1000 Tiny Birds

Taskmaster: New Year's Treat S2023

The question, I suppose, is where does Taskmaster end? Soon to be on its 15th full series, it shows no sign of diminishing returns, but all good things must pass. Over the last few years, Alex Horne and co. have very cleverly demonstrated that a one-off format - once seemingly an anathema to the USP of having the same cast over many weeks - can still embody the Taskmaster ethos through the New Year’s Treats. Witness the message boards insist that a full series must be ordered with this cast immediately. And who can blame them? If nothing else, I would watch Rebecca Lucy Taylor take over this and anything else as long as she likes. This cast gels well, although as with all of them, you wonder how much long-term value there would be in them, stretched out over 10 weeks. This is not just self-interest, but presenters or “personalities” are just not as good at this as actual comedians, both specifically on Taskmaster and more generally on panel shows. But that’s not the argument being offered, really. Let the non-comics in for 45 minutes a year, go on, why not. At the end of the day, more Taskmaster is - still - a good thing in and of itself.