“Every episode is funny and surprising. This is the show I have recommended most often and most insistently to my friends and family”
Margaret Lyons, The New York Times
Los Angeles – Friday 4th March – The sleeper hit, International Emmy nominated, and BAFTA winning British TV show Taskmaster, which has three billion impressions on YouTube in the USA and Canada, has launched its own SVOD channel: Taskmaster SuperMax +, targeting the North American market.
Alex Horne, creator and star of Taskmaster said: “Hello there. I’ve been told quite a few times that not everyone everywhere can watch Taskmaster. This is far from ideal and I’m sorry. However, there’s now something called Taskmaster SuperMax+, which is a worldwide streaming service with a great name where you’ll soon be able to watch all episodes ad-free; the complete global home for all things Taskmaster. Season 9 will premier here, for instance, so people in North America can finally see me dressed up as a mermaid etc. If you’re a fan of adverts, don’t worry, the old YouTube episodes will stay there completely free. But you can now download Taskmaster SuperMax+ here. Your time starts now!”.
Available starting Friday, March 4th globally, and launching with seasons one, two, and three, new seasons will drop weekly on Taskmaster SuperMax+ before Season 9 of the hit show, previously unseen by US audiences, premieres on Friday, April 15th.
Release schedule details:
March 4th – Seasons 1 – 3 drop
March 11th – Season 4 drop
March 18th – Season 5 drop
March 25th – Season 6 drop
April 1st – Season 7 drop
April 8th – Season 8 drop
April 15th – Season 9 launch with episodes dropped weekly on Fridays, making its U.S. premiere.
Additional content to be announced.
Set to host every season of the hit British show, all international versions, and new unseen specials, Taskmaster SuperMax+ will become the global home of the most hard-fought and ridiculous comedy entertainment format on TV.
Having seen huge success internationally, the original Taskmaster broadcasts in 94 countries, while the format has been made into local versions broadcast outside the UK, where it has become a hit across the globe. The Swedish version Bast I Test, now in its fifth season for SVT, reached ratings of over a 50% market share in a primetime weekend slot beating Dancing With The Stars. Norway’s original version of Taskmaster, Kongen Befaler, has been commissioned for a fourth season by Discovery. Two new seasons of Suurmestari have been ordered for MTV in Finland after its first episode ranked in the top ten most watched shows in the country, and a fifth season of Stormester for TV2 in Denmark. Further local versions of the show have been produced for VTM in Belgium, TVE in Spain, and two seasons for TVNZ in New Zealand where it became an instant hit and was the highest rated program in its prime-time slot with its premiere in October 2020, while season two grew both in ratings and share, with both season one and two winning their slots in TVNZ’s target demographic of all people aged 18 – 49. While the original show starring Greg Davis as the all-powerful ‘Taskmaster’ alongside his assistant (and show creator) Alex Horne has had 117 episodes produced in the UK so far, with a further 21 ordered by Channel 4 as part of a landmark six season deal in 2020, following nine record-breaking series on UKTV’s Dave.
