Taskmaster Series 7

[Black Ship]

Greg's mum in the bath. Then Acaster having a meltdown I'm screaming.

[DrGreggles]

I don't want this series to end.

[Small Man Big Horse]

There were some great moments and I liked the end task a lot, but found a couple of the tasks dull in places (the floating money one especially), and it wasn't quite up to the standard of the previous three episodes. Still bloody funny though, with Rhod once again the MVP of the episode.

[BeardFaceMan]

Thanks for that, it's hugely appreciated.

Edit: I wasn't aware of that Subreddit before but it's got lots of fantastic stuff there, including a whole bunch of Alex Horney's We Need Answers, so thank you again for that.

Yeah its a good little sub that, r/panelshow is the other one a lot of current stuff gets uploaded to.

So is that a 2 week wait for the finale now?

[TMJ]

I, like most, thought S5 was the best series with the best line-up, but I am at the point after ep9 where I could watch another 9 episodes and not get bored. Everyone has their own little character and their quirks have built up over the series - Acaster becoming increasingly angrier, Rhod finding even more ways to annoy his friend, Phil's wang becoming increasingly more... pronounced, Kerry being more and more Eastenders pub landlady, and Jessica (who I knew nothing about beforehand) coming off as lovely and funny and just great to watch. S8 better play a blinder because this may be my favourite series of any show in a long time.

[worldsgreatestsinner]

Don't think it's been shared on here yet but Dave uploaded a longer version of Rhod's creepy task, includes an answer to my question about how long he was in the wardrobe.

https://twitter.com/davechannel/status/1055380619851640832?s=21

[Small Man Big Horse]

Just in case anyone's interested I saw that someone's put some subtitled versions of the Swedish Taskmaster up on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rJFv4xeOVM&feature=youtu.be

Does anyone know if the Australian and New Zealand ones are available anywhere online?

[BeardFaceMan]

Interesting. I would have said that Taskmaster is a rock solid format that would work anywhere but after watching the US version it struck me just how important Greg Davies is to the whole thing, even thought Little Alex Horne was there it just didnt work without him, the whole vibe of the show changed. But that just may be Americans and their odd attitude to comedy panel/quiz shows, hopefully the other foreign versions have kept the Davies role as a take-no-shit Taskmaster rather than the happy-go-lucky try-to-please-everyone style of Reggie Watts. Watching Horne and Davies interact is just a joy, Davies in particular looks like he's having so much fun.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The Swedish version of Greg isn't that great and doesn't particularly say anything cruel about the participants efforts but I'm fond of their version of Alex Horne, and I preferred it to the US edition (though I've only seen one episode so far). The tasks are mostly decent, with a bubblewrap one and one where they get to make a trailer for a horror film featuring dairy products being the highlights, there's a couple of dull moments and a little too much of it is based in the studio but I still found myself liking it a fair bit. According to someone on reddit the second is better too, so I'm looking forward to watching it soon.

[Tony Yeboah]

Hula https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS4h7AS33k4
Satsuma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZUWkA3cZMg

[Clownbaby]

I wonder if they'll reveal series 8's line up straight after the final episode like they did last year. (Did they? I'm sure they disd. I might be wrong though) There doesn't seem to be any speculation or prediction about who'll we'll get

[DrGreggles]

Satsuma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZUWkA3cZMg

Such a shame that Acaster's implied rage was ruined by the cut to him giggling.
I'd have loved to believe that he was genuinely furious.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I wonder if they'll reveal series 8's line up straight after the final episode like they did last year. (Did they? I'm sure they disd. I might be wrong though) There doesn't seem to be any speculation or prediction about who'll we'll get

They did do that last time though as the next season isn't due to air until May, and the studio recordings are in March, no one's 100% sure if they'll do so this time. The tasks are already being recorded though so I'm hoping they will. And there's a lot of speculation on Reddit, with Jack Dee and Sue Perkins being the two most popular names but that's more what people are hoping for rather than any actual knowledge.

[Utter Shit]

The thing with Taskmaster is it's had such a rich and varied array of guests (and of course has knocked out so many series in such a short space of time) that pretty much any comedian, and in fact most people who come under the umbrella of light entertainment, seem not only plausible but almost certainties when you mention them. I mean of COURSE Jack Dee and Sue Perkins will be on it at some point, it just seems obvious. Beyond the real superstars like McIntyre, Kay, maybe Manford and Flaganan, it's difficult to think of a TV comedian who doesn't fit.

I think Taskmaster could pretty much get anyone they want at this point, because everyone they have on seems to have so much fun. The only hurdle is the complicated filming process. But even then they seem to be quite flexible, allowing contestants to rattle off all their tasks in a couple of days or string them out over months if needed.

