Riona (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rionaleonhart) wrote2023-03-22 12:09 pm
rionaleonhart) wrote2023-03-22 12:09 pm
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I Know All The Terms. Wheel.
We had such a good time with Taskmaster NZ that it pushed our household into a full rewatch of the original Taskmaster!
One of the most interesting things about Taskmaster is the way each series has a consistent set of contestants. It feels like you really get to know them over the course of the series - the way they think, the way they approach problems, whether they're going to pull Alex's trousers down at every opportunity - and, of course, they get to know each other.
Below the cut, I've tried to pin down the panel dynamics and my favourite contestants for each UK Taskmaster series, because I cannot shut up. I'm sure it must be possible to watch something without writing an essay about it, but apparently that's just not the person I am.
Series one: Incredibly cutthroat lineup. I don't know if I have a favourite; maybe Josh Widdicombe? His response to the 'buy a present for the Taskmaster' task was certainly an incredible moment.
Series two: This cast didn't really feel like it had much of an identity. Again, no standout favourite. If you asked me to choose, though, it might be Katherine Ryan, who had a terrifyingly, hilariously wild approach to tasks.
Series three: Things are starting to come together here; I found Dave Gorman slightly forgettable but enjoyed everyone else. Sara Pascoe might be my favourite - I just found her very likeable! - but Al Murray also cracked me up; he was clearly having a great time, and his 'throw money at every problem' approach was unique and hilarious.
Series four: I feel this series is where Taskmaster really hits its stride. Not coincidentally, perhaps, it's the first series in which the contestants feel more like friends than like competitors. The general vibe of the lineup is 'four children's presenters and a murderer', and it's a strong one. Joe Lycett is probably my favourite.
Series five: This is a great one. Sally Phillips is absolutely the standout for me; she's wildly horny and having a wonderful time. I also love how Nish Kumar throws himself with great enthusiasm at every task and does terribly.
Series six: This is another cast that doesn't really have a coherent identity, although the series still has some great moments. I find Alice Levine the most likeable contestant in this series, but Liza Tarbuck is definitely the most memorable.
Series seven: what the fuck. An incredibly depraved and horny series right from the very first prize task, and it's all Rhod Gilbert's fault. This is another series where the contestant I like the most (Jessica Knappett) is not the same as the most memorable contestant (RHOD GILBERT WHAT ARE YOU DOING). Come to think of it, the most memorable contestants tend to be the ones who throw themselves most vigorously into torturing Alex.
Series eight: Not a standout series, but still good fun! Sian is endearing and Lou is easily the most memorable and funny contestant of the series, but Joe Thomas is my favourite; he just seems so confused and unhappy to be there.
Series nine: An interesting mix of wildly competitive contestants and contestants who consistently put in the bare minimum of effort. Rose Matafeo is definitely my favourite in this series, but I'm relieved that Ed Gamble won, because I feel he might have murdered everyone if he hadn't.
Series ten: This is the weakest series in my eyes, but I do like Mawaan Rizwan and Katherine Parkinson! Parkinson in particular, more than any other contestant across the entire show, seems to view Alex as a friend and confidant, which makes for a great dynamic.
Series eleven: This doesn't have an especially strong cast dynamic but nonetheless manages to be a strong series. Mike Wozniak is enjoyably bizarre, but I think my favourite person on the panel is probably Charlotte or Lee. I like Lee Mack on Would I Lie to You but wasn't sure what to expect from him on Taskmaster; I thought he might be grumpy about having to do tasks. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was prepared to launch himself into it wholeheartedly.
Series twelve: The first series I watched! I love how supportive all the contestants are with each other. I've enjoyed Victoria Coren Mitchell's work for a long time, and it's fun to watch her being terrible with occasional flashes of brilliance (and learning to ride a bike!), but as a Taskmaster contestant I think Morgana Robinson is actually my favourite on the panel; she's just very funny!
Series thirteen: Strong candidate for my favourite series! Sophie Duker is my favourite, but everyone is hilarious. Chris and Sophie are both strong all-rounders; Judi has absolutely no time for this shit; I have no idea what's going on in Bridget's head; it all adds up to an incredible dynamic. Ardal's the contestant I'm least into in this series, but he still has his moments and it's sort of hilarious that he keeps being a little shit in the studio, undermining everyone else's efforts.
