# Taskmaster (2015)

> Comedians compete in increasingly absurd tasks set by a gruff host, with points awarded for inventive interpretation rather than skill.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/56293

## Facts

- Seasons: 22
- Episodes: 202
- Episode runtime: 46 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: comedy, reality
- Created by: Alex Horne
- Network: Channel 4, U&Dave
- Cast: Greg Davies, Alex Horne, Andy Zaltzman, Asim Chaudhry, Babatunde Aléshé, Ania Magliano, Emma Sidi, Jack Dee
- TMDB rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4934214/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: playful, absurd, warm, self deprecating, quick witted, breezy

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim Taskmaster as a consistently funny and inventive comedy competition, with its absurd tasks and sharp host dynamic drawing high audience ratings across more than two decades of seasons.

## Synopsis

Taskmaster (2015-present) is a British comedy game show created by Alex Horne for Channel 4 and U&Dave. Greg Davies plays the stern, exacting Taskmaster, who is assisted by Alex Horne, his ever-loyal and long-suffering helper. Across twenty-two seasons, five hyper-competitive comedians including Russell Howard, Jack Dee, Asim Chaudhry and Andy Zaltzman face a weekly run of bizarre, fiddly tasks, from building things with impossible materials to completing ridiculous challenges in a single household room. Points are awarded for creativity and inventive interpretation rather than skill, so the comedians hunt for loopholes and literal readings of every instruction. The engine is simple: each episode is a self-contained challenge, and the contestants' attempts escalate into absurd, warm, self-deprecating banter. The show is an anthology of standalone series, with each season resetting the contestants and the competition. Fans of Would I Lie to You?, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Mock the Week will find resonance in its cozy, playful, quick-witted tone and its reliance on comic improvisation under pressure. Its gentle, breezy register makes it easy to dip into one episode at a time.

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