Taskmaster (channel 4)
Rating: 4 stars
Little Britain star Matt Lucas, who looks half the man he used to be and much healthier since leaving the megacalorie temptations of the Bake Off tent, must be unique.
“I probably should have watched this show before I started it,” he told host Alex Horne as he arrived to tackle the first challenge on Taskmaster.
Now in its 22nd full series, plus at least a dozen special episodes and a children’s spin-off, the endlessly inventive Taskmaster has got to be the most-watched panel game on the airwaves. If Matt really hasn’t seen it before, I’m guessing he doesn’t have a TV.
Millions of people love it and if it continues at this rate, every viewer will eventually get a chance to appear as a participant. Alex and head judge Greg Davies will definitely run out of comedians eventually.
That hasn’t happened yet. Matt aside, it seems remarkable that long-time Channel 4 favorite Richard Ayoade is only now getting around to it.
Richard made it clear from the start that he had no intention of putting any effort into the match. In the opening round, when players were tasked with bringing a ‘droopy’ gift for Greg, some used their invention and aimed for a laugh.
Little Britain star Matt Lucas, who looks half the way he used to and much healthier since leaving the megacalorie temptations of the Bake Off tent, must be unique (Matt, Nina Conti and Richard Ayoade pictured L-R)
Actress Isy Suttie filled a pair of pantyhose with gallons of warm, dripping porridge. Richard just took a photo of a houseplant that needed water.
In a round with overtones of Greek myth, the participants were told to search the Taskmaster’s house for a golden apple and a golden bowl. Most followed a trail of clues that led them through a tunnel to a temple in a forest.
Richard could barely be bothered to drag himself to the kitchen, where he found an apple and threw it into a plastic bowl.
But we know from other panel shows that Mr. Ayoade’s boredom, despite himself, is all an act. In fact, he is compulsively competitive.
We saw that in Amazon Prime Video’s Last One Laughing, where he managed to keep a straight face while everyone around him burst out laughing—until finally he burst out laughing at Bob Mortimer’s unprintable joke about a man shortchanged in a graveyard.
When Greg started awarding points, and Richard found himself in last place, that instinct of one-upmanship kicked into action. He played the final round, a test of memory, with ruthless determination, and could not hide his joy at victory.
Taskmaster’s challenges are so difficult and require such a combination of physical energy, lateral thinking and luck, that no one can be sure of winning every round.
But my money is on comedian Chloe Petts this time, because she has the right attitude: she loves competing, and she has given her best in every competition, while largely accepting her defeats.
That’s the winning formula. Keep striving, keep believing and keep your sense of humor. There’s a lesson there somewhere.