Series fourteen: On a rewatch, this was a stronger series than I remembered! John Kearns might be my favourite in the lineup, which was a genuine surprise. I thought at first that he wouldn't be interesting (I'm not familiar with his previous work; I think I was just dubious about the office worker vibe he gives off), but he was just so endearingly hapless. The panel dynamic in this one is basically just 'everyone bullies John Kearns'.
I'd forgotten how psyched Greg is at the start of series six. He's so excited to be here, and so flirty and giddy with Alex! I'm not at all surprised that this is the series where they end up kissing; Greg is radiating 'I don't know how far we're planning to take this dynamic, but I can't fucking wait to find out.'
One of the most interesting things about Taskmaster is the way each series has a consistent set of contestants. It feels like you really get to know them over the course of the series - the way they think, the way they approach problems, whether they're going to pull Alex's trousers down at every opportunity - and, of course, they get to know each other.
Below the cut, I've tried to pin down the panel dynamics and my favourite contestants for each UK Taskmaster series, because I cannot shut up. I'm sure it must be possible to watch something without writing an essay about it, but apparently that's just not the person I am.
Series one: Incredibly cutthroat lineup. I don't know if I have a favourite; maybe Josh Widdicombe? His response to the 'buy a present for the Taskmaster' task was certainly an incredible moment.
Series two: This cast didn't really feel like it had much of an identity. Again, no standout favourite. If you asked me to choose, though, it might be Katherine Ryan, who had a terrifyingly, hilariously wild approach to tasks.
Series three: Things are starting to come together here; I found Dave Gorman slightly forgettable but enjoyed everyone else. Sara Pascoe might be my favourite - I just found her very likeable! - but Al Murray also cracked me up; he was clearly having a great time, and his 'throw money at every problem' approach was unique and hilarious.
Series four: I feel this series is where Taskmaster really hits its stride. Not coincidentally, perhaps, it's the first series in which the contestants feel more like friends than like competitors. The general vibe of the lineup is 'four children's presenters and a murderer', and it's a strong one. Joe Lycett is probably my favourite.
Series five: This is a great one. Sally Phillips is absolutely the standout for me; she's wildly horny and having a wonderful time. I also love how Nish Kumar throws himself with great enthusiasm at every task and does terribly.
Series six: This is another cast that doesn't really have a coherent identity, although the series still has some great moments. I find Alice Levine the most likeable contestant in this series, but Liza Tarbuck is definitely the most memorable.
Series seven: what the fuck. An incredibly depraved and horny series right from the very first prize task, and it's all Rhod Gilbert's fault. This is another series where the contestant I like the most (Jessica Knappett) is not the same as the most memorable contestant (RHOD GILBERT WHAT ARE YOU DOING). Come to think of it, the most memorable contestants tend to be the ones who throw themselves most vigorously into torturing Alex.
Series eight: Not a standout series, but still good fun! Sian is endearing and Lou is easily the most memorable and funny contestant of the series, but Joe Thomas is my favourite; he just seems so confused and unhappy to be there.
Series nine: An interesting mix of wildly competitive contestants and contestants who consistently put in the bare minimum of effort. Rose Matafeo is definitely my favourite in this series, but I'm relieved that Ed Gamble won, because I feel he might have murdered everyone if he hadn't.
Series ten: This is the weakest series in my eyes, but I do like Mawaan Rizwan and Katherine Parkinson! Parkinson in particular, more than any other contestant across the entire show, seems to view Alex as a friend and confidant, which makes for a great dynamic.
Series eleven: This doesn't have an especially strong cast dynamic but nonetheless manages to be a strong series. Mike Wozniak is enjoyably bizarre, but I think my favourite person on the panel is probably Charlotte or Lee. I like Lee Mack on Would I Lie to You but wasn't sure what to expect from him on Taskmaster; I thought he might be grumpy about having to do tasks. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was prepared to launch himself into it wholeheartedly.
Series twelve: The first series I watched! I love how supportive all the contestants are with each other. I've enjoyed Victoria Coren Mitchell's work for a long time, and it's fun to watch her being terrible with occasional flashes of brilliance (and learning to ride a bike!), but as a Taskmaster contestant I think Morgana Robinson is actually my favourite on the panel; she's just very funny!