Its YouTube channel has reached just under 3 billion impressions since it first launched in October 2019, and just under half of the channel’s views and over a third of its subscribers originate from the U.S.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS:
WINNER OF:
2021 National Comedy Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Show
2020 BAFTA for Best Entertainment
2019 Bäst i Test (Swedish Taskmaster) Swedish TV Academy Award for Programme of the Year
2018 Broadcast Award for Best Entertainment Programme
NOMINATIONS RECEIVED:
2021 Rose d’Or for the Studio Entertainment category
2021 RTS Award for the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award
2021 Broadcasting Press Guild Award 2021 for Best Entertainment
2021 Edinburgh TV Award for Best Entertainment Series
2020 Broadcast Award for Best Entertainment
2020 International Format Award for Best Returning Format
2019 Broadcast Award for Best Entertainment Programme
2019 Broadcast Award for Best Multichannel Programme
2019 Broadcast Digital Award for Best Entertainment Programme
2019 Broadcast Digital Award for Gamechanger Programme
2018 BAFTA for Best Comedy Entertainment Programme
2018 Broadcasting Press Guild for Best Entertainment/Factual Programme
2017 International Emmy for Best Non-scripted Entertainment
2017 BAFTA for Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment Programme
2017 RTS Nomination for Best Entertainment Show
2016 Broadcast Award Nomination for Best Entertainment Programme
WHAT THE U.S. PRESS HAVE SAID ABOUT TASKMASTER:
“One of the most consistently entertaining comedy game shows on air these days”
Clare Martin, Paste Magazine
“there’s never been a better time for Taskmaster, one of Great Britain’s many hidden television gems, to finally make its way to the United States”
Lauren Coates, Vulture
“The show is absurd, the tasks are pointless, and currently, its YouTube channel is buttressing a significant portion of my emotional well-being… Watching Taskmaster feels like watching your funniest friends do stupid shit outside a bar after several beers — ridiculous, endearing, and sometimes genuinely impressive”
Magdeleine Aggeler, The Cut
“widely entertaining series…It’s a clever take on the classic British panel show format that doubles as a devious way to torture its celebrity guests — with hilarious, and occasionally genius, results.”
Lauren Messman, The New York Times
“there is perhaps no better show for American audiences to discover right now…Every episode is funny and silly and exciting”
Lea Palmieri, The Decider
“there’s never been a better time for Taskmaster, one of Great Britain’s many hidden television gems, to finally make its way to the United States….Taskmaster possesses its own unique, undefinable brand of insanity that has kept viewers coming back …The show’s popularity in Britain is hardly a fluke…Trying to describe the appeal of Taskmaster is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle — it’s nearly impossible, and it’s the kind of thing that needs to be seen to be believed. There’s no comparable American series… The only way to truly understand its magic is by checking it out for yourself.”
Lauren Coates, Vulture
“you’re going to need to tune in… Prepare yourselves for the giggle of a lifetime… and if you haven’t yet set your eyes upon this feast of comedy, you are in for a treat.”
Lauren Piester, E!
“This English import brings a bit of refinement – at least by American standards …A healthy dose of degradation, both subtle and elegant. Who better to offer a contest built on domination and humiliation than our friends from across the pond.”
Bill Keveney, USA Today
Best TV shows to binge while self-quarantining
Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times
“Many reality show fans have at least heard of delightfully understated stalwart The Great British Bake Off. However, the iconic baking competition isn’t the only unscripted British show worthy of your Sunday afternoon… Taskmaster is a great series if you’re a fan of dry, British humour, and is hilarious regardless of whether contestants dither about or throw themselves in with gusto”
Amanda Yeo, Mashable
“Taskmaster is just damned funny, from beginning to end. Davies is the perfect a-hole in the taskmaster role, and we love how Horne has made himself the show’s lackey…we wonder why it hasn’t come to the US sooner”
Joel Keller, Decider
“Taskmaster: the Cult British Comedy Show Coming to Save America. This is no exaggeration. British comedy show Taskmaster is airing in the US for the first time and, just as it has in the UK, it will make Americans’ lives better”
Louisa Mellor, Den of Geek
This week in TV pick
Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter
Top picks of the day
Matt Cooper, Los Angeles Times
Top picks of the day
Nina Zafar, The Washington Post
“‘Taskmaster,’ the U.K.’s Least Fair, Most Hilarious Game Show…we’re finally getting a proper airing of this TV import in the States”
Ryan Berenz, Channel Guide Magazine
“the show shines is in the tasks themselves, which can best be described as finely-tuned improv designed to put the comedians up a creek without a paddle”
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap
“hilarious series…shows no signs of slowing down”
Avery Thompson, Hollywood Life
“File this under guilty pleasures, or an answer to the oft-asked question: What can I watch that’s just fun and takes my mind off things, preferably not streaming? Enter this long-running hit comedic game show imported from the U.K…The barbed rapport of Davies and droll sidekick Alex Horne (the series’ creator) is delicious, and there’s universal appeal in watching clowns happily make fools of themselves”
Matt Roush, TV Insider
“Host Greg Davies makes Simon Cowell look like Mr. Sunshine”
Neal Justin, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“hilariously absurd series”
Brittany Frederick, TV Brittany F
“Taskmaster is such a genius premise”
Louisa Mellor, Den of Geek
“It’s hard to top the original… the barbed rapport of Davies and droll sidekick Alex Horne…you may not get all the parochial in-jokes, but there’s a universal appeal in watching clowns happily make fools of themselves”
TV Guide Magazine
“totally bizarre, utterly hilarious “
Scott D.Pierce, Salt Lake Tribune
“There’s competitiveness and craftiness and goofiness, and the warmth embedded in its mirth really snuck up on me. Suddenly, I was fully in and couldn’t wait to see more…Taskmaster’s frequently dumb challenges can be actually challenging, but best of all, they usually inspire a lot of creativity and laughter.”
