Returning with its 20th series, Channel 4’s flagship comedy show Taskmaster is still living up to its well-earned reputation as one of the UK’s best current panel shows. Celebrating a landmark ten years on screen, Series 20 delivers all the eccentric, chaotic and hilarious moments an audience could hope for.
This year’s line-up featured a delightful mix of comedians (Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam, Phil Ellis, Reece Shearsmith, Sanjeev Bhaskar) all vying for the approval of the arbitrary Taskmaster, Greg Davies, and his little assistant, Alex Horne. This series also saw one of the most varied line-ups in terms of age, with the 5 contestants each representing a different decade (from Magliano in her 20s to Bhaskar, the elder statesman of the bunch, in his 60s).
The fresh face of this series, Magliano’s quick wit swiftly made her a fan favourite. As well as making TV appearances at Live at The Apollo, she has also staged multiple shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, where she was nominated for Best Newcomer in 2022. Magliano came into the series with a keen eagerness but overall refreshing level of composure (especially compared to some of her fellow contestants) – though her Taskmaster legacy might come down to one moment during a task where she emitted a distinctly cat-like noise attempting to run whilst tethered to a balcony. Taskmaster is renowned for lifting the careers of newer comics, and I would not put it past Magliano to become one of the next big names of the UK comedy scene.
Sitting beside Magliano throughout the series was Maisie Adam, well known for appearing on the likes of Mock the Week and Would I Lie to You?, who bravely embarked the series wearing an ill-fitting costume of Sandy from Grease. Adam was instantly characterised by her quick temper at Alex Horne and dazed forgetfulness; however, she redeemed her more unfortunate attempts by committing to some of the best prize task entries. In one task, she went so far as to offer “all me doors” from the interior of her house.
For team tasks, Adam was paired with Reece Shearsmith, the comic actor that makes up one quarter of The League of Gentleman as well as co-creating/co-starring in Inside No.9. For a comedian that has made few TV appearances as himself, fans were delighted to see Shearsmith as a part of Series 20’s line up. He paralleled Adam’s sense of rage and frustration at the tasks, which made for some wonderful moments when the two were forced to work as a team. One of my favourite moments of them as a pair was Adam’s desperate suggestion of “Shall we try and stay a bit calm?” which left Shearsmith to approach the rest of their task together declaring the phrase “calm and collected” through gritted teeth and a fake smile.
Despite Phil Ellis’ two-decade-long career in stand-up comedy, he brought a youthful whimsy and excitement to the show – an overall impression of simply being ‘happy to be there’. Even Davies himself deduced from the series premiere that it was “good to see someone who knows he can’t win having fun”. Ellis truly embraced the show’s chaotic nature (and his own), making his main objective to have as good a time as possible… and bring up his hometown Preston at any given chance.
A revered comic actor known for shows such as The Kumars at No. 42, Sanjeev Bhaskar entertained fans with his relaxed manner and witty one-liners. The passionate energy from the other four is hilariously contrasted by his laid-back approach. Bhaskar was unashamedly unbothered in his endeavour from the beginning, taking a leisurely pace to ‘chase’ Alex while the others ran at top speed. Unfortunately, he never won an episode, but he did break Taskmaster records for the greatest number of times a contestant brought in their own urine as a prize task…
Series 20 was the final Taskmaster series to be filmed at Pinewood Studios, where its TV unit has subsequently been closed due to a decline in UK entertainment television commissions. However, Taskmaster will continue, moving recordings to White City Television Centre with the Series 21 lineup already announced and in production.
After watching this series, I’m glad to confidently say that fans do not have to worry about the hilarity and fun of Taskmaster disappearing any time soon.