Series thirteen: Strong candidate for my favourite series! Sophie Duker is my favourite, but everyone is hilarious. Chris and Sophie are both strong all-rounders; Judi has absolutely no time for this shit; I have no idea what's going on in Bridget's head; it all adds up to an incredible dynamic. Ardal's the contestant I'm least into in this series, but he still has his moments and it's sort of hilarious that he keeps being a little shit in the studio, undermining everyone else's efforts.
Series fourteen: On a rewatch, this was a stronger series than I remembered! John Kearns might be my favourite in the lineup, which was a genuine surprise. I thought at first that he wouldn't be interesting (I'm not familiar with his previous work; I think I was just dubious about the office worker vibe he gives off), but he was just so endearingly hapless. The panel dynamic in this one is basically just 'everyone bullies John Kearns'.
I'd forgotten how psyched Greg is at the start of series six. He's so excited to be here, and so flirty and giddy with Alex! I'm not at all surprised that this is the series where they end up kissing; Greg is radiating 'I don't know how far we're planning to take this dynamic, but I can't fucking wait to find out.'
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If the official YouTube channel is blocked in your country, there's a very handy unofficial source for at least the later seasons I can point you to ;)
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And I, for one, am very glad of that! :D
whether they're going to pull Alex's trousers down at every opportunity
to pick a purely hypothetical example of go-to problem solving technique (god, I love Rhod's approach to Taskmaster so much. It's not even the Alex torture, necessarily, but he is just so committed to doing the most insane thing with no regard for anything, including basic safety)
I also think the panels start feeling more like a coherent group than a bunch of individual people as the show goes on -- partly, I'm sure, it's the longer seasons, but my guess is they also got better at casting people as a group and got more freedom to pick from a large pool as the show went on. Series 1-3 feel like a bunch of individuals competing to me -- even on team tasks I'm not getting any kind of interpersonal vibe -- but starting with series 4 (as you say), the panel really feels like a panel rather than collection of individuals.
Josh is also my favorite on series 1 and Sara Pascoe on series 3 (although s3 is my least favorite series overall and she'd be quite middling if I were to rank all the contestants). On s2, I liked Doc Brown and Jon (and maybe Richard? it's close with Richard) more than Katherine, but Katherine was definitely the one whose task performance was consistently the most fun to watch (the pizza ordering task!!)
The general vibe of the lineup is 'four children's presenters and a murderer', and it's a strong one. Joe Lycett is probably my favourite.
Hahaha, you're not wrong XD Hugh is actually my favorite (partly because I feel like Greg kept underscoring him), but I absolutely love his vibe with Mel, and the team of three children is super entertaining to watch. (Somewhere around my DW is a cozy mystery AU a couple of friends and I brainstormed where Hugh is the serial killer, Joe and Lolly are junior detectives, Noel is the quirky medical examiner/pathologist sort of thing, and Mel is the amateur sleuth...)
I also love how Nish Kumar throws himself with great enthusiasm at every task and does terribly.
Nish is such an MVP! XD Not in the sense of earning any points, but for pure entertainment value, I mean.
Liza is one of my top contestants of all time, but I agree that the panel doesn't seem to have an identity and feels again like a collection of individuals, which is kind of weird. I liked Alice a lot, too, but it didn't look like she was enjoying herself after a while, which made it harder to root for her. So in the end, pretty much everything I like about s6 is down to Liza being a brilliant contestant.
Series seven: what the fuck
Yep! XD I love that James and Phil are pretty WTF on their own, in different ways, but then end up being relatively normal contestants when you also have Rhod as part of the lineup. Jess is actually my least favorite on the panel, but that's not because I don't like Jess -- it's just that everyone else would make at least my long list of favorite TM contestants overall (I do smile every time Alex refers to the stage bit as "the Knappett" :) I also feel like it's such a great lineup in terms of everyone bringing very strong, distinctly individual flavors -- Kerry the Bosh Queen, Phil bumbling along in slow motion, James being odd and often self-sabotaging (like reaching Nish Kumar levels of being led off for a little talk by Greg), Rhod being A TOTAL NUTCASE -- and I feel like Jess is sort of the well-rounded one in that bunch (but it's probably why she was the least memorable for me, because she doesn't have a particular "thing" dialed up to 11 the way the others do).
but Joe Thomas is my favourite; he just seems so confused and unhappy to be there.