Andy Dehnart, Reality Blurred
“hilarious”
TV Guide Magazine
Best British Comedy Shows Of The Past Decade
Sam Hutchinson, Screenrant
“I’ve spent the past few weeks binging Taskmaster…In these moments, there’s a simple joy of watching seven really funny people all gently mocking one another while in a room…The key to the show’s success is the relaxed, chatty atmosphere that’s created in the studio juxtaposed with the arch hilarity of the filmed challenges. It’s as if an NPR podcast crashed into one of those Japanese game shows you can catch on late-night cable. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but after watching the first episode I quickly raced through the remaining 23.”
Daniel Cooper, Engadget
“hilarious UK charmer makes its U.S. debut…hysterical”
Broadway World
“the only word to describe Taskmaster is hilarious”
Cory Anotado, Buzzer Blog
“a lively mix of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Double Dare”
Aaron Barnhart, Primetimer
Best TV shows to binge while self-quarantining
Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times
A heaping dose of creativity, ingenuity, and lots of fun”
Lea Palmieri, Decider
Best British Comedy Show Of The Past Decade
Screenrant
“Taskmaster is such a genius premise”
Louise Mellor, Den of Geek
“I’ve spent the past few weeks binging Taskmaster, the British comedy game show …In these moments, there’s a simple joy of watching seven really funny people all gently mocking one another while in a room…The key to the show’s success is the relaxed, chatty atmosphere that’s created in the studio juxtaposed with the arch hilarity of the filmed challenges. It’s as if an NPR podcast crashed into one of those Japanese game shows you can catch on late-night cable. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but after watching the first episode I quickly raced through the remaining 23.”
Daniel Cooper, Engadget
“Taskmaster is unlike anything American audiences have seen in recent memory”
Andrew Husband, Uproxx
“a very silly show”
Megh Wright, Vulture
“The show is irresistibly silly”
Marc Silver, The Washington Post
“My favorite part of Taskmaster is hands down co-host Alex Horne, whose comedy is downright brilliant”
Elazar Abrahams, Hidden Remote
WHAT THE BRITISH PRESS HAVE SAID ABOUT TASKMASTER:
“Charming, batshit, hilarious…That something so pointless, so silly, so endlessly daft should exist is just delightful”
★★★★ Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
“Taskmaster is the show we need right now”
★★★★ Anita Singh, The Daily Telegraph
“I wish I had discovered it earlier as it’s sublimely silly and funny”
★★★★★ Deborah Ross, The Mail on Sunday
“Joyously ridiculous”
Victoria Segal, The Sunday Times
“Alex Horne’s peculiarly brilliant imagination keeps churning out inventive challenges, greg Davies continues to hand out withering insults and a steady stream of competitors line up to take both on the chin, they could screen this wonderful show all year round and no one would much mind”
Gabriel Tate, The Daily Telegraph
“The funniest double act on television… Taskmaster is one of TV’s most refreshing comedies. It’s nonsensical, silly and different from anything else on TV”
Frances Taylor, Radio Times
“The funniest show on television”
Luke Holland, The Guardian
“The funniest show on TV? Probably”
Ammar Kalia, Guardian Guide
“The formula has evolved slightly over the years and across the channels, but it’s still the case that for pure, artisanal silliness, there’s not much that can beat a dose of Taskmaster”
