As Alex Horne tells it, Taskmaster was born out of professional jealousy. In 2009, he became a parent and so broke with almost a decade of tradition by not taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe. That same year, his friend and former flatmate Tim Key won the festival’s top comedy award, for which Horne had been nominated in 2003.
At home and envious, Horne sent out emails inviting 20 comedians – including Key – to take part in a new competition in which he would set them a different task each month for a year. The results would be shared in a live performance at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe called The Taskmaster.
The result was organised chaos. An overdraft of comedians (a Fringe-specific collective noun) plus a pianist joined Horne on stage to reveal the results, set tie-break tasks, and eventually crown a winner.
“So this is The Taskmaster,” Horne told the crowd, “It...
At home and envious, Horne sent out emails inviting 20 comedians – including Key – to take part in a new competition in which he would set them a different task each month for a year. The results would be shared in a live performance at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe called The Taskmaster.
The result was organised chaos. An overdraft of comedians (a Fringe-specific collective noun) plus a pianist joined Horne on stage to reveal the results, set tie-break tasks, and eventually crown a winner.
“So this is The Taskmaster,” Horne told the crowd, “It...
- 4/11/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Rhod Gilbert thinks comedy panel shows are ''brutal''. The Welsh funnyman's programme 'Ask Rhod Gilbert' - which also featured fellow stand-up comedians Greg Davies and Lloyd Langford - was recently axed by the BBC following its second series in 2011, but Rhod isn't fazed by the loss of his project as he feels it was never his area of expertise. Speaking on Stuart Smith's 'Comedian's Comedian' podcast, Rhod said: ''I think panel shows are really hard and some of them are brutal experiences. You feel like you've been sodomised after them. ''When I did something like 'Mock The Week ' ... I don't...
- 2/26/2013
- Virgin Media - Celebrity
Ask Rhod Gilbert, Alan Davies in Whites, Harry & Paul return, the end of This Is England '86 and a lot more besides in our UK TV round-up!
Comedy veterans return, the new guard challenges, and a freshly peeled sitcom is brewing on the burners. Plus, a brilliant little bit of geek film lovers' animation wraps up the next seven days of telly goodies.
Ask Rhod Gilbert is new to BBC1 and airs Monday at 10:35pm. The first of an eight episode run sees the stand-up comedian answer questions, from the considered to the ridiculous, with the help of guest comedians and other personalities joining regulars Greg Davies and Lloyd Langford.
Another new series, this time on BBC2, is Whites, starring Alan Davies as a country house hotel chef. A similar role was this TV fan's favourite performance by Lenny Henry in Chef! (apart from the wonderful Christmas fantasy flick,...
Comedy veterans return, the new guard challenges, and a freshly peeled sitcom is brewing on the burners. Plus, a brilliant little bit of geek film lovers' animation wraps up the next seven days of telly goodies.
Ask Rhod Gilbert is new to BBC1 and airs Monday at 10:35pm. The first of an eight episode run sees the stand-up comedian answer questions, from the considered to the ridiculous, with the help of guest comedians and other personalities joining regulars Greg Davies and Lloyd Langford.
Another new series, this time on BBC2, is Whites, starring Alan Davies as a country house hotel chef. A similar role was this TV fan's favourite performance by Lenny Henry in Chef! (apart from the wonderful Christmas fantasy flick,...
- 9/23/2010
- Den of Geek
'Sex Bombs' a new comedy panel pilot show for BBC Northern Ireland hosted by Irish comedy star Ed Byrne (Have I Got News for You) will air this Friday, April 3 on BBC One Ni at 10pm. The show will feature a team of male comedians versus a team of female comedians trying to answer the age old question, “Who are the best at everything, Men or Women?” The female team is lead by Jo Caulfield (Never Mind the Buzzcocks) while John Bishop (8 Out of 10 Cats) heads up the male team. Guests to join the pilot show this week are Zoe Lyons, Kerry Godliman, Lloyd Langford, Pete Johansson. The studio audience which is made up of 50 per cent males and 50 per cent females will get to decide which gender has made the most convincing comedy argument, the men or the women.
- 3/31/2009
- IFTN
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