The latest season of Taskmaster is in full swing meaning that every week, we’re treated to a series of deeply unserious tasks, one-liners that make their way into our everyday conversations and, for many of us, a growing affection for the contestants – even if this is our first exposure to them.
I don’t know about you but for me, in the year of 2023, I’m looking for pockets of wholesome joy wherever I can find them and settling down to a weekly episode of Taskmaster provides just that as well as a feeling of familiarity with the contestants. They’re not just comedians, not just contestants, no no. By the season finale, they are my family and I would follow them to the ends of the Earth.
I’m not alone in this sentiment. A tweet that amassed over 3,000 likes last week echoed my thoughts:
The Secret To Taskmaster’s Success
So, why does this happen? Why am I currently adding Susan Wokoma to my Christmas card list when just a couple of months ago, I hadn’t even heard of her? Well, according to previous contestant Mark Watson, the secret to Taskmaster’s success isn’t just the tasks and charm of the show but actually, in showcasing the comedians that aren’t known outside of comedy circles.
Speaking on X, Watson said that our growing affection for contestants across a season of Taskmaster is because, “Taskmaster has made a point of showcasing people known to be brilliant by the industry, but who are risky bookings.”
He clarified in later tweets that when he said risky bookings, they’re “risky” to commissioners because they aren’t household names — something that apparently terrifies them.
This was backed up by previous contestant (and all round STAR) Fern Brady who replied, “It me, the riskiest booking in the biz!”).
Taskmaster brings out a new side to comedians
Others on X spoke about how their minds were changed on Taskmaster following a Taskmaster appearance. @RobFreeman said, “Taskmaster’s also brilliant for showing new sides of comedians. There’s been a few I disliked going in, but have totally won me over. One of them is this series, and they’d done that by episode two.”
Others agreed, with @williamdchapple1 saying, “I was slightly nervous Frankie Boyle was just going to be massively dark and shocking the whole series but seeing a lighter side of him was absolutely brilliant.”
The show was given an unprecedented six season renewal earlier this year so it looks like we have a great few years of fresh comedians coming to our screens!