He really has the vibe of a kidnapping victim/hostage throughout, poor guy XD Series 8 is another of my least favorite series, and I think either Paul Sinha or Iain's character arc was my favorite on it, but I did think Sian was the most likable.
but I'm relieved that Ed Gamble won, because I feel he might have murdered everyone if he hadn't.
Hahaha, especially after that CoC II duck task, I feel like that's a very reasonable worry XD (I don't know if you listen to Ed Gamble's Taskmaster podcast -- they're doing series 9 now, and last week the guest was Nish, who was speaking from the perspective of having both Ed and Rose Matafeo as close friends, and the episode is particularly hilarious.)
Series 10 would be on my list of top 3 weakest series, too (though I do get that they had to work around Covid, and I'm sure that was very hard). Mawaan was my favorite, too, and Katherine did make me laugh the most, probably ("Am I the spider?")
Series eleven: This doesn't have an especially strong cast dynamic but nonetheless manages to be a strong series.
I hadn't really thought of it till you said it, but yeah, it doesn't have a strong full cast dynamic... I wonder how much Covid is to blame for that; it definitely seems like it's harder to gel as a group when sitting 6 feet apart and presumably not really getting to hang out as much. I do think Mike and Lee as a team have one of the best ever team dynamics, both entertaining and functional (which two factors don't usually seem to go together XD) (For me, TM was the introduction to Lee and then I saw him on WILTY and was quite surprised by his persona, because he just seemed so genuine on TM!)
I love the grouphugs nature of series 12! It's another one that has a lot of contestants I like a lot -- Victoria was my favorite (if something ever possessed me to go on a show like Taskmaster, I would be very bad at it in a very similar way, lol), but I feel like everyone had a really strong distinct thing to contribute, too (Desiree and Guz were my other favorites, but really I liked everyone, and the team dynamic is really funny, too).
13 was the first series I watched as it aired, so I probably have some bias towards it, but it's one of my favorites as well. Such a great dynamic and individual flavors, and I feel like Bridget's interaction with Greg adds an added dimension to the general insanity. And, yeah, Ardal was also my least favorite of the lineup, but still very entertaining at times.
I think I was just dubious about the office worker vibe he gives off)
I think my first reaction to him was that he looked like a lost accountant :) Kearns grew on me quite a bit over the course of the show, but still ended up being my least favorite -- but that's because I liked this lineup a lot -- Dara somehow managed to make his extreme competitiveness and terrifying efficiency endearing anyway (I genuinely don't know how, because he does absolutely remind me of my own "compatative dad", which is not an endearing quality!), and Sarah was just so funny and chill, and Fern so delightfully odd, and you'll never guess who my favorite s14 contestant was :P But Kearns was still really memorable and really funny, and his dynamic with Dara, Fern, and Munya was really great.
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I love that you said this and then launched into a comment longer than the original post. Glad I'm not the only one with too much to say about Taskmaster!
I really like your thoughts on why the panels start feeling more like a coherent group after the first few series. I'd be really interested to know how much thought goes into picking contestants that will play well off each other.
Every time anyone mentions Doc Brown, it immediately slams his incredible 'once I caught a fish alive' video into my head.
Katherine was definitely the one whose task performance was consistently the most fun to watch
Her most memorable moment for me actually doesn't come from her series; it's her attempt at 'create the biggest mess and completely clean it up' from Champion of Champions. Absolutely horrifying to watch.
(Somewhere around my DW is a cozy mystery AU a couple of friends and I brainstormed where Hugh is the serial killer, Joe and Lolly are junior detectives, Noel is the quirky medical examiner/pathologist sort of thing, and Mel is the amateur sleuth...)
I think I saw your post about that! It would make an incredible television series.
He really has the vibe of a kidnapping victim/hostage throughout, poor guy XD
This is so true. I think
I think either Paul Sinha or Iain's character arc was my favorite on it
I loved Paul bumbling around in a dressing gown. Iain's genuine remorse when he realised how awful he'd been in the team tasks was really interesting, too!
Katherine did make me laugh the most, probably
I love that Alex is absolutely losing it during her 'catapult the shoe into the bath' attempt.
I wonder how much Covid is to blame for that; it definitely seems like it's harder to gel as a group when sitting 6 feet apart and presumably not really getting to hang out as much.
