him as TM, and Paul Williams as Assistant.

markw7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120384477#Comment_120384477

Couldn't agree more about Tom and he doesn't pander to the contestants or the audience which is a big plus in my eyes - Greg seems to be waining in that regard in the last few seasons but is still a great host.

Paul Williams for me is the only good thing in Taskmaster NZ. The bloke that hosts it would fail a Turing test I reckon and the contestants are pure and utter dogsh#t.

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120395643#Comment_120395643

Couldn't disagree more on Taskmaster NZ and saying they're all dogshït is such a bad take and just wrong. Contestants like David Correos, Laura Daniel, Guy Montgomery etc on Season 2 were excellent and that Season has been broadly held up as one of the all time best seasons across all iterations.

markw7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120395685#Comment_120395685

Fair enough, I should have mentioned I was talking about the contestants in the latest season (3). I thought they were trying too hard and just not funny at all and I bailed on it mid-season.

Couldn't warm to Correos from season 2, found him too loud and just blerting out random crap like a NZ Nish Kumar isn't funny to me.

Laura and Monty were good contestants, agree with you on that, I don't think we'll see many more like them though - don't think NZ has a big enough population to match the UK show and now OZ as well.

Basq

Heads-up..

Latest Celebrity Hunted starts on Tuesday at 9pm on C4 and features both James Acaster and Ed Gamble on the run.

Have seen the first 3 episodes - it's good fun and has a few surprises for Taskmaster fans.

Basq

This is your 15 minute warning!

Channel 4 @ 9pm.

HeidiHeidi

That barge task is class!!

Brace, brace!! 🤣

Basq

The silent disco and twine tasks were poor.

But rest was solid!

Not a fan of Jenny Eclair, and not sure if show is really suited for Mae Martin ("Feel Good" is well worth a watch though).

Frankie, Ivo and Kiell all great in their own ways though.

Frankie, in his usual acerbic wit, had the line of the episode when responding to Mae's suggestion that she thought the Lord was involved in the hidden twine revelation: "It’s good that he’s sparing the time to stop people dying to look in on the show"