David Butcher, Radio Times
“This has become one of the funniest shows on television”
Helen Stewart, The Sunday Times
“What a joy this series has been with its brilliant mix of comedians and batshit crazy tasks”
★★★★★ Kay Ribeiro, Heat
“Greg and Alex make a strong double act… on screen they have natural rhythm”
★★★★★ Christopher Stevens, The Daily Mail
“A glorious kind of alchemy”
Euan Ferguson, The Observer
“Offering the most guaranteed laugh per hour on TV right now”
Sharon Lougher, Metro
“You can rely on an hour of glorious silliness each week from BAFTA winning Taskmaster”
★★★★ Steven Perkins, TV Times
“Back with more absurd mayhem, this is possibly the best comedy game show on telly”
Sara Wallis, The Daily Mirror
“Unsurprisingly, Taskmaster has been a ratings success for Channel 4”
Gerard Gilbert, The I
“This comedy game show continues to be a daft and entertaining balm during these trying time- and a clear hit on its new home on Channel 4”
The Daily Telegraph
“as inspired as ever”
James Walton, The Spectator
“As always, it’s fun, incredibly silly and very funny viewing”
The Sun TV Mag
“an entertaining return of a joyous show”
★★★★ Steve Bennett, Chortle
“the beauty of Taskmaster has always been its winning format”
Ian Hyland, The Daily Mirror
“Surreal, downright silly and the most fun to be had on TV”
Veronica Lee, The I
“Its fun to watch not just because the tasks are silly, but also in the execution, as the comics come up with (mostly) inventive ways of making the magic happen”
★★★★ Daily Mail
“The hilarity still comes in waves”
Lynn Gibson, Inside Soap
“Still one of the most inventive- and definitely the most reliably funny- programme on TV”
Total TV Guide
“There’s an infantile joy in comedy game show Taskmaster. Now in it’s 12th series, and about to reach the 100th episode, its becoming more popular than ever, and comedians are falling over themselves top take part”
Tom Spilsbury, TV Choice
“weird and wonderful”
★★★★★ Mike Ward, Daily Star
“impressive”
★★★★ Boyd Hilton, Heat
“Ingenious… remains a delight”
★★★★ Josh Stephenson, Metro
“Extraordinary and hilarious”
Jennifer Kyte, Sunday Express
“Gloriously silly fun”
Joe Clay, The Times
“genuinely laugh out loud… Taskmaster is one of TV comedy’s true gems and rarely anything but a pure joy”
The Sun
“This show always feels like a party. Long may it reign”
Sara Wallis, The People
WHAT THE REST OF THE WORLD HAVE SAID ABOUT TASKMASTER:
“a stand-out in New Zealand comedy”
Steward Sowman-Lund, The Spin Off
“Taskmaster NZ starts high in the sky – and long may it continue”
Steward Sowman-Lund, The Spin Off
“One of the reasons Taskmaster is so good is also one of the reasons it is hard to describe to people in a profound way. That is, it’s extremely silly… join me in the call for a Taskmaster Australia. Your time starts now”
Rebecca Shaw, Guardian Australia
“uniquely hilarious”
Brent Furdyk, ET Canada
“TV’s craziest and most consistently funny panel show”
James Croot, Stuff NZ
“the ultimate laugh-out-loud competition”
Scoop
LISTINGS INFO:
Season 1
Drops March 4th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and Frank Skinner, Josh Widdicombe, Roisin Conaty, Romesh Ranganathan, and Tim Key as contestants.
Season 2
Drops March 4th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan, and Richard Osman as contestants.
Season 3
Drops March 4th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and Al Murray, Dave Gorman, Paul Chowdhry, Rob Beckett, and Sara Pascoe as contestants.