That makes a lot of sense! (And I agree that Mike and Lee were a great team. I loved their enemies-to-lovers attempt at the 'have an argument' task.)
For me, TM was the introduction to Lee and then I saw him on WILTY and was quite surprised by his persona, because he just seemed so genuine on TM!
He really surprised me on Taskmaster after seeing Would I Lie to You; it's interesting to think about how surprising it is to come at it from the other direction! I feel Taskmaster often shows you a new side of people; I definitely felt I learnt new things about Victoria Coren Mitchell.
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Yep! XD (lol, i didn't realize it ended up being longer than the post, but actually not that surprised in retrospect, lol)
I'd be really interested to know how much thought goes into picking contestants that will play well off each other.
Someone actually asked that as part of the Reddit AMA that Alex did video replies to recently, and it turns out to be the answer is "all the thought" -- or at least that's true for who they pick in general, and I'm sure selecting for a good panel is part of that.
Every time anyone mentions Doc Brown, it immediately slams his incredible 'once I caught a fish alive' video into my head.
I do think that's his crowning moment of achievement on Taskmaster! :D
Her most memorable moment for me actually doesn't come from her series; it's her attempt at 'create the biggest mess and completely clean it up' from Champion of Champions.
SAME! But also, I loved that her assorted family members seemed completely unfazed by all the dramatic lies. Like, has she done this before?? XD
I think [personal profile] magistrate captured Joe Thomas on Taskmaster best: In every single studio reaction shot he gets, he looks like he's belatedly realized something about the task he's just watched, and if only he'd realized it sooner, he could have saved lives.
AHAHA what an incredible description, that is indeed spot on XD He looks so haunted XD
And I agree that Mike and Lee were a great team. I loved their enemies-to-lovers attempt at the 'have an argument' task.
Yesss, the enemies-to-lovers is exactly what it was, and it was FABULOUS!
I definitely felt I learnt new things about Victoria Coren Mitchell.
It's funny about Victoria, actually, because TM was also my introduction to her, and then I liked her enough that I went and watched a bunch of Only Connect and her WILTY appearances, and, like, one of the things I love about Victoria is that she actually brings exactly the same demeanor to all these endeavors? Like, she is businesslike, confident, and slightly superior both in her milieu of hosting an erudite game show where she has all the answers AND in the context of trying to ride a bike for the first time on national television, trying to prevent Alex from scoring a goal (very ineffectually), or trying to figure out if there is a chair hidden inside a piece of candy. Like Katherine Parkinson looks genuinely baffled and vulnerable when she is asking things like "am I the spider?" or trying the various mad impossible things she tries, but you know Victoria would be like, "here is a three point proof on why I am the spider, here you go, task complete" (and Greg would still give her one point for it, but she would maintain a sense of regal infallibility throughout).
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(Victoria is one of my all-time Taskmaster favorites, and I loved watching her very much.)
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I read this, and my brain substituted "aroused" for "psyched" and then could picture him saying it, perfectly. "I'm aroused to be here".
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the way they think, the way they approach problems, whether they're going to pull Alex's trousers down at every opportunity - and, of course, they get to know each other.
Yes! <3 The way they think and approach problems was really what kept me watching the show in the first place (and the way they react to setbacks), but the way they interact with Alex and each other is also delightful!
The general vibe of the lineup is 'four children's presenters and a murderer', and it's a strong one.
This is an amazing description of series 4! (I assume the murderer is Hugh, but I think Joe has moments, like with the cake...)
I think I was just dubious about the office worker vibe he gives off), but he was just so endearingly hapless. The panel dynamic in this one is basically just 'everyone bullies John Kearns'.
Ha! And same on being initially dubious about John Kearns -- and I think he's a bit subtler than some of the others -- but his general air of defeat won me over. Especially when I realized that I was looking forward to his prize tasks the most.
I don't know if I have a favorite for this series, Sarah or Munya or John or Fern just for that song...
I'm not at all surprised that this is the series where they end up kissing
OMG I didn't know this would happen! I really really need to start series 6 soon...
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(I assume the murderer is Hugh, but I think Joe has moments, like with the cake...)
Ha, true! Joe is a children's presenter who also happens to be a murderer.
I have been getting Fern's song intermittently stuck in my head for months.
I'm sorry for the spoiler! I hope you enjoy the rest of the show.