Now that John Robins has his first regular TV gig - and it's on Dave, which presumably will help - I think he's nailed on at some point. I love him and am a fully-fledged Robins apologist, so I'm biased, but I think he'd be great in the ultra-competitive, pedantic role. It wouldn't be much of a stretch for him.

[bobloblaw]

Buckles *needs* to this at some point soon

[Utter Shit]

Oh yeah definitely. It feels like such a good fit that you almost assume he's already been on, sort of like how it's difficult for football fans to accept that Sam Allardyce has never managed West Brom.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I just hope it's not Richard Herring in the next series, I think his desperation to win would be painful to watch.

[Soup]

Yeah, echoing the calls for Robins and Buckles.I'd quite like for Herring to keep getting passed over. Years from now he's getting increasingly frustrated as Horne scrapes the barrel with 5 different Giles Brandreth clones for season 31. Nothing against Herring, he's just the sort of guy you like to see in a state of minor suffering.

[worldsgreatestsinner]

I think Ed Gamble is a certainty to be on at some point, he works with Greg pretty regularly and would seem a good fit. Tom Basden also just for the relationship with Alex. I'd love Diane Morgan or Danielle Ward, but the latter seems a bit of a dream. I think Nick Helm is a good bet as well just because he has an existing relationship with Dave. For the older comedian slot Jack Dee would seem a certainty somewhere down the line, Herring and David Baddiel too. Really hoping for Buckles.

[Utter Shit]

Danielle Ward must be very unlikely, haven't Dave commissioned a show that is a total rip-off of DTRT? I agree she'd be brilliant on it though, in fact she should just be on TV more generally.

Baddiel is going into this year's I'm A Celebrity apparently, not sure if that makes him more or less likely to be in an upcoming series of Taskmaster.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I think Ed Gamble is a certainty to be on at some point, he works with Greg pretty regularly and would seem a good fit. Tom Basden also just for the relationship with Alex. I'd love Diane Morgan or Danielle Ward, but the latter seems a bit of a dream. I think Nick Helm is a good bet as well just because he has an existing relationship with Dave. For the older comedian slot Jack Dee would seem a certainty somewhere down the line, Herring and David Baddiel too. Really hoping for Buckles.

I did an interview with Danielle Ward recently and she said she'd all but given up performing (at least when it came to stand up) and was now writing on a variety of shows so yeah, I think it's unlikely too. Which is a shame as I loved Seventeen and would love to see her do more stand up and appear on shows like Taskmaster too.

[worldsgreatestsinner]

Is the interview available anywhere? Does she say why? Is it because she just had a baby?


Johnny Vegas, forgot Vegas, he seems a natural for this kind of show.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Is the interview available anywhere? Does she say why? Is it because she just had a baby?

I know Neil's against posting links to blogs so I've copied and pasted it below:

Comedy To Watch: I'm a huge fan of your podcast Do The Right Thing, what are your favourite moments out of all of the episodes?

Danielle: I've never listened to an episode so I don't really know what stayed in and what got cut. Also once the recording is over I tend to forget large chunks of what happened. It's as if my brain knows not to retain it because it has been saved for posterity. That said, I loved Peacock & Gamble and the fly lady.

CTW: And what can you tell us about the forthcoming new episodes?

Danielle: They're fun. Won't be out until 2024 probably.

CTW: I absolutely loved your show Seventeen when I saw it thanks to the comedy site Next Up, what was it like working with them, and how was the filming of the show itself?

Danielle: Thanks! I actually filmed it myself (as in, I just paid to do it so I could stick it on Vimeo) but someone at NextUp saw it and asked if they could acquire it. So I've not really worked with them beyond a few emails. But they seem like thoroughly nice people who love comedy.

CTW: Your first Edinburgh show, An Hour With Danielle Ward and Roisin Conaty, was in 2005 – how do you feel you've evolved as a comedian since then?

Danielle: In 2005 I was a fearless comic with no sense of 'career'. I didn't give a fuck about playing big rooms or doing accessible material that ordinary punters might like. I miss that comic and I hope she finds a way back rather than being dead at the bottom of a quarry.

CTW: You've taken a break from doing stand up recently, is it something you plan to return to in the future?

Danielle: Well I spent years doing a scattergun of artistic endeavours all of which were fun & popular but led to nothing more than art for arts sake. I realised I could be a mediocre forgotten stand-up or, if I worked hard, a brilliant writer. I ditched everything except the writing and now earn 5x what I ever did doing stand-up. I physically don't have time to gig even if I wanted to.

CTW: You've written musicals in the past, a genre I love a ridiculous amount, could you tell us a little about them, and whether you'd consider re-staging them? And do you plan to do any more in the future?

