Presented by Greg Davies and Alex Horne (who also created the programme, originally as a show for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), the first series of Taskmaster was broadcast in 2014 on comedy channel Dave, before expanding its audience after being poached by Channel 4 in 2020.
While there have only been 15 series proper, there have also been special one-off ‘Champion of Champion’ and ‘New Year Treat’ programmes, comprising one or two episodes. All told, there have been 148 episodes of the show so far.
The show sees (mainly) comedians take part in a range of challenges which are then marked by the hosts, usually (but not always) winning a maximum of five points per task.
The person with the highest score wins the series and takes home a trophy modelled on the Taskmaster’s (Davies) head.
Here are 10 facts that even fans of the programme might not know.
1. That's a (bubble) wrap
Not all tasks end up making it onto screen. One that was attempted for each of the first three seasons was 'burst an entire roll of bubble wrap'. Turns out that it's quite difficult to do, takes forever, and makes for very bad television. Don't expect it to make an appearance anytime soon. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
2. A global concern
It's not just the UK that loves Taskmaster - there are a number of other versions of the program that have been produces around the world, all based on the British original. There are currently seven international versions being broadcast - in Croatia, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. Australian will be getting its first series later this year, while versions have previously also been made in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Spain and the United States. The New Zealand version (pictured) is hosted by Jeremy Wells and Paul Williams. Photo: Contributed
3. A perfect score
Dara O'Briain is the only contestant on the show to ever record a perfect score in a single episode - achieving the feat in Series 14, Episode 2 by winning every single task and receiving bonus points for pairing up the most socks in one of the tasks. His total of 30 is also the joint highest score for a single episode - tied with Katherine Ryan in Series 2, Episode 3 (although she was helped by winning a massive 15 points in the live task). Photo: Channel 4
4. You used to be able to rent the Taskmaster house
The quirky house is one of the stars of Taskmaster. It's a former groundskeepers' cottage located next to a golf course in Chiswick, West London. During the first few series you could rent it when the television crews moved out - for £4,117 a month - but it's no longer available. Photo: Rightmove