Season 4
Drops March 11th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and Hugh Dennis, Joe Lycett, Lolly Adefope, Mel Giedroyc, Noel Fielding as contestants.
Season 5
Drops March 18th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and Aisling Bea, Bob Mortimer, Mark Watson, Nish Kumar, and Sally Phillips as contestants.
Season 6
Drops March 25th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and Alice Levine, Asim Chaudhry, Liza Tarbuck, Russell Howard, and Tim Vine as contestants.
Season 7
Drops April 1st
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and James Acaster, Jessica Knappett, Kerry Godliman, Phil Wang, and Rhod Gilbert as contestants.
Season 8
Drops April 8th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas, Lou Sanders, Paul Sinha, and Sian Gibson as contestants.
Season 9
Drops April 15th
Starring: Greg Davies as the Taskmaster, Alex Horne as the Taskmaster’s Assistant, and David Baddiel, Ed Gamble, Jo Brand, Katy Wix, and Rose Matafeo as contestants.
All seasons can also be viewed on the Taskmaster YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/Taskmaster
NOTES TO EDITORS:
• Taskmaster has seen huge success internationally with its YouTube channel reaching just under 3 billion impressions since it first launched in October 2019, just under half of the channel’s views and over a third of its subscribers originate from the U.S.
• The channel has had over 45 million hours of content viewed with 55% of those hours from the US (25 million hours watched). The show has grown significantly in popularity with U.S. audiences growing from 22 million to 56 million views over the last year, while viewing hours have increased from 6 million to a total of 16 million hours in the last 12 months.
• Produced by Avalon, 117 episodes have been made in the UK so far, with a further 21 ordered by Channel 4 as part of a landmark six season deal in 2020. Series 10 – 15 air on Channel 4 from Autumn 2020, following nine record-breaking series on UKTV’s Dave.
• The show enjoyed its best performance on record with it’s Channel 4 launch which reached 3.9 million consolidated views after the first episode, winning the majority share of young viewers 16 – 34’s and making it the best-performing new entertainment show of this year (Broadcast, 2020). Since the programme’s initial launch in 2015 on UKTV’s Dave, Taskmaster’s audience has grown by 80% from series one to series nine.
• Taskmaster was crowned Best Comedy Entertainment at the BAFTAs 2020 and won Best Entertainment Programme at the Broadcast Awards 2018, having previously received two more nominations for both awards. It has also been nominated for the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award at the NTA’s 2021, Studio Entertainment at Rose d’Or 2021, Best Entertainment Programme at the RTS Awards, Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, the Broadcast Digital Awards, Edinburgh TV Award, the TV Choice Awards, and Best Returning Format in the International Format Awards 2020.
• #HomeTasking had over 100 million impressions across all content on YouTube. Viewing grew by 42%, while subscribers grew by 85% since it launched on the Taskmaster YouTube channel. It was watched in 125 countries with viewers ranging from the US to the UK and from Moldova to Mongolia.
• The Taskmaster Book 200 Extraordinary Tasks for Ordinary People has sold over 136,251 copies, while a second book ‘Bring Me The Head of the Taskmaster’ published in September 2021 and has sold almost 30,000 to date. Both books featured as Sunday Times Bestsellers at launch. The Swedish version of the book has sold 70,000 copied to date.
• A Taskmaster boardgame was released in Autumn 2019 and entirely sold out a week after it went on sale. It has sold almost 180,000 copies to date along with an expansion pack which was released this year along with the launch of the official Taskmaster shop.
• Taskmaster is working with Homeless Link; the national membership charity for frontline homelessness services, creating a virtual Taskmaster at Home event with all the money raised going to homeless charities across the UK. Having raised over £115,000, the virtual event is running throughout the winter months and further information can be found here.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Britney Ross, 42 West – Britney.Ross@42West.Net
Tara Fitzpatrick, 42 West – Tara.Fitzpatrick@42West.Net
Florrie Sheehan, Avalon – FSheehan@avalonuk.com