Danielle: Two musicals. One about a killer lesbian robotic nun, the other is Batman meets Hamlet with a female lead. I adore musicals. If someone else wanted to re-stage them then that would be brilliant but it's not something I'd want to do. It feels like going backwards or living off former glories. I have an idea for the 3rd part of the trilogy but musicals are crazy expensive to stage and given the chances of them going anywhere further are pretty much zero, it'd be a waste of my time and money. I would love to write a musical set in Blackpool about the heroine epidemic up there, but as I'm sure you can guess from the pitch, it ain't a comedy.

CTW: You've written episodes of Danger Mouse, and material for Anna and Katy, Not Going Out and Mongrels, could you tell us about your process of writing for tv? How does it differ to writing stand up? And is tv writing something you hope to do more of in the future?

Danielle: It is my full time job. I'm head writer of a kids show, main writer on a big Sky sitcom, I'm writing a film and I've got 4 things in development ranging from silly sitcom to humourless drama. The process is collaborative and writing to a brief, which is completely different from writing for yourself. You get loads of notes which you need to action (or disagree with depending on how good they are). Stand-up written down always looks terrible.

CTW: What would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?

Danielle: Staging my musical Gutted with a 24 piece orchestra.

CTW: And conversely, what's been the worst thing?

Danielle: Being dumped halfway through the fringe in 2012 by my agent Hannah Layton. She only took two acts up, me and 4 Loose Screws. And she backed them! Who the fuck are they? She almost ruined Colin Hoult's career too and he's much much funnier than me. I think she is senior manager of a motorway Marks and Spencer now. The one on the M6?

CTW: If money were no object, what would you like to create?

Danielle: Probably the 3rd part of my 'women in wedding dresses' musical trilogy. It's set in an asylum. But money would have to be no object. I'd rather get the rendering on the front of my house done.

CTW: What would you like to see change about the current comedy scene?

Danielle: I'm not part of it so I don't really think it's my place to comment.

CTW: Apart from stand up, podcasting, acting and script writing is there anything else you'd like to do in the comedy world?

Danielle: No. I have conquered this world (ha ha lolz). I'm moving into drama. All the best TV being made is drama (Notable exception being It's Always Sunny... and Bojack Horseman).

CTW: Can you tell us what your plans are for the future?

Danielle: I want to be Sally Wainwright or Abi Morgan. Or Vince Gilligan. Or Ryan Murphy. I have new heroes.

CTW: And finally, if you could interview yourself, what question would you most like to ask? And what would the answer be?

Danielle: What do your family think of your career? Could not give less of a fuck. Seriously. They barely acknowledge it. Probably the sort of thing I should see a therapist about.

[Clownbaby]

Johnny Vegas would be mint I think. My fantasy contestant would be Limmy but it's not at all likely. We all know he's got a particular way of seeing things and he could be really creative and unpredictable, or he could be shite. Sometimes the ones you expect to be really good end up being shite, so Limmy could be shite, who knows

[worldsgreatestsinner]

I know Neil's against posting links to blogs so I've copied and pasted it below:

Comedy To Watch: I'm a huge fan of your podcast Do The Right Thing, what are your favourite moments out of all of the episodes?

Danielle: I've never listened to an episode so I don't really know what stayed in and what got cut. Also once the recording is over I tend to forget large chunks of what happened. It's as if my brain knows not to retain it because it has been saved for posterity. That said, I loved Peacock & Gamble and the fly lady.

CTW: And what can you tell us about the forthcoming new episodes?

Danielle: They're fun. Won't be out until 2024 probably.

CTW: I absolutely loved your show Seventeen when I saw it thanks to the comedy site Next Up, what was it like working with them, and how was the filming of the show itself?

Danielle: Thanks! I actually filmed it myself (as in, I just paid to do it so I could stick it on Vimeo) but someone at NextUp saw it and asked if they could acquire it. So I've not really worked with them beyond a few emails. But they seem like thoroughly nice people who love comedy.

CTW: Your first Edinburgh show, An Hour With Danielle Ward and Roisin Conaty, was in 2005 – how do you feel you've evolved as a comedian since then?

Danielle: In 2005 I was a fearless comic with no sense of 'career'. I didn't give a fuck about playing big rooms or doing accessible material that ordinary punters might like. I miss that comic and I hope she finds a way back rather than being dead at the bottom of a quarry.

CTW: You've taken a break from doing stand up recently, is it something you plan to return to in the future?

Danielle: Well I spent years doing a scattergun of artistic endeavours all of which were fun & popular but led to nothing more than art for arts sake. I realised I could be a mediocre forgotten stand-up or, if I worked hard, a brilliant writer. I ditched everything except the writing and now earn 5x what I ever did doing stand-up. I physically don't have time to gig even if I wanted to.

CTW: You've written musicals in the past, a genre I love a ridiculous amount, could you tell us a little about them, and whether you'd consider re-staging them? And do you plan to do any more in the future?

Danielle: Two musicals. One about a killer lesbian robotic nun, the other is Batman meets Hamlet with a female lead. I adore musicals. If someone else wanted to re-stage them then that would be brilliant but it's not something I'd want to do. It feels like going backwards or living off former glories. I have an idea for the 3rd part of the trilogy but musicals are crazy expensive to stage and given the chances of them going anywhere further are pretty much zero, it'd be a waste of my time and money. I would love to write a musical set in Blackpool about the heroine epidemic up there, but as I'm sure you can guess from the pitch, it ain't a comedy.

CTW: You've written episodes of Danger Mouse, and material for Anna and Katy, Not Going Out and Mongrels, could you tell us about your process of writing for tv? How does it differ to writing stand up? And is tv writing something you hope to do more of in the future?

Danielle: It is my full time job. I'm head writer of a kids show, main writer on a big Sky sitcom, I'm writing a film and I've got 4 things in development ranging from silly sitcom to humourless drama. The process is collaborative and writing to a brief, which is completely different from writing for yourself. You get loads of notes which you need to action (or disagree with depending on how good they are). Stand-up written down always looks terrible.

CTW: What would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?

Danielle: Staging my musical Gutted with a 24 piece orchestra.

CTW: And conversely, what's been the worst thing?

Danielle: Being dumped halfway through the fringe in 2012 by my agent Hannah Layton. She only took two acts up, me and 4 Loose Screws. And she backed them! Who the fuck are they? She almost ruined Colin Hoult's career too and he's much much funnier than me. I think she is senior manager of a motorway Marks and Spencer now. The one on the M6?

CTW: If money were no object, what would you like to create?

Danielle: Probably the 3rd part of my 'women in wedding dresses' musical trilogy. It's set in an asylum. But money would have to be no object. I'd rather get the rendering on the front of my house done.

CTW: What would you like to see change about the current comedy scene?

Danielle: I'm not part of it so I don't really think it's my place to comment.

CTW: Apart from stand up, podcasting, acting and script writing is there anything else you'd like to do in the comedy world?

Danielle: No. I have conquered this world (ha ha lolz). I'm moving into drama. All the best TV being made is drama (Notable exception being It's Always Sunny... and Bojack Horseman).

CTW: Can you tell us what your plans are for the future?

Danielle: I want to be Sally Wainwright or Abi Morgan. Or Vince Gilligan. Or Ryan Murphy. I have new heroes.

CTW: And finally, if you could interview yourself, what question would you most like to ask? And what would the answer be?

Danielle: What do your family think of your career? Could not give less of a fuck. Seriously. They barely acknowledge it. Probably the sort of thing I should see a therapist about.

Cheers for that. Great read. Loved her slamming her ex-agent.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Cheers for that. Great read. Loved her slamming her ex-agent.

Thank you, and yeah, I was impressed with how open she was, most of the other comedians I've interviewed and have been (understandably) guarded about pissing anyone off but she was clearly more than happy too.

[worldsgreatestsinner]

She's one of my favourite people in comedy and she may not have gotten the fame she deserves but I'm really glad she seems to largely be doing what she wants. She seems like a good person and she's really fucking funny.

[Wayman C. McCreery]

Whoever they get for future series, I hope they never resort to tv personalities over comedians. Series 12: Big Narstie, Claudia Winkleman, the Rev Richard Coles, Rylan Clark and Sian Lloyd.

Fortunately there are loads of acts on the tv circuit and/or would be good picks: Adam Buxton, Desiree Burch, John Robins, Elis James, Miles Jupp, Rose Matafeo, Ed Gamble, Diane Morgan, Rachel Parris, Henning Wehn, Cariad Lloyd, Lloyd Langford, Jack Dee, Tez Ilyas, Sean Lock, Dara O'Briain, David O'Doherty, Nick Helm...

[MigraineBoy]

Whoever they get for future series, I hope they never resort to tv personalities over comedians. Series 12: Big Narstie, Claudia Winkleman, the Rev Richard Coles, Rylan Clark and Sian Lloyd.

Fortunately there are loads of acts on the tv circuit and/or would be good picks: Adam Buxton, Desiree Burch, John Robins, Elis James, Miles Jupp, Rose Matafeo, Ed Gamble, Diane Morgan, Rachel Parris, Henning Wehn, Cariad Lloyd, Lloyd Langford, Jack Dee, Tez Ilyas, Sean Lock, Dara O'Briain, David O'Doherty, Nick Helm...

I understand not wanting a line-up solely of TV personalities but one in the line-up isn't a problem: Richard Osman & Liza Tarbuck were both great.

Saying that, 3/5ths of the line-up you suggested would be awful, but Winkleman and Coles would be alright.

[The Lurker]

They seem to use a lot of Avalon clients so take yer pick... http://avalonuk.com/all/comedians/